Corporate Social Responsibility is a much debated topic these days. This topic is so diverse and can lead to so many discussions and possibilities that one can’t even imagine. However, we have to draw some lines and set some standards. There are some unified roles for CSR activities for example. The basic one is that you have to venture out in community in the same sector which is your specialty, your industry.

Compliance with this basic pre-requisite is on the rise but there are still some glitches. Many businesses, especially those of the developing countries, generally abstain from being a good corporate citizen within their own scope of business. They might be involved in charity or education related activities but if you look at their socially responsible efforts you would find some serious discrepancies. Starting with socially responsible business, many industries are not complying with the environmental laws thus posing serious risks to lives and natural resources.

Labour issues is another factor which adds to the miseries of developing countries. As discussed in an earlier post, labour laws are not fully implemented in developing countries and this is not limited to local companies. The comes the issues of job security, equal opportunity employment and level playing field, among others. Adoption of decent working practices is still a distant dream.

Now instead of spending on the uplift of their employees and acting responsibly these entities resort to cheap PR tactics and greenwashing. They would be eager to donating money to charities and NGOs but are not ready to implement fair trade policies in their operating procedures. Even there are companies who are supporting environmental initiatives but themselves are among the big polluters. No sane person can applaud these ‘responsible efforts’ although these companies do get some positive reputation thanks to endless advertisements. By the way, these double standards are more visible in the developing countries but also have a significant presence in the developed ones.

So why this hypocrisy? If these companies have a genuine interest in corporate citizenship then they should start this CSR drive from within. Charity begins at home after all.

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