The Social Responsibility Theory

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).

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.

In this paper I am going to discuss and explain my opinion on why a company Q is or is not socially responsible in the following areas company Q close a couple of stores in high crime areas, company Q started offering a very limited health conscious an organic products, company Q was approached by the local food bank for donations of day old food and company Q declined the donation request from the food bank and started throwing the food away, and company Q suspected possible fraud among its employees.

Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel (2014), authors of The Elements of Journalism, claim “Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth” (p. 49) and “Journalism’s first loyalty is to citizens” (p. 72).

Social responsibility is a construct of appropriate ethical behaviors, where two or more individuals, and corporations strive to provide better outcomes for the benefit of society as a whole. With such a set of meticulous structured frameworks in mind, it is fundamental to achieve a harmonious balance between the ecosystem and the developing economy. However, social responsibility is not always first and foremost on the mind of big name corporate companies – such as General Mills Inc.

Some economists believe that if companies address economic and legal issues, they are satisfying the demands of society, and that trying to anticipate and meet additional needs would be almost impossible. Which economist’s theory are they following most closely with this belief?

2. Catering to public expectations : Social rcsponsibility goes beyond merely obeying the law. In addition to abiding by legal framework of the country, social responsibility also caters to public expectations from the business enterpriscs (for example, providing job opportunities, quality clouds, controlling pollution etc.).

First a journalist must follow a foundation of Ethics. The Society of Professional Journalists provides a code of ethics in which they should act on with integrity. There are four principles that SPJ say a journalist must follow. The first being a journalist should seek the truth before reporting. By verifying information before releasing, it allows the work to be accurate. Journalists should also minimize harm by showing compassion for those who may be affected by the news, balancing the public’s need of information against potential harm of the subject. The third principle of ethics according is to act independently as a journalist. Journalists should avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. The last principle is to be accountable and transparent. Being a journalist requires you must make sure your information is accurate and that you are showing fairness.

40). Abiding by codes in the media industry is significant because codes promote ethical behavior. Don Lemon, a CNN journalist, spoke out and offered his own personal opinion that was directed to the parents of Michael Brown. He stated, “If any of you ever need anything, you know how to get in touch with me personally” (Byers & Gold, 2014). This was unethical because Don Lemon went from an independent journalist to clearly stating which side he was on. At all times, a journalist should and always remain unbiased when reporting. National journalists were injecting their own opinions for everyone to hear, which can make a situation more dangerous. People who work for the media should never state which side they are on so that there is not a lack of

The journalism industry follows the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics; this ensures that published content represents fairness, honesty, independence and respect for the rights of other (MEAA Org, 2017). It is a journalist’s responsibility to remain truthful, impartial and unbiased to maintain a transparent media landscape. As it is their role to keep the public informed and the powerful accountable, their obligation to uphold these ethical principles is critical.

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

If consumption is social, production is also social. What is social responsibility in production? What instances can you identify where media creators have shown social responsibility with respect to audiences?

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

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

Historical background of the development of CSR is almost as important as the ongoing discussion on what CSR is and how and where it should operate. Many scholars argue that these are not interchangeable and need to be assessed in conjunction with each other. For purposes of this paper it is pivotal to look into the past to see what stood behind the broadening of companies’ accountability beyond the standard agency theory (limited liability of shareholders for the company’s violations or breach and the company’s main accountability being towards its shareholders and investors only) to the stakeholder theory (company’s accountability towards a broad range of stakeholders, including employees, environment and local communities).