In the broadest sense of the term, social responsiveness is
a person’s obligation to contribute to their community or country in a way that makes the quality of life and environment better for those around them
. … On a personal level, volunteering is an act of social responsiveness because it improves the community.
The main difference between social responsibility and social responsiveness is that social responsibility is
the ethical/moral obligation/duty of an individual or an entity towards the society
whereas social responsiveness is the manner in which an individual or an entity responds to a social need.
Social responsiveness (Carroll)
This refers to the capacity of the corporation to respond to social pressure, and the manner in which it does so. Carroll suggests four possible strategies:
reaction, defence, accommodation and proaction
.
The social obligation approach considers
business as having primarily economic purposes and confines social responsible activities mainly to conformance to existing laws
. The socially responsible approach sees business as having both economic and societal goals.
- Reducing carbon footprints.
- Improving labor policies.
- Participating in fairtrade.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Charitable global giving.
- Community and virtual volunteering.
- Corporate policies that benefit the environment.
- Socially and environmentally conscious investments.
- better brand recognition.
- positive business reputation.
- increased sales and customer loyalty.
- operational costs savings.
- better financial performance.
- greater ability to attract talent and retain staff.
- organisational growth.
- easier access to capital.
Social responsibility is an ethical theory in which
individuals are accountable for fulfilling their civic duty
, and the actions of an individual must benefit the whole of society. In this way, there must be a balance between economic growth and the welfare of society and the environment.
Legal responsibility is compulsory under any
of the laws, acts and constitution. Social responsibility is not backed by legal provisions. Legal responsibility is compulsion while social responsibility is a choice. Many a time, legal responsibility is fulfilled in the name of social responsibility.
Are responsive and responsible the same?
Responsible means being morally accountable for one’s actions while
responsive means reacting in a desired or positive way or quick to react
.
Social obligation: Social obligation is
a businessis most basic duty to society
. A business has fulfilled its social obligation when it meets its economic and legal responsibilities and no more. It does the minimum that the law requires.
- Environmental Responsibility. …
- Ethical Responsibility. …
- Philanthropic Responsibility. …
- Economic Responsibility.
What are the types of obligation?
- absolute obligation.
- contractual obligation.
- express obligation.
- moral obligation.
- penal obligation.
Being a socially responsible company can bolster a company’s image and build its brand. Social responsibility
empowers employees to leverage the corporate resources at their disposal to do good
. Formal corporate social responsibility programs can boost employee morale and lead to greater productivity in the workforce.
There are four key aspects of social responsibility:
ethical, legal, economic and philanthropic
. Businesses that have CSR policies first ensure they are accountable to themselves, their shareholders and their employees. In addition, they hold themselves accountable to their customers and the world around them.
- Volunteer. Companies are seeing a benefit in offering volunteer days to their employees. …
- Invest in social and environmental initiatives. …
- Practice ethical labor. …
- Promote philanthropy. …
- Be environmentally conscious.
The relationship between good corporate governance and social responsibility
helps corporations keep things in good balance
. It also supports the company’s efforts to develop control mechanisms, increasing shareholder value and improving satisfaction among shareholders and stakeholders.