Social Responsbility

The New Era of Social Responsibility

In a world where business are continuously expanding to adapt to the growing needs of clients, many feel that companies are losing focus. The major purpose of a business besides turning a profit is to make the lives of everyday people better. While companies are keen at understanding the needs of consumer and are dedicated to total customer satisfaction, they often forget that they are operating in a society in which everything is interconnected. In order to better understand the needs of society, it is felt that companies must throw away conventional business models and develop their own methods of determining how they influence society. This article attempts to determine why some companies have neglected their role as a force in society and how they can attempt to make a positive impact on society as a whole.

Today’s society demands that companies meet the needs of the clients as well as the needs of society as a whole. It is not enough for a company to perform value-adding processes that are solely beneficial to consumers; they also must add value to the overall environment. F

There is no clear answer to this question. It apparent that no company has outright failed due to the fact that they ignored the interest of the public, however it is felt that companies who ignore this issue are not fully meeting their potential. In a world where many businesses are attempting to expand internationally, the question of product substitution comes to light. Many feel that if a company fails to meet the needs of society as well as it consumers then it will be replaced by an organization that is adept at doing both.

In my opinion the majority of consumers don’t really care about a companies history of social responsibility. How many people stop themselves from buying a GE light bulb because they think that GE dumped PCB’s in to the Hudson River? Few if any. It is unrealistic to believe that consumers will abandon companies based solely on lack of social responsibility; there must be some kind of malicious act in order to get consumers to really change their opinions. The Ford Pinto as a way of explaining this concept. When it was reported that Ford would chose to let innocent people die rather than issuing a recall, the public when into a frenzy. Ford neglected to see its responsibility to the public as a whole and as a result sales dropped dramatically.

Companies that are competing in today’s global market are facing more challenges than ever before. They must worry about adapting business to fit into foreign culture or foreign governments intervening in business practices, and now after September 11th safety has become the most pressing issue on everyone’s mind. Therefore, many feel that social issues such as these need to be put on the back burner until other major issues can be addressed. While such feelings are understandable, these issues need to be addressed immediately. Companies that fail to see the importance of social responsibility will face dyer co

Some topics in this essay:
Ford Pinto, Optional Title, Parker Follett, Greenpeace Shell, Business Ethics, Bristol Meyers, Hudson River, social responsibility, add value, issues addressed, responsibility public, company makes, meet society, bags biodegradable, socially responsible,