What is social responsibility? How is it defined? What is the importance of social responsibility? How and why do people participate in social responsibility projects and their operations?
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The concept of social responsibility is that used to refer to certain attitudes and ways of acting that should take into account the welfare of most of the population. Social responsibility can be present in different areas such as the press, public officials, etc.
Beginning to define the concept
To understand more concretely what the concept of social responsibility refers to, we must frame it in the social sense of the word. This is when we must point out that as part of a community, we are all responsible for the well-being of our peers. This is so because the common well-being is constructed with daily, simple actions and the same routine of coexistence.
The responsibility to which we refer in this article will have to do with the possibility of helping a person or assuring him of his basic rights. For example, this is visible in the case of employers who have a social responsibility to provide their employees with the best possible working conditions. Being a good citizen will imply a commitment to your own well-being, but especially that of others.
The concept from a utilitarian point of view
Although the idea of social responsibility refers us to ethical and moral issues, we can find in it a utilitarian notion and this is so because it is assumed that the well-being of all the individuals that are part of a society will influence the common wellbeing and that will make that community work more harmoniously. When social responsibility is not put into practice, we find the possibility of an endless number of conflicts that may end with harmony and peaceful coexistence.
The responsibility of the different social institutions
Although we are here talking about the concept of social responsibility from an individual point of view and the commitment that all citizens must develop, we must also talk about it taking into account its institutional aspects. This is when this type of responsibility does not depend on a person but on the different institutions that form a community and that must always act with the aim of social welfare on the horizon.
Among the different institutions that must ensure the welfare of all members of society, we find the different political positions that arise to work for and for the people. At the same time, institutions such as the press and the different media must maintain a clear social responsibility regarding the content that is communicated and how this is done. Finally, other institutions such as NGOs, churches, associations, etc. They also owe a level of social responsibility to the members of a community.
