What Is Social Responsibility?
How do companies carry out social responsibility?
That is a common essay question.
To effectively write an essay on social responsibility, first, you have to understand what it is.
The term is coined from two words: social and responsibility.
Social refers to society, while responsibility refers to accountability.
Therefore, social responsibility looks into what a company does to be accountable for society.
Social responsibility requires a company to prioritize the needs of society before their own.
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How Do Companies Carry Out Social Responsibility?
Examples of social responsibility include:
1. Donations
Organizations all over the world fulfill social responsibility through philanthropy.
Philanthropy, in most cases, involves providing financial aid to those who need it.
Also, providing products and services for free counts as philanthropy.
One organization that can be referenced for its philanthropic acts is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organization funds millions of dollars annually towards charitable courses such as promoting better healthcare and providing education to the less fortunate in Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
Another example of philanthropic social responsibility is Warren Buffets’ vow to contribute 85% of his wealth to charitable courses.
Google Corporation also donates to fulfill social responsibility: in 2017, the tech giant set aside a billion grant to fund non-profit innovations aimed at solving global challenges.
2. Environmental conservation
Global warming and adverse climate change are universal calamities that need to be solved if the world is to survive another millennium.
So, it makes sense that organizations use environmental conservation as a way of fulfilling their social responsibility obligation.
An example is the Coca-Cola company, which has launched water projects in more than 80 countries.
Providing access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation are some of the goals of these water projects.
Google Corporation’s commitment to society also includes environmental conservation.
The company has the Green Initiative, which promotes the efficient use of natural resources and encourages the use of renewable energy.
Protection of water catchment areas, irrigation projects, and promoting awareness on climate change are some other conservation-related ways companies can fulfill social responsibility.
3. Providing goods and services for free
What other easier way to satisfy the social responsibility obligation than to offer the company’s products or services for free?
In the medical world, this is the go-to option for social responsibility.
Hospitals provide free medical camps, medical institutions provide medical personnel or free medical awareness seminars on prevalent diseases, while pharmaceutical companies provide free drugs.
4. Fair treatment of employees
The workforce of any organization belongs to society.
Therefore, a good way of fulfilling social responsibility is treating employees fairly.
Fair treatment of employees includes offering good wages, providing a conducive working environment, and initiating policies that help employees expand their careers and take better care of their loved ones.
What Are The Advantages Of Social Responsibility?
You could include the benefits of social responsibility in your essay, which include:
Organizations and individuals that prioritize society have a better social status.
This good social standing is even globally recognized through prestigious awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize.
So, fulfilling social responsibility not only benefits society but also has personal benefits.
Society endears companies that show selflessness towards humanity.
2. Boosts profits
By giving back to society, an organization also advertises itself.
Social responsibility activities expose an organization – more people get to know about the company and the products and services it offers.
Additionally, when the government recognizes the social responsibility efforts of an organization, it will reward such a company through tax incentives and even favor the company’s products.
3. Improved productivity of employees
In most cases, you will find that employees of companies that fulfill their social responsibility mandate are productive.
Why? These employees feel that the work they are doing serves the purpose of making the world a better place.
Naturally, human beings gain gratification in knowing they are helping other human beings: It is not always about working for money.
Challenges In Fulfilling Social Responsibility
Social responsibility, clearly, has benefits any organization would want to salvage.
Still, most companies ignore their social responsibility mandate.
However, inhumanity or lack of compassion is not the reason most companies do not fulfill their social responsibility mandate.
Social responsibility has its obstacles, which include:
- Insufficient funds. Social responsibility requires funding. Remember, it is a venture that is not supposed to yield profits. That is why most small businesses and startups cannot afford to give back to society.
- Insufficient staff. Without enough manpower, a company will find it challenging to focus on social responsibility.
- The dilemma of choosing a social responsibility objective. There are so many options for giving back to society that some companies find it difficult to focus on one. For some companies, such as those in the field of medicine and the environment, the choice is simple since the work they do already involves society. But for most organizations, the choice is not crystal clear.
Conclusion
Organizations should be accountable to society.
After all, it is the society that sustains them.
Furthermore, done right, it benefits not only the society but also the organization that decides to fulfill it.
In this article, we have tackled some of the things you can include in a social responsibility essay.
All, you have to do is find sources and examples in the real world.
Good luck with your social responsibility essay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Social Responsibility?
The term is coined from two words: social and responsibility. Social refers to society, while responsibility refers to accountability. Therefore, social responsibility looks into what a company does to be accountable for society.
(1) Donations (2) Environmental conservation (3) Providing goods and services for free (4) Fair treatment of employees
How Do Companies Carry Out Social Responsibility?
(1) Donations (2) Environmental conservation (3) Providing goods and services for free (4) Fair treatment of employees
What Are The Advantages Of Social Responsibility?
(1) Good social standing (2) Boosts profits (3) Improved productivity of employees
Challenges in Fulfilling Social Responsibility
Insufficient funds, insufficient staff, and the dilemma of choosing a social responsibility objective
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