Corporate Social Responsibility. It’s a buzzword these days. 

But what is it?

It’s the degree of responsibility a corporation has for how its actions benefit society, the environment, and its community. 

In action, it usually amounts to what companies do for charity and good causes that, for example, cure diseases, clean up our air and water, or increase animal welfare. All good things and not to be knocked in the least.

Most of it though is a veiled disguise for luring people to do business with them, i.e., buy their stuff. So I guess the thing that is disturbing is that the “goodness” is a bit less than genuine. It’s really self-serving in the final analysis. 

However, as a friend often reminds me, I shouldn’t care why they do good, I should be happy that they do good. 

I tell myself that he’s right. At least those companies haven’t bought in totally to Milton Friedman’s edict that the only responsibility of business is to itself, i.e., selfishness will make the world better (did Atlas just shrug?).

But maybe Friedman wasn’t totally wrong, maybe he was right about no larger “responsibility.” What I mean is that companies do not have a responsibility to really do anything more than follow the law. They’re not required to do good, they’re not required to be nice, they’re not even required to make money for shareholders/investors (yep, there’s no legal requirement to make money for those folks, that’s a myth).

So why care at all? I mean, if social responsibility is not required, why bother?

It’s because we are humans, and business is for and about humans. The only reason for business is to help people do things, that’s it. It’s not making money, that’s an outcome, a reward, for helping people. Profit is not the reason we have business. I don’t go to a store to pay them, I go to a store because I need their help in acquiring something necessary to get some job done. The fact that I pay them is not the reason I buy. Likewise, a business doesn’t exist to get paid, it exists to provide value. Payment is only necessary to keep the business alive, it’s not its purpose. I need to eat to live, but eating is not the reason I live.

Given that thinking, I believe there is a responsibility in business, and that responsibility begins with our responsibility to one another as human beings. It is a responsibility to respect people’s dignity. It is a responsibility to see a need and offer help. It is quite simply a responsibility to be human and graciously care for other humans.

This is where all true goodness resides. This is where truly making the world better begins. This is what social responsibility is, and it’s not only for business, it’s for everyone.

All of us, businesses and individuals alike need to be better …to each other… to make the world better. That’s our responsibility at work, at home, and, in fact, everywhere.

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