As an example:
The European Union's Green Paper defines it as the voluntary integration of social and environmental concerns into a company's commercial operations and its relationships with its stakeholders.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) states that it is a commitment by companies to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community, and society in general to enhance their quality of life.
CSR Europe (Corporate Social Responsibility Europe) defines it as a company's commitment to society, including compliance with the law and additional actions to ensure that its activities do not harm society. It must be effective, visible, measurable, and supported by resources.
Ayuda en Acción defines CSR as a specific way of conducting business that companies adopt, primarily based on the potential impacts that their activities can have, both on their immediate environment (customers and employees) and on the broader context (society and the environment).
The OECD provides guidelines as recommendations to multinational enterprises. These recommendations have been subscribed to by its members and several non-member countries. They outline voluntary principles and standards for responsible conduct in areas such as employment and labor relations, the environment, anti-corruption efforts, consumer interests, science, and technology. These are non-binding guidelines.
As we can see, there is no single clear definition. However, it appears that all these definitions point towards a concept that goes beyond legal obligations and seeks a way to understand society, the environment, and social well-being from a more personal perspective, characterizing the company itself as a stakeholder in society.
We could say that CSR is a voluntary commitment that companies make when conducting their activities, starting from the impact generated by their operations on all stakeholders (both primary and secondary). It aims to strike a balance between economic growth, the well-being of society as a whole, the sustainable use of natural resources, and a commitment to environmental protection.
Thankfully, more and more people are starting to work with this concept in companies. We could say that it's a way or a way of understanding society, the environment, present and future societal well-being.
Every day, society is demanding more social concepts such as ecology, environmental improvement, employee welfare, commitment to less fortunate countries, management of the seas and water, etc. All these values are now being taken into account by companies. Some of them are already aware, through Big Data, that they have to reorganize their businesses and somehow align them with these and other similar concepts to attract new customers within a sustainable environment, in an increasingly globalized and competitive society.
Stated this way, it may seem that companies are implementing all these strategic actions (related to CSR) to gain higher profits, and there may be some truth to that. It's clear that a well-executed CSR plan will generate:
Increased productivity within their organizations (if it improves conditions for internal clients).
Significant improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty due to being informed about production conditions and certifications, thus boosting their purchases.
Access to new markets and new customers for companies that are more certified and engaged in international markets. They will also be in higher demand by governments and external agents..
Enhanced support and credibility for their actions. Companies that comply with these concepts will gain more reputation and sales. They will also be better prepared in times of difficulty, and their ability to react will be higher.
We can say that if they adhere to their entire CSR plan and are transparent with all the information they provide to society, their sustainability and continuity will be much more assured than many of their competitors.
All of this, logically, with more points related to CSR and business, not detailed in this post, appears to create a balance between society and the company. However, like everything in life, there is a part of society that does not see it clearly and thinks that it's all a distraction, a great marketing ploy to sell more.
They believe that there are always hidden agendas and that companies are only looking for their economic profitability at the expense of these potential "good deeds," such as:
Corporate donations to society (we all know of significant donations by entrepreneurs to healthcare and the social-political repercussions they have for a segment of society).
Non-profit foundations of companies that may serve as cover-ups for corruption.
Support for NGOs, environmental agreements, labor agreements, socio-cultural initiatives, etc., but only at a photo level (they may not materialize afterward).
A possible example in this regard could be the actions taken by some European automakers in their CSR plan, where they spoke of reducing consumption/carbon footprint and subsequently achieved a high number of vehicle sales. Clearly, an absence of ethics and commitment to society (though it should be noted that this was taken to court and now society decides whether to continue buying or not).
As we mentioned at the beginning, just as there's no single concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, there's also no societal consensus on the real integration of this concept into companies. There are always people for and against, and much of it is likely due to their perception of reality and the information they receive. (Neurolinguistic Programming defines this perception concept well as "the map is not the territory.")
I wanted to mention that, as certain philosophers or scientists say, virtue lies in balance, and from here, I encourage both sides to seek it because the ultimate goal of pure and transparent CSR is good for all of society.
I encourage business owners to explore ways to change their view of the business and to forget that a company's sole purpose is to make money. I encourage them to change this concept for new models in which their sole objective is not making money, and that making economic gains should be the result of the company's activities. By applying some CSR measures, such as having engaged and motivated employees (working conditions, work-life balance, gender equality, volunteering, social benefits, etc.), you will achieve motivation and, therefore, higher profitability. Committing to incorporating socio-economic, labor, and ecological policies regardless of where they manufacture or source their products for subsequent sale, especially if they come from countries with very lax and permissive laws, will already serve as leverage to achieve that "result" and progress toward more sustainable models for future generations.
I also encourage people to be conscious (at least within their real possibilities) of the products they buy, their origins, the reasons for their costs, and to inform themselves about their sources and the conditions in which they were manufactured or exported (maybe at times you feel you are being exploited, see how conditions might be in some areas to achieve those prices for us). I would like to emphasize that we are the true decision-makers in every purchase (I know it's difficult, and in many cases, we have no choice but to opt for what's affordable, but at least be aware and promote our social responsibility as much as possible).
I encourage people to, just as they can criticize certain actions of companies, also acknowledge the efforts that many of them make for society (vaccines, medical equipment, aid to meal programs, child education should always be welcome). Some companies donate nothing, yet they enjoy huge profits and are governed by the same laws (these matters should be pursued by other authorities). I would like to mention that every social step taken by some companies is good for everyone, and we all should promote good practices.
Finally, I encourage everyone to change their life paradigm in favor of CSR and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and hope that together, we can envision a better future for our own and those we do not know, as we are all connected to some extent by our society.
In conclusion, returning to Neurolinguistic Programming... "I know that the map is not the territory," but let's all try to at least interpret the maps of those around us; maybe we will learn to see things differently.
Let it work for you!
