The Connection Between Ethics and Social Responsibility and Internal and External Forces

        CSR or corporate social responsibility has become a major part of the decision making process and management of the firm. Following Weber and Lawrence, concerning accountability, corporate social responsibility means that an organisation must be held responsible for its actions which affect their environment, their communities, and their people (2014, p. 49). It suggests that external stakeholders are holding different organisational accountable. Similar to many countries, in Canada, there are various employment standards, environmental regulations, and other federal, provincial, and municipal standards and regulations to which organisations are supposed to adhere. Which organisation are seemingly perceived to work at standards which are below the expectations of stakeholders, this might cause different interest groups and activists to lead campaigns which demand that organisations should be held responsible for negative societal and environmental effects of their operations.

            When the lead was discovered, in 2007, in the toys of children imported from China, products were withdrawn Mattel from shelves of stores, and certain products were retailed. But concerned groups and parents question the standard to which organisations are being responsible for the safety and health of toys which are made through the means of offshore. Concerned citizens asked what roles were being played by governments in making sure both corporate accountability and responsibility for safety and health of toys which were imported for children. In spite of its name, CSR or corporate social responsibility appears to extend beyond the corporate and business sector to involve practices of management in non-profit and profit organisations. It refers to an ethical standard of operating and management approach that can be implemented, regardless of the organisational type.

        Corporate social responsibility seems to extend beyond workers to other stakeholders and also attempts to create healthy relations between the broader community and organisation.

            Some organisations assist in supporting community and economic development while others are active in different human programs and rights for supporting sustainable global business in terms of ethics (Willard, 2002, p. 9). Meanwhile, some organisations and businesses involve management responsible for the environment as a part of their commitments of corporate social responsibility (Thai.).

            For instance, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is sponsored by the TD Financial Group. It is an initiative that seems to organise volunteers in spending a few days or few hours assisting in cleaning debris and litter along the coastlines and riverbeds across Canada, together with helping in collecting data on types and causes of shoreline litter in every region. The support of TD goes beyond its commitment in terms of finance. Employees are encouraged by the bank to volunteer together with other members of the community. Engaging workers in volunteerism is something that various companies are conducting for better involving their staff in corporate social responsibility.

            In its primitive state, CSR seemed to focus on simple corporate philanthropy. Although corporate sponsorship and giving programs are renowned, for many firms and other companies, CSR still has a broader implementation and application. Some view it as another branch of management of risk. Risks can be addressed in terms of the capability or potential for customer loss and decrement in sales of products, or even license loss for operating if environmental or safety transgressions are beyond the acceptable societal limits. Corporate social responsibility acts as an internal force in such a way that it focuses on stakeholders and how they are affected by any decision or practice, and as an external force, it has been discussed above. For example, providing employment benefits to workers concerning corporate social responsibility will translate into better productivity and workplace culture.

        Concerning ethics, it can be said that it is more of an internal force than an external force as it ensures that there is a sound culture established in the organisation. Ethics are the standards which must be met by the practices in such a way that not even a single worker is affected by them in an adverse manner. In a way, we can say that ethics refer to the right guidelines which must be adopted by the organisation so that rights of every worker are assured.