Social responsability

What is corporate social responsibility?

It is not easy to classify the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility in one, sole and precise description. In Europe, this concept is associated with the “voluntary integration of environmental and social cares in commercial and production activities of businesses and their relationship with the many involved classes” (Green Book of European Commission, 2001).

This means that, by acting in a socially responsible way, the business pledges a commitment to monitoring its own activity in regard to environmental and social quality standards, maintaining effective relationships with its workers, collaborators, customers, suppliers, partners, the whole community and public institutions. Therefore, Corporate Social Responsibility is not merely the respect of legal requisites, but also refers to processes and behaviours voluntarily adopted by a business, in order to obtain results that can bring about benefits and advantages.    

These are the synthesized components of CSR:

1. - Legal Provisions: businesses behave in a socially responsible way by strictly adhering to legal provisions and voluntarily assume this task because they consider it as being in their own interest in a long term perspective.

• - Sustainable Development: CSR is strictly linked to the concept of sustainable development; in their activities, businesses have to consider economical, social and environmental  repercussions.
• - Voluntary choice: voluntary CSR refers to a business’ freedom in choosing its own organization, even if this idea must not be confused with auto-reference and discretional behaviour.

Many small and medium-sized businesses carry out CSR without knowing the official description of CSR and without communicating the undertaken initiatives.
Nevertheless, this incomplete unawareness of CSR, despite unambiguous and congruent definitions, businesses, and in particular small and medium-sized businesses, seems to be  very active in the social arena through various tools and events: specific plans, sponsorship, donations, direct commitment, adoption of conduct codes, etc.
The main reasons for this behaviour are linked to matters such as reputation, image and business relationships with the local community. In particular, relationships and interactions between micro-businesses and PMI, within the territorial context are essential in understanding adopted choices in the social field. To interpret these behaviours, it is fundamental to understand what is meant by  ‘social capital’ that is to say, the social network linking the business to its territory in a relationship based on trust and reciprocity. This is a key principle, which has led to the long-term success of many Italian businesses.

From this point of view, some models of local development founded on local districts and aggregations, represent real, positive examples to follow.
Therefore, we can introduce the concept of  ‘sunken CSR’ in order to identify those actions and interventions concerning workers and the local community that businesses and entrepreneurs traditionally have performed in time without even considering them as elements of CSR and without fully enhancing them.
Thus, it is important that small businesses begin to incorporate a strategic vision of CSR. This involves an increased awareness involving its advantages and costs and the introduction of appropriate management and communication: that become a synergy of economical, environmental and social  performance able to improve competition, which lay the foundation for its long term growth.
 

BUSINESS AND TERRITORY
THE SITUATION IN TUSCANY
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TOOLS
SA 8000 STANDARD AND CERTIFICATE
WHAT WE MEAN BY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY