Corporate social responsibility leads a company to contribute to the community.
Corporate social responsibility is the name given to the activities and policies developed by a company to contribute to the community . It is considered that corporate social responsibility - also known by its acronym CSR or corporate social responsibility - transcends the profit motive of a company, becoming a contribution to the well-being of society .
CSR has nothing to do with compliance with the law , since it is understood that respecting the legislation is mandatory. These policies aim to do something extra to alleviate poverty, help protect the environment or promote education, to name a few possibilities.
A company may not be socially responsible but nevertheless act in line with the laws. On the other hand, a violation of the values or morals of society does imply not exercising corporate social responsibility.
Example of corporate social responsibility
Let's take the case of a company that, installed in a poor town, makes millions of dollars in profits a year.
Beyond the fact that this company provides work to neighbors, its corporate social responsibility policy leads it to allocate part of its income to the development of various infrastructures in the town . In this way, through its CSR actions, the company builds a park, a sports center and a library with free access for all residents.
Corporate social responsibility goes beyond the profit motive of companies.
Image enhancement
It is important to highlight that, although corporate social responsibility is usually considered as a solidarity or ethical development, it also provides benefits to the company in terms of improving its image or disseminating its brand .
With respect to this last point, the public's perception of a contribution of this type is always divided into two extremes: on the one hand, there are those who distrust any charitable gesture when it comes from a millionaire or a company, since they consider that fortune and philanthropy cannot go hand in hand; On the other hand, fanaticism leads followers to assure the rest of the world that their idol has always been an exemplary person and that his actions are sincere.
The corporate social responsibility of Gates and Lucas
Among world-famous personalities and companies, two clear examples of corporate social responsibility are Bill Gates and George Lucas . The first is the founder of The Giving Pledge (translation of the real name, The Giving Pledge ), a philanthropic company that since mid- 2010 has brought together many magnates in an effort to help the poorest countries on the planet improve their quality of life. life. The donation can be made both during life and posthumously, and there is no legal contract involved, but rather it is a promise, a commitment .
George Lucas is one of the many adherents to this charity movement, for which he has donated half of his fortune. In an interview, he stated that after more than four decades of focusing all his efforts on his film career, he was beginning a new stage in his life in which he wanted to worry about philanthropy . Unlike other big names in Hollywood , Lucas is an independent filmmaker, which means that when making a film he does not have the monetary support of large investors, but rather covers his own expenses.
Another of Lucas 's ventures was the educational foundation that bears his name, a non-profit organization that emerged in 1991 to support innovation in schools. On the Edutopia website you can find the six fundamental strategies that this foundation proposes to improve education, among which are the integration of technology, content that considers emotional and social aspects, the development of educators and teaching based on projects.