Is Corporate Social Responsibility by Companies “real”?
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The Business Dictionary (2011) website notes that Corporate Social Responsibility is a companys sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates. Companys express this citizenship through their waste and pollution reduction processes, by contributing educational and social programs, and by earning adequate returns on the employed resources. The WIKIPEDIA (2011) points that the goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the companys actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, CSR-focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality.
In this day and age, a growing number of companies, especially larger ones, have much publicized their CSR programs. For instance, some companies invest in local economies, such as Wal-Mart, move into a local market, they usually contribute in varied ways to the local economy. Besides providing jobs, they support local schools, sponsor local activities that benefit the youth of the area, and can be counted upon to support worthwhile benefits for local and regional organizations (Bob 2010). What is more, Ethical Labor Policies is another example, Bob (2010) considers that many large corporations support ethical labor practices by refusing to distribute goods manufactured in “sweat shops”, or manufactured with potentially dangerous materials. Green Policies is a little bit far from universal, but great social responsibility is demonstrated by those corporations that are employing environmentally friendly technology in attempts to help preserve our environment, and so forth.
However, with the rapid growth in the development of CSR, people always hold different views on the purpose of companies demonstration of CSR behaviors. Some of them believe that it is company accepting responsibility and wanting to do right thing as a good corporate citizen, but others claim that the main aim of those companies who are taking the CSR activities is that they want to be seen to be doing the right thing by the population.
From the perspective of corporations taking responsibility and desiring to do the right thing as a good corporate resident, Porter (2003) notes that Companies do CSR or corporate social responsibility because as shareholders of the society, it has to take a huge role in improving the quality of the lives of the families of its employees and the lives of the people within the local community and the society in general. As it takes part in helping on economic development, through CSR a company can build capacities of individuals, give sustainable livelihoods, respects cultural differences and opens opportunities for a better environment to the people it serves. With CSR, it can touch lives and all the gains that a company have, will be given back to the society.
However, there are so many people disagree the opinion above. It has been argued that CSR is often described as a voluntary responsibility above and beyond the demands of national legislation and which encompasses issues such as