Corporate and Social… or just RESPONSIBILITY

One's philosophy is not the best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt

Today is my turn to be judgmental.  Since May I am entertaining myself with Business Ethics module as a part of MBA studies drill and, please do not misunderstand me, I find it exciting. But every time I get to the subject of Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) I get this tickling feeling of irritation. Not many dare to be critical and say loudly that CSR became a cliché and in some cases CSR is just the easiest pay-off method to promote a good image.  Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of the Economist, described CSR as “doing well by doing good” that has become a fashionable mantra among chief executives without really thinking about the content and purpose, and CSR is broadly used as an additional tool to increase the profit of the company or to attract talented employees that share the same values and the ethos. And if we started to talk about talented employees, I have a story to share…

When I began to work in the tobacco industry, I was not really considering, if my job was ethical or not. I was excited about the opportunities. However later I was often asked the same question, how I can work for a company which kills people. My answer was simple: “Nobody makes you do anything. You have free will to choose. I do not smoke myself. But my company always provides the best quality product. So if you made the choice, the responsibility is yours”. I believe it is in human nature to shift the responsibility to somebody else, as for young maximalists to be over judgmental. For example: James Adonis, one of Australia’s best-known people-management thinkers, posted a clearly negative verdict about tobacco companies and their employees (link to the article). For a moment I got an image of a tough preacher at the church. Ironic, but now I am working in the banking sector and I face the same dilemma: “YOU are responsible for the financial crisis”. Am I? So all the companies that have a perfect CRS campaign are excused?  They are all good? Why you do not blame airlines for pollution and do not go back to a wooden carriage pulled by horses, if you need to get to Paris? The statistics say that about 60% of aviation emissions arise from international flights, and these flights are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol and its emissions reduction targets. No, we would not definitely sacrifice our holiday fun and excitement of travelling. The poison can be sweet after all.  I am sorry, but it reminds me the situation in the Animal Farm described by George Orwell: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. So maybe we should start by a very basic step of taking responsibility for our actions and for every business executive to get acquainted with virtue ethics. Why virtue ethics?

Criticizing is easy, but being brutally honest is not. Virtue ethics is about brutal honesty. Every truly good and noble behavior requires looking at one’s motives. Calculative reasoning is not CSR. We have to be honest that CSR has limitations, as accountability is a missing link to evaluate CSR performance and expand business activities responsibly worldwide. Therefore from my judgmental mood I switch to a moderate realistic attitude that I share with Peter Newell’s research that CSR can work, for some people, in some places, on some issues, some of time. ''