An article entitled “How To Do Good and Make A Profit” caught my eye a few weeks back. The author, Arvind Devalia, brings attention to (and I love the fact it segways directly into Jake’s Mission) the dire need for social responsibility:
“Over the last few years, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) has become such a buzz word for business people with companies sprouting all sorts of CSR initiatives, but are companies really embracing CSR because they believe in it or are they in it for entirely selfish reasons? Are they really acting out of some kind of moral duty or is the reality still that they only care about the bottom line?
In simpler terms, CSR means “doing the right thing”. A company’s commitment to CSR therefore implies ethical conduct and a moral sense of what is right and what is wrong, and it should aim to eliminate or minimize any negative impact of its business activities. With the unscrupulous behavior of the major banks over the last few years which has led to the current worldwide economic downturn, never before has it been so pertinent that business people are seen to be doing the right thing.”
Mr. Devalia is spot on! He goes on to say that in order for CSR to work for the right reasons, it must first begin with us, the individual, our “PSR….Personal Social Responsibility.” We have all heard the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” My father taught me that lesson at a very early age, and we are all certainly aware of it. So why then do so many choose to ignore it?
“PSR is about recognizing how your behavior affects others, and holding yourself accountable for your actions. It is about integrity and doing the right thing for the right moral reasons”.
In these difficult, challenging and heartbreaking times, you may find yourself asking “what can I do to improve this world?” Mr. Devalia gives us a starting point:
“Ideally a PSR aware person will:
- Always endeavor to have a positive effect on others.
- Have a mind set to contribute.
- Refrain from causing negativity in his/her environment (i.e. throwing litter on the ground, gossiping, etc)
- Will your social & economic activities have a positive, negative, or neutral impact on the environment?”
Want to formulate your own “PSR & CSR Vision”? Mr. Devalia proposes 17 questions for you to answer in his article starting with “how will the world be a better place because you have lived”. Good luck!
