International Corporate Social Responsibility: A Duty

Running head: INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A DUTY
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A DUTY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A DUTY1
The pivotal aspect of running any commercial organisation is to earn profits, and like any
other business hold, the commercial organisation must implement policies and take up
operations that elevate their business. This results in the companies negating the aspect of
social welfare or adapting to any revised policies that cater to social or economic issues. The
stand of these organisations for social issues are often vague, and thus this results in low
inclination to adapt to strategies or approach topic that caters to human rights. This essay is a
work on how companies, business organisations and corporates need to structure their
policies. These adopted policies should cater to the duty aspect in their operations and
indulge in human rights-oriented works for the section of people in the society or the
organisation at large. The need for Corporate Social Responsibility, therefore, is essential and
requires legal approach and attention.
Corporate social responsibility initiates the need for elevating policies and standards
that help society grow. These are actions and plans taken up by the business organisation or
corporates to elevate the conditions of the stakeholders at large. These responsibilities are
divided into the following principal categories which include:
Environmental Responsibilities
Sustainability of the environment is an aspect that attracts businesses to amplify
initiatives and create a focus on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and pollution in
general. The awareness to reduce air, water and land pollution by these companies and
eventually to take necessary steps to incorporate such awareness creates the space for these
businesses to establish a good corporate image. These responsibilities often incorporate
planting more greenery, incorporation of technology that strategises on reducing carbon
footprint levels and curtailing emission of greenhouse gases.

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A DUTY2
Philanthropic or Benevolent Responsibilities
Philanthropic activities are often initiated to cater to the personal stakeholders of the
businesses or the society in general. These responsibilities include time benefits to workers,
monetary benefits and implementation of better pay schemes, supplies and resources to
organisations that are in need and charities of a local, national or international level. The
donations taken up are channeled towards a lot of causes including human rights affairs,
relief for natural disasters, water quality for drinking and implementation of education
programs for underdeveloped countries.
Moral of Ethical Responsibilities
The hub of attention to ethics or morals is to provide for fair and equitable labour
opportunities for the employees present in the organisation and also for the suppliers of such
employees. Fair and just business opportunities involve equal pay for equal level of work
done and compensation that allows employees to have a satisfactory and improving standard
of living. For the suppliers these practices amount to using certified products to adopt fair
standard means of trade, therefore, elevating the responsibility quotient (Chih Shen and Kang
2008).
Economic Responsibilities
Economic responsibilities are responsibilities that stress on improving the economic
standard of the stakeholders thereby improving the image of the companies as well. These
responsibilities should not affect the level of standards set for environmental, benevolent and
ethical practices (Bantekas 2004). By balancing economic policies incorporated with their
effect on society, businesses tend to improve their scheme of operations while equally
indulging in sustainable works. Economic responsibilities often involve incorporation of

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A DUTY3
recycled products in the quality manufacturing of products keeping in mind the low cost of
materials and which eventually benefits the society.
Legal Responsibilities
Legal responsibilities involve the creation of policies for the safekeeping of the
interests of these employees and ensuring the safety of their rights to propagate functionality
and fluency of operations (Michael 2003). Legal responsibilities also necessarily mean the
upliftment of outdated rules and laws and it is done by ensuring that law and order are at par
with present times, and presence of no discrimination and exploitation policies.
Theories of Corporate Social Responsibility
The concept of corporate social responsibility or CSR is such that it provides the
fabric of the organisation’s vision and priorities, keeping at par with the accountability of the
organisation. Corporate Social Responsibility specifies policies and programs aimed at
facilitating the various stakeholders of the corporation or organisation. These stakeholders
include the employees of the business corporation and the customers of such organisation,
suppliers of the organisation, and the community circle involved. The theories involved are:
 Economic Structure of the Corporate Social Responsibility specifies the business
aspect that highlights the money-making purpose of the organisation. This generates
profits and promotes and expands the shareholder’s interests by producing suitable
goods or services thus meeting demands. This approach, therefore, is often tagged as
the Theory of Corporate Governance. According to a book of social responsibility by
Milton Freiman, introduced the fundamentals of the economic model in his doctrine
of social responsibility found in his 1962 book “Capitalism and Freedom” and a 1970
seminar article that appeared on The New York Times. The doctrine states that the
only social responsibility of a business is to maximise its profitability to benefit its