The objective of this study is to identify the antecedents and particularities that are part of Corporate Social Responsibility, in order to provide an analysis of this business management strategy that is currently being promoted in the field of business.
Keywords: Social responsibility, environment, sustainable development, users.
Introduction
Albert Camus, in his speech at the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature, said that each generation believes itself destined to remake the world, but that ours has a greater mission, which is to prevent the world from falling apart.
Today, the growing concern about the impact of human actions on the environment is undeniable.
In 2015, world leaders, at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, agreed on ambitious targets to avoid the worst effects of climate change. In turn, that same year, countries around the world agreed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include a clear call to take action on this issue.
However, meeting these global objectives requires a transition towards the development of green and sustainable markets, being an area of great relevance that is currently being considered by various users.
Background
The accelerated economic growth of the last decades has generated an undeniable series of benefits for humanity; however, it has led to the generation of a series of costs for the environment.
Given this, the consideration by companies in the words of Hernández (1999) with respect to social aspects, implies a reformulation of the accounting information system to respond to the new demands that arise in relation to the supply of social information.
Based on the foregoing, accounting could take as a model the various sustainability reports that currently exist, and which are put into practice by numerous national and international companies where, without a doubt, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has gone on to play a role. essential role in the dissemination of economic, social and environmental information (Páez, 2003).
In this regard, the range of possible users has been greatly expanded, and there is currently a wide range of social agents that can be classified as users of accounting information (De Lara, 2003), so that traditional users, Now there is a wide spectrum of users who turn to financial information in order to place themselves in a favorable situation in their negotiations (Del Brio, 1995).
Likewise, Diedrich and Bergström (2011) find that a company can assume an active role in the construction of the same network of actors that demand responses to the impact of their economic activities, and impose on the other actors their own concept and significance of being socially responsible, without altering its legitimacy.
Investigating further in this regard, Georgescu-Roegen (1977) expresses a difference between business information systems in economic terms and the eco-systemic reality in the following words:
“Economists have tried to convey the idea that normally for each disbursement there must be an equivalent income. In the long run, any company's books should add up, dollar for dollar… Ecology books never add up. They are not carried in dollars, but in terms of matter-energy, and in these terms they always end up with a deficit. In fact, every job, of any kind, done by a living organism or by a machine, is obtained at a higher cost than that job represented in the same terms. To give a simple example, the usable energy of a steam engine boiler goes in three directions: a part is converted exactly into the desired work of the machine, a part is dissipated by the work to overcome friction, and a part is transferred to the cooler.The last two elements constitute the deficit of the operation; the energy dissipated by reasoning and transferred to the cooler will no longer be usable by man to obtain work… So, this is the fourth law of ecology, and implicitly, of the economic process: whatever we do will result in a deficit in terms of matter-energy ”.
In turn, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer (2002) argue that between pure philanthropy and pure business there may be a place of convergence of interests that will have a positive impact on both social and economic benefit. Specifically, corporate philanthropy can help improve the competitive context of the company by increasing the availability of high-quality specialized inputs, boosting a sophisticated and demanding demand, creating a more productive and transparent environment, and improving related and complementary sectors. Given this integrative approach, it is assumed that companies, through Social Responsibility, not only meet their economic, legal, ethical and social obligations with respect to their shareholders, but also towards employees, customers, local communities, the environment,suppliers and distributors (Lafuente, Viñuales, Pueyo and Llaría, 2003).
It is worth mentioning that there are currently various positions that emphasize the problems of efficiency in companies to assume their obligations beyond the simple generation of profit. Expressing this idea clearly, in the words of the Nobel laureate in economics Milton Friedman (1966): “For our business leaders to accept the idea that they have a social responsibility other than obtaining the greatest possible benefit for their shareholders, would be as well as undermining the foundations of our free society. "
Reason why, in recent decades there has been a paradigm shift in which not only financial results are relevant, but also the importance of contributing in broader aspects, including all those who participate in companies, of a way that ensures a combination of sustainability-competitiveness within an increasingly globalized world (Barroso-Tanoira, 2008). In this way, greater attention is paid to the impact of all social action by companies on the community (Boatright, 2000).
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility is understood as any process by which companies decide to contribute to the achievement of a better society and a cleaner environment. This responsibility is expressed towards the employees and, in general, towards all the interlocutors of the company, who in turn can influence its success (Commission-of-the-European-Communities, 2001).
According to the Conceptual Framework of CSR prepared by the Spanish Association of Accounting and Business Administration (AECA), Corporate Social Responsibility can be defined as the voluntary commitment of companies with the development of society and the preservation of the environment, from its social composition, and responsible behavior towards the people and social groups with which it interacts (AECA, 2004, pfo 17).
In turn, in a general context Aguilera & Puerto (2012) mention that CSR practices act as an agent that drives the growth of the company, especially in increasingly competitive and dynamic contexts, where maintenance and achievement competitive advantage is becoming more and more expensive.
These situations have favored that, in the present decade, studies have proliferated that verify the financial results of companies when Social Responsibility implies attending to ethical values, compliance with regulations and heuristic criteria as participation mechanisms (Canela et al., 2011).
According to a survey carried out by CSR, Deloitte and Euronext (2003), the majority of European fund managers and analysts believe that, in the long term, good management of the company's social and environmental risks corresponds to an increase its market value and economic results.
Likewise, a study carried out by Calvert (2005) to an investing public, indicates that companies with a high level of Corporate Social Responsibility represent a lower risk for their funds and higher dividends than the rest.
In addition, Bhattacharya (2003) states that most of the companies listed in the Fortune 500 describe their achievements in CSR on their website, of which almost half of those included in the Fortune 250 prepare specific reports on social aspects and environmental aspects of its activities.
Conclusions
Currently, business strategic decisions must consider the environmental aspect as an important factor, since it plays a relevant role in the future of organizations.
It is not a mystery that today we are experiencing an environmental crisis, which is demonstrated by tangible facts the result of human activity within natural ecosystems.
Given this, companies from different sectors are reconfiguring their business processes, considering the increase by stakeholders in investing in socially responsible companies, which project an attractive corporate image, as well as long-term sustainability.
References
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