تعريف وأصول المسؤولية الاجتماعية للشركات: Definition and origins of corporate social responsibility

Definition and origins of corporate social responsibility

Introduction:

Trade in the past witnessed prosperity in agriculture and the care of domesticated animals such as horses, camels, cattle, and others. As time passed, new means began to appear according to the human need to manage their water, grazing, and energy resources. Trade has flourished since ancient times in agriculture and animal husbandry, including the care of domesticated animals such as horses, camels, and livestock. Over time, new methods emerged to manage water, livestock, and energy resources as needed by humans. However, this exploitation of natural resources did not have negative effects on the environment or on humans living in the geographic area at the time were they practicing their exploitation. As technology developed, its negative impact increased over time. Its negative effects were felt on two levels: firstly, it adversely affected the health of the society living in the area, and secondly, it had a negative impact on the natural balance of the environment, which humans changed through the use of new machines primarily aimed at increasing production to achieve maximum profit.

Ignoring this destruction of human and environmental rights, the consequences of industrial or commercial activities must be held accountable for the damages and losses incurred. As institutions or companies specialize in managing production and manufacturing processes but are not specialized in social matters, they are the first victims of such activities. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a system to manage the social aspects and protect individual rights of those working within the institution such as employees and outside the institution such as the affected social class.

Here, we witness the emergence of a new activity for institutions and companies in two essential sectors: the environmental and social sectors, that are two of the principle keys and objects of science economy in the same time.

A new concept of definition should be taken:

We can say that the concept of corporate social responsibility can be derived from its name, this term indicates the existence of a specific volume of corporate responsibility, each according to its economic activities according to it’s geographical space and environment, and the true definition should be taken from a philosophical angle, indicating that we must refer the general definition to the true meaning of responsibility from that angle, the moral and physical position in which individuals put themselves because of their effects or consequences side of their working in a specific environment, which means oblige the perpetrator or the committer to bear and assume the damages and losses set upon or against a second party, which means being held accountable for a specific act or behavior, or dropping the penalties due to leaving duties of work or asked to do something in a way and manner that must be presented morally and physically, and it may means doing what should have been abstaining from or assuming results and consequences due to their negligence and careless, or whoever assumes control or supervision over him. the definition extends to the obligation of the responsible person - within the confines of law - to compensate the aggrieved party for all damage, or for partial or total material or moral damage such as psychological or physical lose in an accident.

This concept is introducing a new angle of view and that is comprehensive, detailed, and accurate. The concept is derived from the original concept of economics and its related branches and I can say as all know that companies are key players in the economy, as the definition of economy is closely related to the concept of subjects of science economy which operates through various components. The first component is sociology, which is concerned with researching consumer and user behavior regarding products as individual consumption units (micro-economics), as well as society and its consumption tendencies as a whole (macro-economic). The second component is wealth management, which enables companies to fully utilize their extraction and production capacity, while ensuring sustained purchasing power and ability. The rights of nature and the environment are essential considerations for those who alter their characteristics in a way that affects their natural balance, leaving destruction and negative effects on individual and societal health, as well as environmental equilibrium. The social rights of individuals and working communities within companies, or those affected by their economic activity, are important considerations that require economic policy to establish political, legal, and administrative regulations that provide the means and facilitate economic processes. The third component is the scarcity element that relies on avoiding the scarcity factor through exchange trade or protecting the balance between supply and demand, or by not fully exploiting resources and their sources. In a surefire way, it's so true that many specialized people can say many specialized things and ideas about economic, in fact we should not forget the philosophical angle which can provide us a clear concept of things with a clear contours and component of data.

Finally, when comparing all those definitions given previously, the author was right when he defined the meaning or the concept of corporate social responsibility by maintaining the economic pillars as objects of science of economy.

In fact, we should say that responsibility is a concept that has both philosophical and juridical definitions.

Author : CHAFAA BELAID ACHOUR

Writing date: 01.12.2022

Date of publication:04.04.2023