Social Responsibility Theory

Social responsibility is generally regarded as a duty of an organization’s management towards the benefit and well-being of the society in which it is engaged. The organization must behave ethically considering the social, cultural, economic and environmental issues.

Lawrence, Anne (2010). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. 13th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2010. VitalBook file. Bookshelf.

I could not imagine a free society without this basic right. American citizen and the media can express their own opinions without fear of prosecution or suppression by the government. The 1st Amendment extends the liberty of free speech to the media by citing freedom of the press as a fundamental right of American citizens. The creators of the constitution were careful to include press freedom. They realized that a government which controls the media can easily become an oppressive government. However, there are exceptions to Free Speech. The U.S. probably has the most unfettered policy in the world on free speech and free press, but even this has some limits. Many people think there are no exceptions to what you can say and cannot say legally, but there are several. For example, you can not threaten to kill the President of the United States. As technology changes, more ways of expressing ideas or opinions come under the “speech”

The media could be determined a tremendous and powerful weapon. If used properly, it can provide society with great benefits, but if used in negative ways, it can destroy. In a modern world where information can spread as fast as wildfires, a reason to monitor or limit types of media appear rational, but along with that, irrational cases still exist. This argument has circled in the United States for a while and a decision needs to be made. Parents and citizens around the United States think concerningly about what our eyes witness on the news, in stores, on billboards, etc. When the government determines what appears in the media, it not only belittles citizens, but it denies the First Amendment, which states the basic rights of an American. Censorship of the media, as displayed in 1984, clearly exhibits the violation of the First Amendment, rightfully given to the citizens of the United States, by the founding fathers of this country.

A man named Henry Luce funded the Hutchins commission. This was created to keep the press responsible. It created five guidelines within society. Provide day to day information and be truthful about it within context, be something that can encourage discussion from all parties, represent all in and out groups, provide goals for the society around/make sure all can understand it, and lastly make sure everyone knows what happened that day in the news, meaning they should also be able to have access to it. The book says it has a flaw, though, not paying attention to economics in modern forms of media.

Free press plays a important role in our democratic society. It facilitates an open flow of information, it informs citizens, it acts as vessel to hold the government accountable. Free press is also protected under the First Amendment because it has a duty to expose corruption within the government. The government could not offer enough proof that making the report public posed a real threat to national security. Yet they achieved the opposite and it was thought that publishing the report could help inform and educate citizens on policies in

The first amendment grants us the freedom of speech, religion, assembly, petition, and press. Freedom of speech and press allow us to express ourselves and our opinions. The media however is constricted in this right due to the fact that they let the government decide how they express themselves and how they present this to the public. When the government controls the media, they control what we the people see happening in our country and

Garriga, E., & Melé, D. (2004). Corporate social responsibility theories: Mapping the territory. In Journal of business ethics (p. 53).

Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and

The media has played a significant role in American culture. It has influenced our political, social, economic beliefs, and democratic values for centuries. The objective of the media is to provide audiences with fast and reliable news while informing citizens of the latest news coverage. The majority

I will be focusing on the social responsibility theory. The social responsibility theory is categorized as one of the six models known as the “normative” theories. “The social responsibility theory allows everyone to say something or express their opinion about the media. Community opinion, Consumer action and professional ethics, Serious invasion of recognized private rights and vital social interests, Private ownership in media may give better public service unless government has to take over to assure the public to provide better media service. Media must take care of social responsibility and if they do not, government or other organization will do” (http://communicationtheory.org/social-responsibility-theory/). Although, the social responsibility

Social responsibility is built on a system of ethics, in which decisions and actions must be ethically validated before proceeding. If the action or decision causes harm to society or the environment then it would be considered to be socially irresponsible. Being socially responsible means that people and organization must behave ethically and sensitivity towards, social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues. Striving for social responsibility helps individuals, organization and government to have a positive impact on development, business and society. Often, the ethical implication of decision/action are overlooked for personal gain and the benefits are usually material. This frequently manifest itself in companies that

"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which

1. Professor Ballistico is the director of the Foodcorp Centre for Food Science at BigCity University. The Foodcorp donated the money to the University in order to set up the research centre and to fund its activities. Professor Ballistico had a recent research which showed the results of the higher risk of the additives. However, the additives in the research were common in the products of the Foodcorp. The main ethical issue is that if Professor Ballistico publishes the results, it is possible that the Foodcorp will go trouble and the funding to the University will be affected. The University relies on the funding. If the results are not published, the responsibility to report the risks of the additives of Professor Ballistico will be

The integrative model of social responsibility, which involves the stakeholder theory and moral minimum theory, and the philosophical ethical theory of utilitarianism are the most responsible approaches to business because they involve the standards of knowing who your actions affect, knowing how to help the most people possible, and knowing how to benefit those who are left out of the positive externalities of a business decision. This paper will discuss the implications of these theories in further depth and will look at a few business cases that demonstrate a failure to meet standards of responsibility.