Socially Responsible Business

To still others the meaning transmitted is that of ‘responsible for,’ in a casual mode. Many simply equate it with a charitable contribution while some take it to mean social consciousness. Many of those who embrace it almost fervently see it as a mere synonym for ‘legitimacy’ in the context of ‘belonging’ or ‘being proper or valid’. Only a few see it as a sort of fiduciary duty imposing higher standards of behavior on businessmen than on citizens at large. Even the antonyms, socially ‘irresponsible’ and ‘non-responsible,’ are subject to multiple interpretations.

Socially responsible business means different things to different people. In the business sphere, social responsibility is the concern of business for social welfare; especially this concern is demonstrated by managers considering the long range best interests of the company and its relationships to the society within which it operates.

Social responsibility, for both individual business person and the corporation, tends to be defined in terms of the social arrangements and obligations that make up the structure of our society, for example, a pledge to hire the hard-core unemployed.

Ethics concerns the rules by which social responsibilities are carried out. Hiring hard-core unemployed for jobs that management plans to abolish in the near future would be unethical. Thus it is extremely hard to separate the rules of the game from the game itself, to separate ethics from ethical decision making.

Social responsibility is business’ concern for social welfare. Most large corporations feel that social responsibility extends beyond simply earning profits. The power of social opinion seems to be against those firms not taking overt social actions. Social responsibility arises from social power. The business community has extensive social power and must therefore exercise it in a reasonable fashion or be subject to further government regulation.

Social opinion favors the practice of social responsibility by business. But business options are increasingly restricted as a result of the changing climate of opinion on socially permissible conduct, which is reflected by the legislative limits set on decision making by business. Earning adequate return is still considered as the firm’s primary social responsibility.

Meeting social responsibilities requires both planning and organization. In large companies, the consumer affairs department carries out the social responsibilities of the firm. In the past, these departments were little more than consumer complaint departments. Today, consumer affairs departments monitor satisfaction, help develop warranties and guarantees, provide input for improving product safety, often oversees product packaging and labeling and work to improve quality control.

The concepts of social responsibility and consumerism go hand-in-hand. If every organization practiced a high level of social responsibility, the consumer movement might never have begun. Consumerism is a struggle for power between buyers and sellers; specifically it is a social movement seeking to augment the rights and powers of buyers in relation to sellers.