Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Social Responsibility
Grade 11
Try this! 1ST SEMESTER|Second Quarter
Directions: Read the Questions carefully. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
Engage
yourself
Activity 1: Picture Analysis | The pictures below are related to responsibility, explain why it is related to
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
Let’s dig
deeper
Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Corporate social responsibility is a broad concept that can take many forms depending on the company and
industry. Through CSR programs, philanthropy, and volunteer efforts, businesses can benefit society while
boosting their brands. As important as CSR is for the community, it is equally valuable for a company. CSR
activities can help forge a stronger bond between employees and corporations, boost morale and help both
employees and employers feel more connected with the world around them.
Corporate social responsibility is important to both consumers and companies.
Starbucks is a leader in creating corporate social responsibility programs in many aspects of its
business.
Corporate responsibility programs are a great way to raise morale in the workplace.
For a company to be socially responsible, it first needs to be accountable to itself and its shareholders. Often,
companies that adopt CSR programs have grown their business to the point where they can give back to
society. Thus, CSR is primarily a strategy of large corporations. Also, the more visible and successful a
corporation is, the more responsibility it has to set standards of ethical behavior for its peers, competition, and
industry.
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1. Social Responsibility of Business: Meaning and Definitions:
The concept of social responsibility in relation to business means that the firm functions to accomplish its
financial objectives and serves the society as well. No business exists in isolation. Every organ of the society
contributes towards the success of a business. Thus it becomes imperative that business too does something
for the society in return. This responsibility of business towards the society is called social responsibility.
A socially responsible firm should not work solely for profit maximization but should also seek the welfare of
different sections of the society. Social responsibility of business refers to its obligations to take those
decisions and perform those actions which are acceptable in terms of the objectives and values of the society.
Categories of CSR
Although corporate social responsibility is a very broad concept that is understood and implemented differently
by each firm, the underlying idea of CSR is to operate in an economically, socially, and environmentally
sustainable manner.
1. Environmental responsibility
Environmental responsibility initiatives aim at reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and the
sustainable use of natural resources.
3. Philanthropic responsibility
Philanthropic responsibility can include things such as funding educational programs, supporting health
initiatives, donating to causes, and supporting community beautification projects.
4.
Economic responsibility initiatives involve improving the firm’s business operation while participating in
sustainable practices – for example, using a new manufacturing process to minimize wastage.
In Canada, mining companies often engage with Aboriginal communities and groups. Converting land sites into
mines can cause a significant environmental impact on the Aboriginal communities living near the sites.
Several Canadian mining companies engage in corporate social responsibility with local communities to ensure
that the adverse effects are minimized.
For example:
Cameco Corporation oversees education programs directed toward northern and Aboriginal peoples
through their northern Saskatchewan five-pillar strategy.
CSR of Starbucks
Starbucks is a well-known firm that practices corporate social responsibility. As indicated by the company:
“Starbucks’ social corporate responsibility and sustainability is about being responsible and doing things that
are good for the planet and each other.”
Starbucks’ CSR initiatives include:
Starbucks Youth Action Grants: Awarding grants to inspire and support youth action.
Ethos Water Fund: Raising clean water awareness and providing children with access to clean water.
Ethical Sourcing: Commitment to buying and serving ethically traded coffee.
Green Building: Using the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program to create energy
and water-efficient store designs.
In such a case, the following reasons have been laid down to explain the significance of social
responsibility for a business enterprise:
1. Long-Term Interest:
It is in the long-term interest of the business to discharge its social obligations by serving different interest
groups such as employees, consumers, government and citizens. Wise business persons know that unless
they serve the society by fulfilling its needs, they will not be able to climb the success ladder. Working for the
society, stakeholders and government helps an organization in establishing a strong public image. On the
other hand, a business organization with vested selfish interests may get ignored by the society.
2. Indebted to Society:
A business uses the resources of the society for its functioning. Hence, it becomes obligatory for it to pay back
its dues by serving the society. Businessmen should tend to the needs of the society and use its resources for
community welfare. This practice ultimately helps the organization in establishing itself on the strong
foundation of a pleased society and a cooperative labor force.
3. Social Power:
Business persons are endowed with a lot of social power. They have the potential to change the destiny of the
population by collectively deciding for the country on crucial issues such as rate of economic progress,
distribution of income among different income groups etc. Ideally, business persons should take up social
responsibilities in proportion to their social power.
4. Public Image:
A business devoted towards fulfilling its social responsibilities is regarded highly by the society. Good rapport
with employees, suppliers, customers and government helps in building a favourable public image of the
business enterprise. Moreover, a socially responsible organization is considered trustworthy by the
shareholders and investors.
5. Social Awareness:
These days, employees and customers are more informed about their rights. While consumers expect the
seller to abide by the fair trade practices, workers want fair wages and other employee benefits. If the
expectations of these interest groups are not met, they may resort to either anti-social activities or seek help
from trade unions and consumer courts. This will lead to industrial turmoil and unrest within the society which is
harmful for proper functioning of the business.
8. Moral Justification:
A business possesses resources such as finance and talent pool to help bail out troubled masses out of social
issues like poverty, dowry, unemployment and illiteracy by organizing special campaigns and programs.
Additionally, business houses can assist the government in solving many other issues like lack of foreign
exchange etc. Moreover, business organizations increase pollution by releasing untreated sewage into the
environment. Thus, it is a moral obligation of the business to render its services in tackling these issues.
9. Socio-Cultural Norms:
India has a rich legacy of business values passed down by the legendary and morally upright business owners
like Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, etc. Only those business persons who sincerely abide by the canon of business
will get the privilege of being honored by the citizens and the government. Hence, the business should aim to
promote equal opportunity and maintain healthy inter-personal relations with all the stakeholders such as
customers, employees to carve a niche for itself as a honest enterprise.
10. Trustees
The great socio-political leader Mahatma Gandhi propounded the philosophy that owners of wealth and
property should hold and use the wealth for the welfare of the society. Therefore, company owners should
operate the business not only for their own benefit, but also for the prosperity of the society. According to Keith
Davis, since business has the resources to resolve the mounting social problems, it should try and assume the
social responsibilities.
(i) Environment:
This area involves the environmental aspects of production, covering pollution control in the conduct of
business operations, prevention or repair of damage to the environment resulting from processing of natural
resources and the conservation of natural resources. Corporate social objectives are to found in the abatement
of the negative external social effects of industrial production, and in adopting more efficient technologies to
minimize the use of irreplaceable resources and the reduction of waste.
(ii) Energy:
This area covers conservation of energy in the conduct of business operations and increasing the energy
efficiency of the company’s products.
(iii) Fair Business Practices:
This area concerns the relationship of the company to special interest groups.
This area concerns the impact of organizational activities on the people who constitute the human resources of
the organization.
This area involves community activities, health-related activities, education and the arts and other community
activity disclosures.
(vi) Products:
This area concerns the qualitative aspects of the products, for example their utility, life-durability, safety and
serviceability, as well as their effect on pollution. Moreover, it includes customer satisfaction, truthfulness in
advertising, completeness and clarity of labeling and packaging. Many of these considerations are already
important from a marketing point of view. It is clear, however, that the social responsibility aspect of the product
contribution extends beyond what is advantageous from a marketing angle.
Guide questions:
1. How has CSR evolved at the company?
Keep this in
Mind
Corporate Social Responsibility is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and
environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.
Extend your
understanding
Activity A. Match the words in column A with the phrases in column B.Write the letters of your answer on the
blank.
Column A Column B
__________1. Operational cost savings a. investing in operational efficiencies
__________2. Reduced regulatory burden b. Initiatives involve improving the firm’s business
__________3. Economic responsibility c. Strong relationships with regulatory bodies
__________4. Manufacturing business d. Support a business that practices CSR
__________5. Environmental responsibility e. Initiatives aim at reducing pollution and
Greenhouse gas emissions
f. A business uses the resources of the society for
its functioning
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Let’s dig
deeper
11. Social Responsibility of Business: Arguments for Social Responsibility:
The issue of social responsibility is a complex one since it deals with an institution that is at the heart of
society. Businesses employ a vast majority of the workforce in India and are in control of vast human and
financial resources. Any modification or decision about how these resources are put to use has obvious
consequences for the balance of society.
It is this resource power base that generates many of the arguments favoring greater social
involvement of business:
7. Conflicting Interests:
CSR demands managers to behave responsibly. It does not want managers to meet every requirement of
society. A business can still seek to make profits. It can put its focus on market share. It can commit funds on
innovation and product development. CSR only requires managers to balance all these objectives in a fair and
equitable manner. There is no conflict in between these goals. Businesses can create wealth, conquer new
markets, expand their reach and scale and do many other things. But, at the end, they need to conduct
operations in a way that benefits society.
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12. Social Responsibility of Business towards Society:
There are various interest groups in the society which may affect the functioning of a business organization.
Such interest groups may be identified as: 1. Shareholders 2. Customers 3. Employees 4. Government 5.
Suppliers, creditors and others 6. Society in general.
4. International Barriers:
If a multinational corporation is buying supplies from the home industry and domestic companies are selling
their supplies at a higher price (because of social costs) vis-a-vis other countries, they may lose sales in the
international market. International business may, thus, be a barrier to social responsiveness of business
enterprises. In view of the above discussion, it is advisable for business enterprises to take up social only if
their benefits are more than the costs.
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15. Barriers to Social Responsibility:
Social responsibility is affected by the following barriers:
1. Managerial Perceptions:
If employees of the organization want to assume social responsibility, their superiors may not allow them to do
so. In such situations, they may be forced to choose between personal growth (and through it, organizational
growth) and social growth. The inevitable choice is personal growth even if it is at the cost of social values.
2. Comparison of Divisional Performance:
Overall performance of the organization is judged by the performance of its various departments. A department
which discharges social responsibility may report lower profits than its counterparts. This may not be
acceptable to top managers unless the social programs are approved by them.
3. Overall Organizational Barriers:
Low profits on account of social responsibility may not be acceptable to owners (shareholders) or employees of
the organization if they lower dividends or wages. Catering to values of one section of society at the cost of
another is not justified.
4. International Barriers:
If a multinational corporation is buying supplies from the home industry and domestic companies are selling
their supplies at a higher price (because of social costs) vis-a-vis other countries, they may lose sales in the
international market. International business may, thus, be a barrier to social responsiveness of business
enterprises. In view of the above discussion, it is advisable for business enterprises to take up social only if
their benefits are more than the costs.
Fundamental Principle:
Core Elements:
Each business entity should formulate a CSR policy to guide its strategic planning and provide a roadmap for
its CSR initiatives, which should be an integral part of overall business policy and aligned with its business
goals. The policy should be framed with the participation of various level executives and should be approved
by the Board.
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6. Activities for Social and Inclusive Development:
Depending upon their core competency and business interest, companies should undertake activities for
economic and social development of communities and geographical areas, particularly in the vicinity of their
operations. These could include – education, skill building for livelihood of people, health, cultural and social
welfare etc., particularly targeting at disadvantaged sections of society.
Extend your
understanding Activity B. Identify the correct answer. Write your answer in a space provided.
_____________1. Companies should take measures to check and prevent pollution; recycle, manage and
reduce waste, should manage natural resources in a sustainable manner
_____________2. Companies should respect human rights for all and avoid complicity with human rights
abuses by them or by third party.
_____________3. The companies should respect the interests of, and be responsive towards all stakeholders,
including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, project affected people, society at large etc.
_____________4. Their governance systems should be underpinned by Ethics, Transparency and
Accountability.
_____________5. If employees of the organization want to assume social responsibility, their superiors may
not allow them to do so.
_____________6. Many company programs in the community can help foster employee skills.
_____________7. CSR demands managers to behave responsibly. It does not want managers to meet every
requirement of society.
_____________8. CSR does not put an accusing finger against businesses making profits. It only seeks
rationalization of profits.
_____________9. CSR does not mean that businesses have to stop creating wealth. CSR simply wants the
business to grow. It wants every business to conduct the show in sync with societal expectations.
_____________10. If a multinational corporation is buying supplies from the home industry and domestic
companies are selling their supplies at a higher price (because of social costs) vis-a-vis other countries, they
may lose sales in the international market.
Let’s dig
deeper
Major Ethical Issues in Entrepreneurship
1. Major ethical issues in entrepreneurship (basic fairness, personnel and customer relations distribution
dilemmas, fraud, unfair competition, unfair communication, non-respect of agreements environmental
degradation, etc.
2. Models and frameworks of social responsibility in the practice of sound business the importance of doing
business beyond profit motivation. Introduction to the notion of SOCIAL ENTERPRISE (meeting a given social
objective or resolving a real social problem while making ends meet) for poverty alleviation
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1. Discrimination
One of the biggest ethical issues affecting the business world in 2020 is discrimination. In the last few months,
many corporations have come under fire for lacking a diverse workforce, which is often down to discrimination.
However, discrimination can occur at businesses of all sizes. It applies to any action that causes an employee
to receive unequal treatment. Discrimination is not just unethical; in many cases, it is also illegal. There are
statutes to protect employees from discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, disability, and more.
Nonetheless, the gender and race pay gaps show that discrimination is still rampant. Other common instances
of discrimination include firing employees when they reach a certain age or giving fewer promotions to people
of ethnic minorities.
2. Harassment
The second major ethical issue businesses face is harassment, which is often related to racism or sexism. This
can come in the form of verbal abuse, sexual abuse, teasing, racial slurs, or bullying. Harassment can come
from anyone in the company, as well as from customers. In particular, it is an ethical issue for the business if a
supervisor is aware of harassment from a client and takes no action to prevent it. In addition to causing a toxic
workplace, harassment can cause employees to leave the company prematurely a second reason why some
businesses lack diversity. Harassment can have a long-term impact on employees: psychologically, in terms of
earnings, and even impacting a person’s entire career path.
3. Unethical Accounting
Publicly-traded companies may engage in unethical accounting to appear more profitable than they actually
are. In other cases, an accountant or bookkeeper may change records to skim off the top.
7. Privacy
Employees have recently found that the distinction between work life and personal life has become less clear.
This is mainly due to the advances in technology.
For one thing, employers may punish for posts on social media, particularly if they complain about work
conditions or the company as a whole. Employers may even fire workers who post controversial statements
that go against company values. Another ethical issue surrounds the use of devices belonging to the company.
Employers can now monitor all worker activity on laptops and cellphones. Whereas this is supposed to check
that employees are sticking to work-related activities during the business day, some employers take it further,
tracking keystrokes and reading emails. The question is where to draw the line between monitoring and spying.
8. Corporate Espionage
The opposite of the above can also happen: workers can misuse company data. An employee may steal
intellectual property or provide a competitor with information about a client. Usually, this is for monetary
purposes, but it can also help an employee secure a position at another firm.
BASIC FAIRNESS
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PRINCIPLES OF FAIRNESS
Fairness requires that we:
• Treat all people equitably based on their merits and abilities and handle all essentially similar situations
similarly and with consistency
• Make all decisions on appropriate criteria, without undue favoritism or improper prejudice.
• Never blame or punish people for what they did not do, and appropriately sanction those who violate moral
obligations or laws.
• Promptly and voluntarily correct personal and institutional mistakes and improprieties
• Not take unfair advantage of people’s mistakes or ignorance
• Fully consider the rights, interests, and perspectives of all stakeholders, approach judgments with open-minded
impartiality (setting aside prejudices and predispositions), conscientiously gather and verify facts, provide critical
stakeholders with an opportunity to explain or clarify, and carefully evaluate the information.
Environmental Issues
There are many environmental moral issues relevant to business. We will discuss (a) ecology, (b) traditional
business attitudes towards the environment, (c) problems involving environmental abuse, (d) environmental
protection, (e) methods to pay for environmental protection, and (f) other issues involving environmental ethics.
To make the grave importance of the environment clear, Shaw briefly discusses many of the environmental
issues we face today:
1. Pesticides often harm or kill fish and birds (394), and can cause illness in children (395). Too much
pesticide is dangerous to adults, so only safe levels are allowed keeping adults in mind, but such levels
are still probably too dangerous for children. A 2011 study by UC Berkeley has shown that prenatal
exposure of pesticides in pregnant women can also lower the IQ of their children.
2. Air pollution contaminates the air, despoils vegetation and crops, corrodes construction materials, and
threatens our lives and health (ibid.). A 2011 study by the EPA claims that the Clean Air Act saved over
160,000 lives in 2010, but many people still suffer illness and die from air pollution and more lives can
be saved by stricter standards. We generally assume we get sick from allergies, bacteria, or viruses;
but pollution is a very common cause of illness as well.
3. The ozone layer was damaged from chlorofluorocarbons (ibid.).
4. Carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gasses) are causing global warming (ibid.)
5. Toxic chemicals in our environment cause many health issues (ibid.).
6. Nuclear power plants require minding, processing, and transporting of nuclear materials that causes
cancer in many people, and it’s unclear that our methods of disposing of nuclear waste are entirely safe
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Those responsible – The problem with this answer is it’s not entirely clear who’s responsible for harming the
environment. Even if we all agree that big business harms the environment the most, they don’t all harm it
equally and it’s hard to assess the actual damage each business does. Some people have argued that
consumers are to blame for harming the environment because they demand products at a reduced cost and
buy products from companies that disproportionally harm the environment. However, Shaw claims that
urbanization, consumerism, and a growing population is to blame; so we are all somehow responsible for
harming the environment.
Those who would benefit – Companies that harm the environment indiscriminately can benefit the most and
it’s often others who are harmed the most from environmental damage, so it might be most appropriate for
them to pay the most to protect and restore the environment.
Cost allocation
After we decide who should pay for protecting and restoring the environment, it’s still not clear how it should be
paid: Through regulations, incentives, pricing mechanisms, and/or pollution permits. I will discuss these ways
to allocate the costs to protect and restore the environment.
Pricing mechanisms
We can charge a company for the amount they pollute (ibid.). Such pricing could be based on the area and
time. Places that already have too much pollution could raise the price of pollution because the total pollution
we encounter can reach dangerous levels, and places with very little pollution could lower the cost because the
pollution done there might do very little harm.
Animal testing – We tend to assume that we are more important than nonhuman animals and it’s better to test
on animals rather than humans because it’s disrespectful and harmful to treat people as guinea pigs. However,
animal testing is only morally warranted when (a) it doesn’t harm the animals or (b) we have no choice but to
test on either animals or humans. Peter Singer argues that animal testing is often unjustified and causes
needless harm to animals.
Farming – Farming might have once been humane when animals could live their lives safely protected by
people until they are killed for human consumption, but now most farm animal lives tend to be miserable in
cramped spaces on “factory farms” First, this treatment of animals seems unjustified insofar as animals have
interests and it seems important that we don’t hurt them for no good reason.
Animal ownership – It’s not obvious that we have a right to own all other animals. It might be that we have a
right to own lower organisms of sufficiently low intelligence, but not higher life forms. Elephants, dolphins,
whales, and great apes are all very intelligent, but even dogs and cats can be pretty smart. Many people have
pets and perhaps its better that we care for these animals than send them out into the wild. However, we could
care for animals without technically owning them. Perhaps we could be their “guardians” rather than owners,
much as parents should be understood as the guardians of their young children rather than owners.
Animal abuse – According to the law, people who own and sell animals have responsibilities towards those
animals, whether the animal is a pet, farmed for food, or used in experimentation. It seems plausible that such
laws are based on our moral duties, and there’s almost no reason for these laws to exist for human benefit. It
seems likely that the laws exist precisely because many people agree that animals have intrinsic value. Shaw
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has already discussed how farming and experimentation often harms animals, and the law often allows such
harm. It seems likely that it’s wrong to harm animals beyond what the law allows.
Environmental destruction – Shaw rarely or never mentioned the effects environmental destruction has on
animals. Animals are harmed and destroyed when we take the world’s resources, strip forests to make
farmland, and pollute. The environment has at least two important moral considerations for animals.
Intellectual property (IP) is the output or result of the creative work of one or more individuals to turn a unique
idea into a practical and value-added product/service; this manifestation of original ideas is legally protected. IP
applies to anything that is the exclusive right of a firm, will help differentiate that organization, and will
contribute to a sustained competitive advantage.
.
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Contracts and Torts
Every entrepreneur enters into contracts, usually on a regular basis, and thus should have an understanding of
basic contract concepts. Likewise, most businesses are likely to have some involvement with tort law: that area
of law that protects the rights of people not to be harmed physically, financially, or in any other way, such as a
breach of privacy. Some areas of the business world involve a combination of tort law and contract law, such
as litigation involving the wrongful termination of an employee.
Antitrust
Antitrust laws (or competition laws) were developed to ensure that one competitor does not abuse its position
and power in the market to exclude or limit competitor access to the market. A few examples of antitrust laws
are the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Bayh-Dole Act. These acts
were created to encourage competition and provide options for consumers. In effect, these laws make it illegal
for a competitor to make agreements that would limit competition in the market.
The antitrust concept is important to the entrepreneur’s ability of entrepreneurs to form new startup businesses
that are able to compete with larger, more established corporations (which may try to discourage
competition). Table 1 summarizes the contributions of these acts to supporting antitrust efforts. It is important
to note that any deviation from these laws may result in long and costly legal problems.
Antitrust Acts
Antitrust Act Protection
Engage
yourself
Activity 1 Answer the following question.
1. Why are legal issues important?
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