What is social responsibility and why should you care to know?

 

Wikipedia defines social responsibility as "an ethical theory that we - individuals, companies, organizations and government - have a responsibility to society".  Do you agree?  Is it our responsibility to be proactive and bring more good to the world?  Should we refrain from doing any harm to society?  These are questions that people and organizations around the world are considering.   Increasingly, we understand that as citizens of the world we have more than a legal responsibility. 

 

To me, social responsibility speaks to the core of who we are as humans.  It's about ethics, values and integrity.  Or said another way, it's the Golden Rule we learned as children, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  Wouldn't that simple rule cover most situations?  I believe that you must work towards the ideal outcome for all even as you negotiate a contract with a key vendor and when you set pricing and when you create your marketing plan.  

 

Statistics are now showing us that when you do what is best for your people and the planet, the profits will come.  In 2005, for example, the financial returns of the Fortune "Best 100 Companies to Work For" was compared to the S & P 500.  Amazingly, the Best 100 returned 156% compared with 39% for the S&P - that's a four-fold advantage for the 'best' companies.  Certainly this provides you with an indication of the impact that a socially responsible strategy can have on your profits.

 

As a student of social responsibility, I have set up a google alert for that term and find that my inbox is getting increasingly more 'hits'.  This is an exciting time and some say a challenging time.  Maybe it's the right time for you to consider how you can be more responsible to society and reap human and financial rewards at the same time.