SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - NEED OF NATION

Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem. A trade-off always exists between economic development, in the material sense, and the welfare of the society and environment. Social responsibility means sustaining the equilibrium between the two. It pertains not only to business organizations but also to everyone whose any action impacts the environment. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals. When we are small children we are egocentric, concerned only about our own needs and desires. As we mature, most people grow beyond this egocentrism and begin to care about others--their families, friends, communities, and countries. Our capacity to love can expand even further: to loving people from different races, religions, and countries--potentially to unlimited love for all people and even for other sentient creatures. This is our potential as human beings, to take joy in the flourishing of people everywhere. All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them Walt Disney So many factors are affecting the environment and thus the human beings. Deforestation, use of Chemicals and plastic products, air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, oil spills, etc. threatens the world we are living in. On the other hand, poverty, unemployment, ill-literacy, corruption, and so many other factors drive the people to commit blunders which are highly dangerous for human life and the planet. Nature has already started showing signs depletion in ozone layer, melting of Polar regions, global warming, non curable diseases. Repenting in the last minute is of no use. At least now every one of us have to realize the forthcoming hazards and try to save our future generation by being responsible humans.

Student Social Responsibility Student social responsibility is the responsibility of every student for his/her actions. It is morally binding on everyone to act in such a way that the people immediately around them are not adversely affected. It is a commitment everyone has towards the society contributing towards social, cultural and ecological causes. SSR is based on an individuals ethics. Instead of giving importance only to those areas where one has material interests the individual supports issues for philanthropic reasons. It forms the base for CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility because if everyone in a business organization does his/her bit the bigger things automatically fall into place. The trends however show that big charitable organizations recorded high growth due to the SR efforts of individuals and not corporates or the government. ISR may be slightly impractical, especially in the modern competitive world, where everyone works for self-interest, but it will succeed if we take decisions based on what will benefit a large number of people and respect everyones fundamental rights. As individuals we can make our small contributions to society by donating money to trustworthy NGOs, saving our resources by reducing our consumption, E.g. by switching off lights or computers when not in use helps companies reduce their carbon footprints on the earth. In every religion be it Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism or Christianity great stress has been laid upon individual social responsibility. In the Bhagwat Gita , also known as the management epic Lord Krishna teaches Arjun what his responsibilities as a king are. The Karma Yoga tells us about the fruits of our labour and how they are directly related with our individual actions. According to Karma Yoga a company which does good work will reap their benefits and vice-versa. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR has been defined by Lord Holme and Richard Watts in The World Business Council for Sustainable Developments publication Making Good Business Sense as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large". CSR is one of the newest management strategies where companies try to create a positive impact on society while doing business. There is no clear-cut definition of what CSR comprises. Every company has different CSR objectives though the main motive is the same. All companies have a two point agenda- to improve qualitatively (the management of people and processes) and quantitatively (the impact on society). The second is as important as the first and stake holders of every company are increasingly taking an interest in the outer circle-the activities of the company and how these are impacting the environment and society. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is:

An obligation, beyond that required by the law and economics, for a firm to pursue long term goals that are good for society The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as that of the local community and society at large About how a company manages its business process to produce an overall positive impact on society

Are you stuck in fear and dread about looming disasters culminating in 2012? If so, Id like to help shift the way you look at the world, especially business and politics. Why not imagine a better world in the future and live this vision moment to moment in the choices you make and the work that you do? In this way you can help create it. We as humanity have a choice: do we want to see the physical and emotional suffering of the old world increase, both personally and collectively, or do we want to experience more of the beauty of the new world? Each and every one of us as members of the human family is facing a great soul choice: Which path will we take in the coming years of upheaval and change? The choice is between holding onto old, self-centered patterns of thinking or opening yourself to new values and more peaceful and sustainable ways of living. One choice leads to escalating crises and chaos; learning the hard way through increased physical and emotional suffering brought on by selfishness and greed. The other choice offers the evolutionary opportunity to be more compassionate and caring about the good of others and so build a new civilization. Although there is a higher non-dual reality beyond this seeming duality of new and old worlds, right now at our human level we must make choices and act.

Across the world, people increasingly want to bring a greater sense of meaning and purpose into their work life. They want their work to reflect their personal mission in life. Many companies are finding the most effective way to bring spiritual values into the workplace is to clarify the companys vision and mission, and to align it with a higher purpose and deeper commitment to serve to both customers and the larger community. As the world moves towards an age of radical transparency, organisations and stakeholders become increasingly aware of the need for socially and environmentally responsible behaviour. ISO 26000 is thus a timely and relevant guide to help organisations understand what social responsibility is and what they need to do to operate in a socially responsible way.

Businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. (Kaliski, 2001) For instance if a company is and follows the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for emissions on dangerous pollutants and even goes an extra step to get involved in the community and address those concerns that the public might have; they would be less to have the EPA investigate them for environmental concerns. A significant element of current thinking about privacy, however, stresses "self-regulation" rather than market or government mechanisms for protecting personal information (Swire , 1997) According to some experts, most rules and regulations are formed due to public outcry, which threatens profit maximization and therefore the well-being of the shareholder, and that if there is not outcry there often will be limited regulation. Critics argue that Corporate social responsibility (CSR) distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful Tricorp corporations though there is no systematic evidence to support these criticisms. A significant number of studies have shown no negative influence on shareholder results from CSR but rather, a slightly positive correlation with improved shareholder returns.