Social responsibility is a concept that refers to the obligation, commitment or duty that the members of a society have, whether individually or collectively, regarding their actions and their consequences on others and on the community in general.
The term implies an assessment of the impact—positive or negative—that a decision or behavior produces in the social environment.[1] Said assessment may be based on ethical, legal or other normative or cultural criteria.
Generally, social responsibility is distinguished from political responsibility, in that it is not limited to the evaluation of the exercise of power or public management, but rather encompasses the conduct of all social actors, including individuals, organizations and institutions.
Social responsibility is the ethical or ideological theory that an entity whether a government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility towards society. This responsibility can be “negative,” meaning that there is a responsibility to refrain from acting (“abstention” attitude), or it can be “positive,” meaning that there is a responsibility to act (proactive attitude).
Origins and evolution of the term
Human beings, by necessity, must relate to others and to do so they must comply with a series of rules of behavior, depending on the place and time in which they are; These obligations that each individual must fulfill with others are called social responsibilities.
Now, "In ancient Greece, the free people had the habit, in an environment of frank debate, to participate and question the arguments of open dialogue in the agora or main square; however, slavery was a fundamental part of their social and economic structure";[2] people's lives were public, therefore the responsibility of each person who was part of this free society was the participation of everyone in any public matter.
In the European Middle Ages, beliefs were those that showed the rules of coexistence and the daily life of each person. "Everything was done with the sole purpose of obtaining the salvation that was accredited in the creed of the one and true Church",[2] with this appeared private life, modesty, intimacy and property; The responsibility was to demand respect for private spaces and at the same time ensure compliance with the laws established by the church.
Social management
Introduction
Social responsibility is a concept that refers to the obligation, commitment or duty that the members of a society have, whether individually or collectively, regarding their actions and their consequences on others and on the community in general.
The term implies an assessment of the impact—positive or negative—that a decision or behavior produces in the social environment.[1] Said assessment may be based on ethical, legal or other normative or cultural criteria.
Generally, social responsibility is distinguished from political responsibility, in that it is not limited to the evaluation of the exercise of power or public management, but rather encompasses the conduct of all social actors, including individuals, organizations and institutions.
Social responsibility is the ethical or ideological theory that an entity whether a government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility towards society. This responsibility can be “negative,” meaning that there is a responsibility to refrain from acting (“abstention” attitude), or it can be “positive,” meaning that there is a responsibility to act (proactive attitude).
Origins and evolution of the term
Human beings, by necessity, must relate to others and to do so they must comply with a series of rules of behavior, depending on the place and time in which they are; These obligations that each individual must fulfill with others are called social responsibilities.
Now, "In ancient Greece, the free people had the habit, in an environment of frank debate, to participate and question the arguments of open dialogue in the agora or main square; however, slavery was a fundamental part of their social and economic structure";[2] people's lives were public, therefore the responsibility of each person who was part of this free society was the participation of everyone in any public matter.
In the European Middle Ages, beliefs were those that showed the rules of coexistence and the daily life of each person. "Everything was done with the sole purpose of obtaining the salvation that was accredited in the creed of the one and true Church",[2] with this appeared private life, modesty, intimacy and property; The responsibility was to demand respect for private spaces and at the same time ensure compliance with the laws established by the church.
The Modern Age was characterized by a great intellectual movement; Reason became the center of everything, the rights of man appeared and with these slavery ceased to exist; Therefore "one of the main obligations of social actors was to defend freedom and promote human rights"[2] In addition, the State was given responsibility with individuals and with demanding compliance with the social rules of the time.
Thus, for example, Stoicism places emphasis on civic duties, social responsibility, the importance of good law and equal citizenship rights. One of its great representatives, Cicero, in the first book of “The Duties”, talks about the duties that man has towards society and towards himself and proposes that there is only one true law. This law is right reason, which, according to nature, governs all men, is eternal and does not change. It drives men to fulfill their duties, prohibiting them from doing evil.[3].
After this came the Contemporary Age, where technology and scientific advance predominate, every day it is easier to access information, it is necessary to accumulate goods to have a better quality of life; "values such as efficiency and effectiveness, positive attitudes toward commitment, compliance, a good education, as well as communication and negotiation skills empower people to be a productive part of society."[2] These behaviors become a responsibility for society; The State is no longer the most important thing, now companies have power, since the market is what predominates.
It is notorious that as time passes, social responsibility changes; what was good for some times later became a crime and vice versa, people have the obligation to be responsible to society morally and legally, regardless of whether they disagree; It should be noted that the rules of conduct are determined by the entity that has the most power at the time, such as the church, the State, companies, among others; They determine the accepted rules according to the situation in which one lives.
Currently, social responsibility is considered a non-binding regulatory concept or “soft law” (that is, without the force of law), such as those embodied in some international agreements), for example, the “Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights” adopted by UNESCO[4] etc.[5].
This has given rise not only to different attempts or “sectoral” perceptions to establish mechanisms of “social responsibility” - the most notable among which are those referring to corporate social responsibility or “corporate social responsibility” (CSR)[6][7]- but to new proposals about the institutional implications of the concept.[8].
Notable among these new perceptions is that of Claus Offe, for whom social responsibility has, as its main function in complex modern societies, acting as a mechanism for the creation and promotion of an “autonomous morality and civilized self-control of its members or, to put it the other way around, to the extent that they cannot sufficiently compensate for the deficits of such self-control with the contribution of the ([coercive] means of law and (stimulating) means of money.[9].
Social responsibility for health
Social responsibility for health is reflected in the actions of decision makers in both the public and private sectors to establish policies and practices that promote and protect health. The policies and practices applied by the public and private sectors must avoid harming the health of individuals; protect the environment and ensure the sustainable use of resources; restrict the production and trade of inherently harmful products and substances and discourage marketing practices harmful to health; protect the citizen in the Market and the individual in the workplace, and include health impact assessments") focused on equity as an integral part of policy development. Legal liability must also be analyzed.[10].
References
[1] ↑ Avendaño Pérez, Carlos (2021). Responsabilidad social y administración organizacional. Colombia: Editorial Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. p. 17. ISBN 978-958-764-919-2. Consultado el 12 de septiembre de 2024.: https://repository.upb.edu.co/handle/20.500.11912/7900
[2] ↑ a b c d Yepes, Gustavo A. y Wilmar Peña, Luis F. Sánchez. "Responsabilidad Social Empresarial Fundamentos y Aplicaciones en las organizaciones de hoy." Universidad Externado de Colombia Facultad de Administración de Empresas. Septiembre de 2007.
[5] ↑ ver, por ejemplo: * Seminario Internacional de Protección Ambiental y Responsabilidad Social Archivado el 3 de agosto de 2009 en Wayback Machine.: http://www.ambienteycomunidades.com/
The Modern Age was characterized by a great intellectual movement; Reason became the center of everything, the rights of man appeared and with these slavery ceased to exist; Therefore "one of the main obligations of social actors was to defend freedom and promote human rights"[2] In addition, the State was given responsibility with individuals and with demanding compliance with the social rules of the time.
Thus, for example, Stoicism places emphasis on civic duties, social responsibility, the importance of good law and equal citizenship rights. One of its great representatives, Cicero, in the first book of “The Duties”, talks about the duties that man has towards society and towards himself and proposes that there is only one true law. This law is right reason, which, according to nature, governs all men, is eternal and does not change. It drives men to fulfill their duties, prohibiting them from doing evil.[3].
After this came the Contemporary Age, where technology and scientific advance predominate, every day it is easier to access information, it is necessary to accumulate goods to have a better quality of life; "values such as efficiency and effectiveness, positive attitudes toward commitment, compliance, a good education, as well as communication and negotiation skills empower people to be a productive part of society."[2] These behaviors become a responsibility for society; The State is no longer the most important thing, now companies have power, since the market is what predominates.
It is notorious that as time passes, social responsibility changes; what was good for some times later became a crime and vice versa, people have the obligation to be responsible to society morally and legally, regardless of whether they disagree; It should be noted that the rules of conduct are determined by the entity that has the most power at the time, such as the church, the State, companies, among others; They determine the accepted rules according to the situation in which one lives.
Currently, social responsibility is considered a non-binding regulatory concept or “soft law” (that is, without the force of law), such as those embodied in some international agreements), for example, the “Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights” adopted by UNESCO[4] etc.[5].
This has given rise not only to different attempts or “sectoral” perceptions to establish mechanisms of “social responsibility” - the most notable among which are those referring to corporate social responsibility or “corporate social responsibility” (CSR)[6][7]- but to new proposals about the institutional implications of the concept.[8].
Notable among these new perceptions is that of Claus Offe, for whom social responsibility has, as its main function in complex modern societies, acting as a mechanism for the creation and promotion of an “autonomous morality and civilized self-control of its members or, to put it the other way around, to the extent that they cannot sufficiently compensate for the deficits of such self-control with the contribution of the ([coercive] means of law and (stimulating) means of money.[9].
Social responsibility for health
Social responsibility for health is reflected in the actions of decision makers in both the public and private sectors to establish policies and practices that promote and protect health. The policies and practices applied by the public and private sectors must avoid harming the health of individuals; protect the environment and ensure the sustainable use of resources; restrict the production and trade of inherently harmful products and substances and discourage marketing practices harmful to health; protect the citizen in the Market and the individual in the workplace, and include health impact assessments") focused on equity as an integral part of policy development. Legal liability must also be analyzed.[10].
References
[1] ↑ Avendaño Pérez, Carlos (2021). Responsabilidad social y administración organizacional. Colombia: Editorial Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. p. 17. ISBN 978-958-764-919-2. Consultado el 12 de septiembre de 2024.: https://repository.upb.edu.co/handle/20.500.11912/7900
[2] ↑ a b c d Yepes, Gustavo A. y Wilmar Peña, Luis F. Sánchez. "Responsabilidad Social Empresarial Fundamentos y Aplicaciones en las organizaciones de hoy." Universidad Externado de Colombia Facultad de Administración de Empresas. Septiembre de 2007.
[5] ↑ ver, por ejemplo: * Seminario Internacional de Protección Ambiental y Responsabilidad Social Archivado el 3 de agosto de 2009 en Wayback Machine.: http://www.ambienteycomunidades.com/