Examples of Social Responsibility

"Social responsibility is a related concept, but it refers to the overall way in which a business attempts to balance its commitments to relevant groups and individuals in its social environment" (Ebert & Griffin, 2007, p. 46). Relevant groups include the environment and the general social welfare of the community. Individuals include the stakeholders of the organization such as the customers, employees, and investors. Social responsibility is demonstrated by the organizations determination to treat customers, employees, and investors fairly and honestly. An organization's social responsibility is ranked from the lowest stance to the highest stance. The lowest stance an organization can utilize is the obstructionist stance. Moving up a level is the defensive stance followed by the accommodative stance which leads to the highest level, the proactive stance.

The first scenario explains the employees breathing in the fumes of a chemical spill which led to their deaths. Doctors arrived on the scene to determine the cause of death only to discover that the organization would not volunteer what ingredients were utilized in the chemical (Task list, 2006). The characteristics of this situation led me to believe that the organization took an obstructionist stance towards the employees, environment and the social welfare of the community. The characteristic of an obstructionist stance is the organization doing very little to eliminate the problem.

The second scenario explains a situation in which a car manufacturer refuses to initiate a recall on a defective component. The car manufacturer took an obstructive stance since they did not want to admit they were at fault (Task list, 2006). The organization then took on a defensive stance when the government ordered them to take responsibility. A defensive stance has characteristics in which the organization will adhere to the minimum of what the law requires of them.