Social responsibility is when a company voluntarily contributes to society and the environment to which it belongs, providing a better quality of life for their environment.
O concept of social responsibility emerged due to several factors, but with the context of globalization and the great changes in industries, new concerns emerged. The expectations of citizens, consumers, public authorities and investors have increased in relation to the organizations' actions.
Individuals and institutions, such as consumers and investors, have begun to notice that environmental damage they were mostly caused by business economic activities.
Therefore, they began to pressure companies to comply with environmental requirements and demand from entities regulatory, legislative and governmental the production of appropriate legal frameworks and the monitoring of their application.
The first studies dealing with social responsibility began in the United States, in the 50's, and in Europe, in the 60's.
The first demonstrations on this issue appeared in 1906, but these did not receive support, as they were considered to be of a socialist nature.
It was then, in 1953, in the United States, that the theme received attention and gained space. In the 70s, associations of professionals interested in studying the subject emerged, and only after hence, social responsibility ceased to be a simple curiosity and became a new field of study.
Types of social responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility is closely linked to an ethical and transparent management that the organization must have with the parties that are direct or indirectly linked: employees, suppliers, customers, the local community, society and the environment that are involved, to minimize their impacts negative.
Social and environmental responsibility
Social responsibility is closely related to environmental preservation practices, practices such as using recycled materials, reforestation, among others.
This responsibility is assured by the ISO 14000, for example, a seal created by the National Organization for Standardization, with a series of norms and guidelines that companies must follow to preserve the environment.
See the meaning of sustainability, 6 examples of sustainability and ISO.
corporate responsibility
Similar to corporate responsibility, corporate responsibility is linked to economic practices ethical and transparent that an organization must have with the society in which it operates and its employees.
Corporate social responsibility says about the company having a commitment to its development promising economic and ethical, to generate a better quality of life for society and the local community in which it is located. inserted.
This says, for example, about generating new job opportunities and acting in local education.
The difference between corporate and business social responsibility is that business expands its economic field of action, reaching suppliers and customers, for example.
Examples of social responsibility
- voluntary donations: when companies encourage their employees to practice different types of charity, such as helping orphaned or needy children, supporting the disabled and the elderly, among others.
- Policies that benefit the environment: companies that invest in activities such as reforestation, recycling, preservation of damaged areas, among others.
- Fair labor management: companies that promote activities to improve working conditions and the well-being of employees, such as fair wages, career plans, support for employees' families, among others.
See the meaning of environmental education.
See also the meaning of:
- Business Communication;
- business ethics;
- ethic;
- Social inclusion;
- Responsible;
- Types of natural resources;
- Selective collect;
- consequences of globalization;
- Recycling;
- Stakeholder;
- Third sector;