The Modern Era Of Social Responsibility

In (Cohen, 2008), the author quotes (Drucker, 1946) in noting that “Every organization must assume full responsibility for its impact on its employees, the environment, customers, and whomever and whatever it touches”. According to (Cohen, 2008; Drucker, 1946), that is the very definition of social responsibility. There are many ambiguities surrounding the concept of social responsibility; everything from definition to terminology, even what actions constitute responsible behavior is unsettled (Vogel, 2005). For purposes of this paper we will use the term corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Businesses, specifically larger corporations, play a major role in what occurs in society therefore, they are responsible to their stakeholders not only to pursue economic goals but the greater social good as well. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and their environment. (Lawrence, 2010). Social responsibility is becoming the norm so much so that some businesses have incorporated it into their business model. There are three components of the bottom line of social

The framework of corporate social responsibility is such that it is relatively complex and multidimensional. A three-dimensional

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something that affects all companies and should be an active factor in the company’s decision making. It is something all corporations need to care about. CSR is when business’ or corporations take part in an initiative or campaign for a cause that will benefit society and/or in some way make the world a better place (Taylor, 2015). Initially, Corporate Social Responsibility started to take shape around the 1950’s, but some say that it dates all the way back to the 1800s, the idea of CSR was seen (Carroll, 2007). One may think that because it is dated so long ago, it doesn’t have an important impact today nevertheless, it is proven that Corporate Social Responsibility is a pathway for entities to self benefit as they are in the process of benefitting society.

Corporate Social Responsibility (C.S.R.) is a theory practiced in the business sphere since fifty years. It refers to the duty of business organizations to adopt certain activities that will benefit the society in some way. Charity, health-awareness campaigns are few examples that a business undertakes to fulfil its objectives of C.S.R. According to this ideal, it is important for various corporations today to undertake such social activities, apart from merely focusing on their objective of profit maximization. But, is it an obligation that is most important than other objectives of business? This thought further leads us to another significant question – In contemporary settings, should corporations be guided by the concept of C.S.R.?

In today’s business world, sustainability can make all the difference in the world. According to Tomson (2015), “sustainability has become an economic and strategic imperative with the potential to create opportunities and risks for businesses by creating new customer relationships, and inspiring new products and business models that drive growth. Consequently, companies that are, or aspire to be, leaders in sustainability are often challenged by rising public expectations, increasing technological innovation, continuous quality improvement, effective governance measures, high standards of ethics and integrity, and heightened social and environmental challenges” (p.1).

Environmental and social sustainability is a growing concept, in the modern day business world. This essay will cover sustainability but particularly, will cover the following:

Research into the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has shown that there is no single universally accepted definition. CSR has many

Sustainability can be defined as a long and creative process which creates positive and lasting results. Sustainability is a beneficial progress that consists of meeting people’s needs without conflicting the ability for future generations to meet their own needs. The change in resources will enhance both current and future generations to meet human needs. Sustainability is an important part that is presented in Ford’s overall image. At Ford, sustainability is a business model that involves long term conservation and enhances environmental, social and financial capital (“Sustainability Report”, 2014). There are three main reasons that explain how Ford is improving the importance of sustainability/social responsibility within their company compared to BMW.

Corporate social responsibility has been one the key business buzz words of the 21st century. Consumers' discontent with the corporation has forced it to try and rectify its negative image by associating its name with good deeds. Social responsibility has become one of the corporation's most pressing issues, each company striving to outdo the next with its philanthropic image. People feel that the corporation has done great harm to both the environment and to society and that with all of its wealth and power, it should be leading the fight to save the Earth, to combat poverty and illness and etc. "Corporations are now expected to deliver the good, not just the goods; to pursue

The origins of social responsibility are dated back in 1950, when Harold Bowen published a seminal work titled Social Responsibility of the Businessman. Although in the early 1940’s corporations were already talking about ethical and social responsibility, it was not until Bowen published his seminal work that a formal concept was defined. For this reason he is known as the Father of Corporate Responsibility. (Schwartz, 2011, Pg. 20).

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) is a term describing a company’s obligation to be accountable to all of its stakeholder in all its operation and activities. Socially responsible companies consider the full scope of their impact on communities and the environment when making decisions, balancing the needs of stakeholder with their need to make profit.

Thus, for many companies sustainability has become an important part of their strategy in order to deal with this issue. Sustainability supports the practices that are relevant for extracting the natural resources in order to create a harmonic situation in which the nature and humans can exist jointly allowing a growing economy, society and nature for the present and future generations of humans and animals. Sustainability deals with concerns making sure that humans will be provided by the natural resources, such as water, air or other natural resources relevant for living (epa.gov, 2014).

* Businesses, corporations, stakeholders around the world have become aware of the needs and benefits of social responsibilities in order to contribute to a green and sustainable environment. Sustainable business is not only providing products and services that the customer wants but by not harming the environment at the same time.

The business stakeholders, such as customers, employees, investors and local communities, expect companies to play a greater role in society and contribute to solving social problems and environmental challenges, such as climate change, energy scarcity, and social diversity and health risks. These expectations lead to social responsibility for businesses, but also open up new opportunities for these companies to improve their performance.