Business - Social Responsibility

By Ben Boothe

Business Social Responsibility (BSR) considers the respect for values people communities and the ENVIRONMENT, as a integral Strategy for increasing value, improving the competitive situation.

In the last decade there has been an increased number of organizations that recognize business benefits associates with the Business Social Responsibility policies and practices. Firms have had the incentive of adopting or broadening the BSR strategies as a result of demands coming from consumers, suppliers, employees, communities, investors, activity organizations and other interested parties.

Around the world, outdoor air polution kills 800,000 people a year and sickens many more. While big vehicles like Hummers and SUVs are often blamed for excessive emissions, some of the worst culprits are the smallest rides around. Throughout Asia, vehicles with two-stroke engines produce vast amounts of pollution. "In cities of many developing countries, the pollution is horrific," says Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies and acting director of the Energy Efficiency Center at the University of California at Davis. "Two-stroke engines are a big part of the problem."

The development of conceptual model of Business Social Responsibility considers three key aspects:

a) The National Context (Identifying the main problems that affect society and performance of the private sector)

b) BSR International tendencies

c) A guiding tool and self-diagnosis that reflect the performance of firms from on year to the next, allowing for comparisons between firms and sectors.

The BSR hexagon includes six categories to integral manner in order to reach a responsible conduct with society:

1. TRANSPARENCY, Values and anti.corruption practices.

2. COLLABORATORS

3. KEY INTEREST SECTORS (Clients, suppliers and community)

4. ENVIRONMENT (respect natural resources)

5. INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTH

6. ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

The key in business social responsible behavior is commitment to and with the community, think of the welfare of citizens, not just clients. This kind of management is a culture and needs to happen at every level as it is translated into concrete actions.

The measurement of performance is a key component for decision-making and thus it is present in all categories proposed. Quantifying is important for identifying the areas that require greater attention, make comparisons and develop improvement plans.

With this strong action, governments can be influenced into creation of special laws to control environmental contamination.