Foundation of Ethics: Virtue and Values
Evaluate Ethical Perspectives on Social Responsibility
Submitted to Northcentral University

DEFINING THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Depending on whom you ask, the concept of social responsibility may mean different things.
However, within an organizational culture, social responsibility refers to ethical practices that benefit the greater society and simultaneously benefits the health of the organization. The concept of social responsibility is an ideology of ethical behavior that upholds that people and stakeholders should act in the interest of the greater collective good. Typically, social responsibility addresses the ethical obligations of organizations to sustain the law, while complying with environmental and social regulations that are sustainable for economic development. Stated simply, social responsibility is management’s interest in the welfare of the society in which it conducts business. It is a concept whose inception can be traced by to Peter Drucker, known as “The Father of Modern Management.” His realization that workers should be treated as a resource was ground breaking in the corporate world. Drucker defended the concept of proper corporate social responsibility to the point of turning a social problem into economic opportunity and productivity, while creating well paid jobs performed by competent people. William A. Cohen, a Drucker graduate and author of the article What Drucker Taught Us About Social Responsibility (2009), stated, “Few could conceive of why social issues should have any connection with business.” It is no surprise that Drucker at the time had immense admiration for Ralph Nader that understood the concept that big business must assume social responsibility for product safety and quality. Social responsibility is voluntarily while establishing corporate