Social Responsibility is a form of responsibility that we owe to society being members of the same and partaking in activities that alter its natural flow. For example, by being a part of the natural environment, we owe the environment the restoration to offset the degradation conducted by mankind. In such a way, social responsibility is the accountability that we face towards society in all its aspects, to all its stakeholders. Indeed there exist various forms of social responsibility but two prominent ones are an individual and corporate social responsibility. It can be understood that much of the social responsibility activities can be considered under the same labels: one where the volunteers bring physical changes by cleaning the neighbourhood, distributing food and other necessities, securing funds and such for the needy, while the other where people advocate for the change and instil civic morals. While each indicates its own form of responsibility, the combination of both is what the present world needs to be ensured of sustainable development.
Corporate Social Responsibility is one of the keywords that underline an organisation’s social standpoint among various economic actors such as the government, consumers and certain types of investors. A responsible organization is bound to be more reliable because of its forward-thinking and ethical nature. Although the term was coined in the mid-1900s by Henry Bowen (the father of Corporate Social Responsibility) in his paper, the concept existed long before that. A few of the pioneers in the field of corporate social responsibility are Johnson & Johnson and Hershey’s. These responsibilities include:-
Economic Responsibility: This includes maintaining the satisficing amount of profits so that the business can
sustain enough to pay off their lenders, investors, creditors and employees. Legal Responsibility: The legal responsibility of a business includes complying with all the corporate bylaws, contracts with either another company or the government. An example of legal responsibility would be to adhere to the accounting compliance standards in reporting financial information. Ethical Responsibility: This consists of responsibilities outside the legal framework but matching the
company’s philosophy. For example, ensuring employees have a healthy work-life balance beyond the government-mandated levels.
Individual responsibility stems from the philosophy that holds each individual accountable for every action they take, which may have intended or unintended consequences for society. Hence, every individual has a responsibility towards the society that deems them ideal members of their community. Not only do we have the duties of controlling the negative spillover effects of our actions but we are required to step further and teach those ignorant of
these ideas the sense of responsibility. The UN suggests a list of actions that any and every individual could accomplish that can bring minor changes to the environment, called the “The lazy person’s guide to save the world”. The list is generated according to the individual’s willingness to pave the way for a sustainable future. Some of the individual responsibilities are using biodegradeable bags, donation to various charities, Use recyclable goods, segregation of trash, using renewable sources of energy etc. In this day and age it has become very important to uphold our social responsibilities.
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