Social Responsibility (Corporate Social Responsibility) refers to the formulation of policies by companies geared at protecting the surrounding community and the environment from the negative effects of its operations (Connor 1). It could be in the form of disposal of industrial waste, control of gases from polluting the atmosphere, control of products which could negatively affect the morals of the surrounding community, etc.
Care must be taken not to confuse mistake corporate charity for Corporate Social Responsibility. While corporate charity engages companies in donations and creation of good opportunities for the society, Corporate Social Responsibility is obligatory and it is concerned with the non-interference of communities and the environment by the activities carried out by business enterprises (Rooyen 1).
Social responsibility is a very important input in the creation of sustainable development. This makes companies and businesses that practice social responsibility to achieve a competitive edge that makes them more successful. Success in the business world goes hand-in-hand with the attainment of sustainable positive changes (Rooyen 1). It follows, therefore, that the practice of social responsibility is very instrumental in the achievement of success in businesses.
On the other hand, social responsibility can be viewed as an additional cost. This is because companies spend money to ensure that the environment and surrounding communities are not affected by their effluents, noise, etc. In as much as the cost incurred in social responsibility can be viewed as an investment (Connor 1). The returns from the investment are speculative and it is difficult to quantify them in terms of revenue. Companies have therefore been slow to adopt the ideas of Corporate Social Responsibility in their policies.
Lenovo is one of the companies embracing the spirit of social responsibility. It deals with Personal Computers and it is fully committed to the maintenance of ethical behavior in the business arena and investment in social welfare of its customers and the community as a whole. It also has policies promoting environmental conservation. The company protects the welfare of its customers by producing safety-oriented products (Rosethal 1). Their products are thus both safe to the users and also to the environment after they are disposed of.
Obviously, this kind of investment in additional safety precautions has cost Lenovo a lot but it is a good investment since it has helped it in achieving a sustainable competitive edge in the computing industry. Most of the companies in the computing industry are not usually concerned about the safety of their products.
Products that are unrecyclable are made and normally characteristic of this industry and since the products cannot decompose, they become a hazard after they serve their user (Rosethal 1). Lenovo’s idea to incorporate social responsibility in the manufacture of its products can thus be viewed as a competitive idea that will have long-term positive effects on the profitability of the company (Connor 1).
Although Social Responsibility is costly, it brings forth goodwill which, in turn, makes a company achieve a competitive edge (Rooyen 1). The company can also be more proud of their achievements if their processes do not harm the environment and the surrounding communities. It is, therefore, of great essence that companies are aware of the effects their processes and products have on the environment. They should also try the best they can to mitigate or eradicate these effects.
Works Cited
Connor, M. “Jeffrey Hollender’s Corporate Responsibility Revolution.” 2010. Web.
Rooyen, J. “The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Modern Business Development.” Web.
Rosenthal, S. “Social responsibility and business ethics.” 2010. Web.