Social Responsibility of Private Sector in Context to India
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN CONTEXT TO INDIA
Introduction: the terminology of social responsibility
What constitutes the “social responsibility” (SR) of enterprises and other organizations is difficult to define. The ISO Strategic Advisory Group on Social
Responsibility (SAG) recognizes that there is no single authoritative definition of the term “corporate/organizational social responsibility,” and does not seek to provide one. However, it notes that most definitions emphasize the interrelationship between economic, environmental and social aspects and impacts of an organization’s activities, and that SR “is taken to mean a balanced approach for
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organizations to address economic, social and environmental issues in a way that aims to benefit people, communities and society.”
There is general support for ISO’s notion of “organizational social responsibility,” extending its applicability to organizations other than businesses, as long as the term is adequately explained. The inclusive and broad definition proposed by the
SAG appears to be suitable for most contexts, provided that there is flexibility to include locally-specific themes. However, the term OSR—or even SR—is not currently used outside the ISO process. There is, therefore, a risk that using this term will generate confusion and some resentment among those who are familiar with existing terms such as CSR.
Awareness of and engagement with the SR agenda
A further definitional and operational challenge is that issues within the SR agenda are not always identified as such. For example, the South African notion of black economic empowerment can be seen as an objective that overlaps significantly with the national SR agenda, but is also a political concept that exists in isolation from it. Indeed, many individuals and organizations are not aware of the SR agenda as an integrated approach at all, even where they are working on aspects of it. This reflects the
Introduction: the terminology of social responsibility
What constitutes the “social responsibility” (SR) of enterprises and other organizations is difficult to define. The ISO Strategic Advisory Group on Social
Responsibility (SAG) recognizes that there is no single authoritative definition of the term “corporate/organizational social responsibility,” and does not seek to provide one. However, it notes that most definitions emphasize the interrelationship between economic, environmental and social aspects and impacts of an organization’s activities, and that SR “is taken to mean a balanced approach for
1
organizations to address economic, social and environmental issues in a way that aims to benefit people, communities and society.”
There is general support for ISO’s notion of “organizational social responsibility,” extending its applicability to organizations other than businesses, as long as the term is adequately explained. The inclusive and broad definition proposed by the
SAG appears to be suitable for most contexts, provided that there is flexibility to include locally-specific themes. However, the term OSR—or even SR—is not currently used outside the ISO process. There is, therefore, a risk that using this term will generate confusion and some resentment among those who are familiar with existing terms such as CSR.
Awareness of and engagement with the SR agenda
A further definitional and operational challenge is that issues within the SR agenda are not always identified as such. For example, the South African notion of black economic empowerment can be seen as an objective that overlaps significantly with the national SR agenda, but is also a political concept that exists in isolation from it. Indeed, many individuals and organizations are not aware of the SR agenda as an integrated approach at all, even where they are working on aspects of it. This reflects the