Moving Forward with Social Responsibility

The Social Responsibility movement has manifested itself through several triggers over the past few decades. These triggers contributed to humanity’s collective attention about seriously considering the ramifications of its behaviors affecting society on a short-term and long-term basis, including the unacceptable tendency to engage in practices for mere selfish gain. Reflecting on the positive trend of growing awareness, the Social Responsibility framework, through which individuals and organizations fulfill their moral duty to ensure society’s well-being, will be reviewed. Within that context, the guidance standards, ISO 26000, of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), will be reviewed. All of the above sets the stage of humanity’s concerted efforts to safeguard Planet Earth; hence, the “why.” In order to explain the “how,” this chapter evaluates the following core elements of a Socially Responsible framework: human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, community involvement and development, and organizational governance. For each element, an exemplary corporate citizen will be reviewed. In its final stages, this chapter summarizes common leadership traits these corporate society members display toward the future, such as better decision making and more responsible overall management; greater trust from the public due to a better reputation; increased competitive strength; more constructive relationships with stakeholders; stronger innovations due to the connection with a broader base of stakeholders; improved employee retention, morale, and loyalty due to an increased emphasis on worker safety and well-being; increased fairness in trade and elimination of corrupt practices; solid bottom line thanks to improved effectiveness and efficiency; greater longevity of the organization due to its sustainable approaches; and better social ties with individuals, civic, and commercial entities overall.