Social responsibility... an idea whose time has come

摘要

Social Responsibility. Some companies have never heard of it. Some pay lip service to it. And some realise it is integral to their future. But in the longer term, no organisation can afford to ignore it. To use the immortal words of Victor Hugo, social responsibility is "an idea whose time has come". The critical component of social responsibility is the principle that organisations owe an obligation to society as a whole, and not only shareholders. The message is getting louder: a focus on the short-term bottom line is not acceptable, if it means the environment or employees suffer. It is the triple bottom line not the single bottom line that will matter in the future. Why? Because first and foremost, we are a community. We share the same goal of improving the quality of life for our generation and those of our children. Organisations that pollute, that lie, that say one thing and do another, that engage in unfair labour market practices in developing countries or exploit their suppliers, eventually lose their "social licence to operate". We now expect - indeed demand - that organisations.