individual social responsibility essay

Individual social Responsibility and why it is important?

07 sep individual social responsibility and why it is important.

What is Individual Social Responsibility?

Social responsibility is an ethical theory in which individuals are accountable for fulfilling their civic duty, and the actions of an individual must benefit the whole of society. In this way, there must be a balance between economic growth and the welfare of society and the environment. If this equilibrium is maintained, then social responsibility is accomplished.

It is about ownership, emotional investment and gratification – a personal journey. It is not the ‘art of giving’ but the ‘science of being’ in a symbiotic relationship with our immediate surroundings, communities, society and the world at large. It is about sustainability persevered with ethics, integrity and unwavering generosity. Today, I feel, ISR has all the makings of being a high-impact change maker.

Collectively taken, ISR deals with individuals becoming more responsible in their actions affecting communities, in their immediate circle of family and friends and also beyond. It definitely works at a heightened level of transformation from within for a purposeful life and happiness.

Some examples of the lack of individual social responsibility and the possible consequences are as follows:

Cars parking on yellow lines = dangerous overtaking is needed, traffic flows are blocked
Cyclists dressed in black and with no lights on at night = little visibility for others = accidents/personal injury
Litter = someone has to pick it up (at a cost to “society”)
Speeding = a dangerous practice causing loss of life and accidents (that always happen to someone else)
Not voting in a democracy = cultural apathy
Not responding to requests for public consultation, e.g. on planning regulations = views “they” do what they want
Overall, not thinking about the effect our behavior has on others
By not challenging outdated rules and procedures that we know are wrong, we merely “continue to row the boat we know” yet “if we always do, what we have always done, then we will always get, what we always have got”.

What is the importance of individual social responsibility?

The concept of Individual Social Responsibility has several strands: The degree to which people minimize their negative impact on others. The positive benefits people bring to the community and to society in general. The positive steps people make to minimize their environmental impact.

How can you do this?

Perhaps answering the following questions will get you started:

How would the world be, if everyone practiced ISR?
How do we get ISR?
What would I need to change in myself?

So the message is that each of us needs to:

Think – reflect – reframe – visualise – reconsider – revise

“If you think you can or think you can’t; you are right”
“If it is to be, then it is down to me”
“From little acorns, mighty oak trees grow”
“Change starts with me-so what will I do?”

ISR can have a multiplier effect in society, where individual efforts can gather mass and become a collective force. The time is now. Let the ISR movement begin. Be the Change. Lead the Change!

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Corporate Social Responsibility — Individual and corporate social responsibility

Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility

Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility Social Responsibility

About this sample

Words: 415 |

Published: Dec 18, 2018

Words: 415 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited

Carroll, A. B., & Shabana, K. M. (2010). The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility : A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 85-105.
Crane, A., Matten, D., & Spence, L. J. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility: Readings and Cases in a Global Context. Routledge.
Dahlsrud, A. (2008). How Corporate Social Responsibility is Defined: An Analysis of 37 Definitions. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(1), 1-13.
Davis, K. (1973). The Case for and Against Business Assumption of Social Responsibilities. Academy of Management Journal, 16(2), 312-322.
Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Capstone Publishing.
Frederick, W. C. (2006). Corporation, Be Good! The Story of Corporate Social Responsibility. Dog Ear Publishing.
McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. (2001). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the Firm Perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26(1), 117-127.
Moon, J. (2007). The Contribution of Corporate Social Responsibility to Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development, 15(5), 296-306.
Visser, W. (2010). The Age of Responsibility: CSR 2.0 and the New DNA of Business. John Wiley & Sons.
Wood, D. J., & Logsdon, J. M. (2001). Business Citizenship: From Individuals to Organizations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 11(4), 681-696.

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News from the Columbia Climate School

The Role of Individual Responsibility in the Transition to Environmental Sustainability

Steve Cohen

We New Yorkers live in a city that is on a gradual transition toward environmental sustainability, but we are a long way from the place we need to end up. A circular economy where there is no waste and where all material outputs become inputs is well beyond our technological and organizational capacity today. But that does not mean we shouldn’t think about how to get from here to there. Much of the work in building environmental sustainability requires the development of systems that enable us to live our lives as we wish while damaging the planet as little as possible. Large-scale institutions are needed to manage sewage treatment and drinking water, to develop renewable energy and build a modern energy grid. Government policy is needed to ensure the conservation of forests, oceans, and biodiversity. Pandemic avoidance requires global, national and local systems of public health. Climate change mitigation and adaptation also require collective action. What then can individuals do?

As individuals, we make choices about our own activities and inevitably, they involve choices about resource consumption. I see little value in criticizing people who fly on airplanes to travel to global climate conferences. (I assume you do remember airplanes and conferences, don’t you?) But I see great value in considering the importance of your attendance at the conference and asking if the trip is an indulgence or if you will have an important opportunity to learn and teach. This year has taught us how to attend events virtually. There is little question that live presence at an event enables a type of communication that can’t be achieved virtually. Many times, you will judge that the financial and environmental cost of the trip is far outweighed by the benefits. Those are the times you should travel. My argument here is that it is the thought process, the analysis of environmental costs and benefits, that is at the heart of an individual’s responsibility for environmental sustainability. Individuals are responsible for thinking about their impact on the environment and, when possible, minimize the damage they do to the planet.

Everyone needs to turn on the lights at night, start the shower in the morning, turn on the air conditioning and possibly drive somewhere on Mother’s Day. I would never argue that you should give up these forms of consumption. Instead, I believe we should all pay attention to the resources we use and the impact it has. We are responsible for that thought process and the related analysis of how we, as individuals, might accomplish the same ends with less environmentally damaging means.

Some say that the fixation on individual responsibility is a distraction from the more important task of compelling government and major institutions to implement systemic change. This perspective was forcefully argued in 2019 in The Guardian by Professor Anders Levermann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. According to Professor Levermann:

“Personal sacrifice alone cannot be the solution to tackling the climate crisis. There’s no other area in which the individual is held so responsible for what’s going wrong. And it’s true: people drive too much, eat too much meat, and fly too often. But reaching zero emissions requires very fundamental changes. Individual sacrifice alone will not bring us to zero. It can be achieved only by real structural change; by a new industrial revolution. Looking for solutions to the climate crisis in individual responsibilities and actions risks obstructing this. It suggests that all we have to do is pull ourselves together over the next 30 years and save energy, walk, skip holidays abroad, and simply ‘do without.’ But these demands for individual action paralyse people, thereby preventing the large-scale change we so urgently need.”

Perhaps, but I do not see it that way. I consider individual responsibility and the thought process and value shift that stimulates individual action as the foundation of the social learning process required for effective collective action. In other words, individual change and collective system-level change are interconnected. The fact is that on a planet of nearly 8 billion people, it is too late for many of us to get back to the land and live as one with nature. There’s too many of us and not enough nature. There is an absolute limit to our ability as individuals to reduce our impact on the planet. Therefore, system-level change is absolutely needed. But system change requires individuals to understand the need for change along with a well-understood definition of the problem. The cognitive dissonance of identifying a problem but never acting on it is difficult to live with. If you see a poor child on the street begging for food, you can provide that child with food and money while continuing to support public policy that addresses the child poverty issue at the systems level. In fact, the emotional impact of that child’s face may well provide the drive that leads you to fight harder for the policy that would prevent that child from needing to beg. We learn by example, and vivid experiences and cases can lead to transformative systemic change.

While I consider individual and collective responsibility connected, without collective systems and infrastructure supporting environmental sustainability, there are distinct limits to what individual action can achieve. That is why I see no value in shaming individuals for consuming fossil fuels, eating meat, or buying a child a Mylar birthday balloon. I believe an attitude of moral superiority is particularly destructive in any effort to build the political support needed for systemic change.

As my mentor, the late Professor Lester Milbrath, often argued, the only way to save the planet is through social learning that would enable us to “learn our way to a sustainable society.” He made this argument in his pathbreaking work: Envisioning a Sustainable Society: Learning Our Way Out . In Milbrath’s view, the key was to understand environmental perceptions and values and to build on those values and perceptions to change both individual behavior and the institutions their politics generated. To Milbrath, the human effort to dominate nature had worked too well, and a new approach was needed. As he observed in Envisioning a Sustainable Society :

“Learning how to reason together about values is crucial to saving our species. As a society we have to learn better how to learn, I call it social learning; it is the dynamic for change that could lead us to a new kind of society that will not destroy itself from its own excess.”

My view is that one method to pursue social learning is learning by doing — in other words by encouraging the individual behaviors we might each take to reduce our environmental impact. Those behaviors remind us to think about the planet’s wellbeing along with our own. They reinforce and remind us and as they become habit, they impact our values and our shared understanding of how the world works.

There is, therefore, no tradeoff between individual and collective responsibility for protecting the environment unless we insist on creating one. Additionally, in a world of extreme levels of income inequality, wealthy people who have given up eating meat have the resources to consume alternative sources of nourishment. They do not occupy the moral high ground criticizing an impoverished parent proudly serving meat to their hungry child. In our complex world, we should mistrust simple answers and instead work hard to understand the varied cultures, values and perceptions that can contribute to the transition to an environmentally sustainable global economy. The path to environmental sustainability is long and winding and will require decades of listening and learning from each other.

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Steve, I appreciate your perspective on individual responsibility. I am developing a similar position and submitted an “OpEd” piece to Times about a month ago but alas it didn’t get published. I would like to share and develop the conversation with you so please reach out.

What are the responsibilities of individuals, governments and the international community in helping people have access to water?

While this highly educated society continues the GDP rat race and decimating all other patterns that create balance in the world we live in, here’s a little story of obvious stupidity for fun and profit. In 1975 my wife and I after several years of college chose to listen to scientists’ warnings about continued expansionism economically. We simplified our lives and did without things like electricity, fancy new vehicles and useless bling. We did without as a plausible direction for a template of living lightly and securing a viable future for more than just humans. We endured countless slurs ( tree huggers, eco-terrorists, hippies,) and were subjected to verbal and realistic abuse . Now at 72 and 68 we are wondering where the hell were the rest of you? Read the book “Small is Beautiful ” to see the wrongheaded direction your politicians and some clergy and certainly all greedy vulture capitalist have led the general public. I have no patience for obvious stupidity .Yeah, we were WOKE long before most people and feel no compulsion to be apologetic as all of you are to blame if you help continue the narrative of GDP unlimited growth and the population explosion. nats remark

“perhaps, but i do not see it that way” sorry but that kinda just means your guile is weak and you’re extremely credulous and succeptable to propeganda, dunno what to tell ya bud but this perspective is a total nothingburger. Of Course we must needs rely on some great measure of personal choice here, but if my choices are: Waste, Waste, Out of my Budget well i dont REALLY have a choice then Do I? which means that for the majority of americans there is no ethical choice list they can follow to fix the problem, only by compelling legislation can those choices be made available to them.

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Essay on Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is a term that has been used in different contexts, including the economy, education, politics , and religion. Social responsibility is challenging because it encompasses so many aspects, and there is no single definition of social responsibility. In simple words, social responsibility is the responsibility of an individual to act in a way that promotes social well-being. This means that a person has a sense of obligation to society and sacrifices for the good of others. BYJU’S essay on social responsibility explains the importance of being a socially responsible citizen.

A society’s responsibility to the individuals in that society can be seen through the various social programmes and laws. Governments try to create a better world for their citizens, so they implement various social programmes like welfare, tax assistance, and unemployment benefits. Laws are also crucial to a society because they enforce practical actions by its citizens and punish harmful actions. Now, let us understand the significance of social responsibility by reading a short essay on social responsibility.

Importance of Social Responsibility

BYJU’S essay on social responsibility highlights the importance of doing good deeds for society. The short essay lists different ways people can contribute to social responsibility, such as donating time and money to charities and giving back by visiting places like hospitals or schools. This essay discusses how companies can support specific causes and how people can be actively involved in volunteering and organisations to help humanitarian efforts.

Social responsibility is essential in many aspects of life. It helps to bring people together and also promotes respect for others. Social responsibility can be seen in how you treat other people, behave outside of work, and contribute to the world around you. In addition, there are many ways to be responsible for the protection of the environment, and recycling is one way. It is crucial to recycle materials to conserve resources, create less pollution, and protect the natural environment.

Society is constantly changing, and the way people live their lives may also vary. It is crucial to keep up with new technology so that it doesn’t negatively impact everyone else. Social responsibility is key to making sure that society is prosperous. For example, social media has created a platform for people to share their experiences and insights with other people. If a company were going to develop a new product or service, it would be beneficial for them to survey people about what they think about the idea before implementing it because prior knowledge can positively impact future decisions.

Social responsibility is essential because it creates a sense of responsibility to the environment . It can lead to greater trust among members of society. Another reason is that companies could find themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they do not ensure their practices are socially responsible. Moreover, companies help people in need through money, time, and clothing, which is a great way to showcase social responsibility.

Being socially responsible is a great responsibility of every human being, and we have briefly explained this in the short essay on social responsibility. Moreover, being socially responsible helps people upgrade the environment and society. For more essays, click on BYJU’S kids learning activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does being socially responsible help in protecting the environment.

Yes. Being socially responsible helps in protecting the environment.

Why should we be socially responsible?

We should be socially responsible because it is the right thing to upgrade society and the environment. Another reason is to help those in need because when more people have jobs, the economy can thrive, and people will have more opportunities.

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Essays About Responsibility: Top 12 Examples and Prompts

We can’t take on the challenge of life without responsibility; If you are writing essays about responsibility, discover our guide below.

The word responsibility describes the state of being accountable for our actions and is one of the main elements that make us human. We are not born with it; instead, it is something to be exercised and improved on over time.

It has often been said that with power or freedom comes responsibility, which could not be more truthful. Each of us is gifted with the ability to make choices, and we are considered superior to all other living things on this planet. However, we have to make informed choices and be responsible for our actions, whether to ourselves, the people around us, and our environment.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. the value of responsibility by simon baker, 2. freedom is not the lack of constraint, but the exercise of responsibility by beulah west, 3. why responsibility is so important by steve rose.

4. The Beneifts of Being Responsible by Frank Terzo
5. What It’s like to Feel Responsible for Everything by Duncan Riach

1. The Importance of Responsibility

2. dealing with false responsibility, 3. freedom and responsibility, 4. what is social responsibility, 5. what are your responsibilities, 6. responsibility as a component of success, 7. a time you acted responsibly.

“It’s easy for us to become blinkered or out-of-touch when we’re constantly working with our heads down. Although meeting our commitments is hugely important we bear another responsibility, that is to invest in ourselves and in each other. When we can free our imagination and refresh our minds, we restore perspective and reduce stress. We find time and space to explore new ways to collaborate, be creative and enjoy ourselves to the benefit of our mission.”

Baker writes about why he thinks responsibility is important and discusses factors related to responsibility, namely trust, personal choice, and freedom. A feeling of trust allows you to be more comfortable accepting responsibility, while responsibility allows us to maximize personal choice and freedom. Most importantly, bearing responsibility means freeing our minds, enjoying life, and coming up with great ideas.

“A lack of constraint means that you can not do everything that you want. In a perfect world this would be fine, but we don’t live in a perfect world. However everyone’s view of a perfect world is different, if this coincides with the law and you are happy, then you can be free still living under laws and legislations. If you believe that freedom is making your own choices then the only way that we can be “free” is if society does not exist.”

West discusses how just as personal freedom is vital to a healthy society, so is accountability for our actions. Freedom also has a negative side; it can be described as a lack of constraint in our choices. Without constraint, our actions may hurt others or even ourselves. Therefore, it must come with the responsibility to make these choices from a more thoughtful, educated perspective.

You might also be interested in our list of essays about effective leadership . You can also check out these articles and essays about attitude .

“Taking responsibility creates long term resilience and a sense of purpose. This sense of purpose can be fostered by taking responsibility for one’s self by engaging in self-care. Responsibility can also be developed on a familial and societal level, offering a sense of purpose proportional to your ability to contribute your unique abilities.”

Rose explores the importance of being responsible for one’s health. It gives us a sense of purpose and helps us build resilience; however, we must first be responsible for ourselves by practicing self-care. This includes resting, exercising, taking breaks, and going to the doctor if something is bothering us. This makes us more responsible for the people around us, allowing us to perform different societal roles. You might be inspired by these essays about success and essays about overcoming challenges .

4. The Beneifts of Being Responsible by Frank Terzo

“If we take care of our commitments, even if it something we might like to ignore, we feel better about ourselves. Each step we take towards being responsible and productive helps to raise our self-esteem and our relationships with friends, family and co-workers improve ten-fold. Being responsible pays big dividends – we have much less stress and chaos in our lives and we gain the respect of others.”

In this short essay, Terzo provides insight into the many benefits responsibility can provide you with. We must always be responsible, even if we might not feel like it, because it can improve our productivity, self-esteem, relationships with others, and overall peace. Though it might not always be easy, responsibility is key to achieving a happy life.

5. What It’s like to Feel Responsible for Everything by Duncan Riach

“I hold responsibility when others are not taking responsibility. I was holding all of the responsibility, guilt, and shame that Billy McFarland was disowning. It’s a survival mechanism that I developed when I was a child. I had a step-father who was some form of psychopath or malignant narcissist, a person who was completely out of control and completely irresponsible. The only way that I could feel safe in that environment was to try to hold the responsibility myself.”

Riach reflects on a habit by which he constantly felt responsible for things out of his control, things as minor as events he saw on television. He developed this habit due to his upbringing- his childhood and family life were less than ideal. He is fully aware of his problem but still struggles with it. His case is an excellent example of false responsibility.

6 Writing Prompts on Essays About Responsibility

Responsibility is, without a doubt, essential, but how important is it really? Reflect on the meaning of responsibility and explain its importance. Discuss this from a practical and personal standpoint; combine personal experience and research as the basis for your points.

False responsibility is an attitude by which one feels responsible for things they are not. This is a widespread issue that encompasses everyone, from humble workers to some of the most influential people in the world. For your essay, research this phenomenon, then define it and explain why it occurs. Give suggestions on how one can identify false responsibility and work to stop feeling that way.

The topics of freedom and personal responsibility are deeply intertwined; for freedom to work correctly, there must be a certain level of responsibility instilled in people so society can function correctly. In your essay, discuss these two concepts and their connection. Do proper research on this topic, then conclude this issue: are we responsible enough to be given total freedom? You may also link this to topics such as the law and regulations. You might be inspired by these essays about goals .

Social Responsibility seems straightforward and self-defining, but it is broad, especially with society putting a higher value on awareness, community, and social justice. Research this term and its history and discuss it in your essay; define and explain it, then describe what it means.

Whether in your studies or at work, as a family member, friend, or even a member of society, we have a unique set of responsibilities that vary depending on the person. Reflect on the different roles you play in life and decide what your responsibilities are. Briefly describe each one and explain how you fulfill these responsibilities. You can also check out these essays about conflict .

Responsibility as a component of success

This value is important because it is present in all successful individuals. Based on your opinions and research, discuss the relationship between responsibility, success, and some other factors or traits that influence success. Give examples of successful people who have shown responsibility, such as government officials, celebrities, and business leaders.

When we are responsible, we are pretty proud of ourselves most of the time. Think of an experience you are most proud of in which you acted responsibly. Retell the story, reflect on how you felt, and explain why it is important- be as detailed as possible. Or, you may opt to do the opposite, telling the story of a time you did not show responsibility and thinking of what you would do if given a chance to repeat it.

Grammarly is one of our top grammar checkers. Find out why in this Grammarly review . Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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ETHICS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

⁎ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

§ Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Melissa Myers

† Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Alfredo Urdaneta

‡ Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California

To the Editor:

In responding to the “Letter to the Editor” from Dr. Wolfgang Lederer, we will not reargue the ethics of the COVID vaccine mandate in health care professionals. We believe we were very explicit in our paper, “An Ethical Analysis of the Arguments Both for and Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers.” We made it clear that we were not debating Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Food and Drug Administration approval processes, or politics that dominated and continue to dominate discussions on the mandate. However, we will now seek to further examine the ethical arguments between individual rights and social responsibilities.

Modern just societies, which we will define as societies that respect the rights of individuals and ensure basic liberties to all members of its society, must balance the needs of individuals in the protection of a “public good.” This battle of individual rights vs. doing the best for society remains an ongoing struggle since the birth of democracies. Long before philosopher Jeremy Bentham brought the concept of utility to the forefront of intellectual debate in the 1780s, the ancient Greek philosophers Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were deliberating such concepts ( 1 ).

In the case of health care, we accept the importance of individuals’ freedoms and rights to choose or decline services, and reference that this has been largely found and upheld from the 14 th Amendment's Due Process Clause in the United States Constitution. The requirement to obtain informed consent from a patient is codified in American law as far back as 1852 ( 2 ). However, it has also been determined, as far back as 1905 in Jacobson v Massachusetts , that society (via the “state”) must protect the health of all, over the individual liberties of some ( 3 ). Although we take great pride in our individual freedoms in the United States and other modern democracies, we oftentimes forget that no right is absolute. This is both just and appropriate ethically because society would fall into chaos if every individual's rights were separately held as de facto and supreme. Health care is no exception, especially as it concerns its practitioners and their fiduciary duties to society.

Public health laws are similarly balanced to generally respect the rights of individuals while ensuring that the overall health and well-being of society at large is maintained. Generally speaking, individuals have the right to refuse all manners and degrees of care for themselves only if there is minimal impact to the well-being of society ( 4 ). Additionally, most bioethicists and appellate courts have upheld public health laws over individual liberties to impose restrictions on individuals in the cases of certain infectious diseases that have the potential to harm other members of society ( 5 ). Examples include infectious tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, and many more ( 6 ).

So what are social responsibilities? There is probably no single correct or accepted answer, as individuals, industries, cultures, and periods in history seem to define it differently. Our definition is the responsibilities or obligations an individual has to their community. However, we strongly believe it is intrinsically tied with the rules of social engagement. It involves the unwritten and written contracts we all are under when born in a civilized society. Social responsibility is built into the rules that govern how we behave around others. It is the lining up or waiting your turn in line, and not just pushing others in front of you out of the way because you feel your individual rights and desires trump others. In yesteryear, we called this part of one's “civic duty.”

As physicians and officers in the US Army, all three of us believe strongly in service for others’ benefit many times over duties to the self. At times, and commonly seen during military service, when one signs up to put on the uniform, one's conduct and expectations may differ from those who do not elect to wear the uniform. We must consider the interests of others more so when we agree to wear the uniform, even if it may conflict with our own personally held views. This is our social responsibility.

Drs. Urdaneta and Giwa have written on this topic, and in fact crafted the American Academy of Emergency Medicine's Principles of Ethics based around certain professional responsibilities when physicians put on their “uniforms.” Social responsibility calls for holding the interests of those around you, and especially the patients you serve, in higher regard than your own. Interestingly, many leadership scholars are utilizing this philosophy and calling it “Servant Leadership,” and have found great success in leading multicultural and multigenerational workforces ( 7 ).

How do we resolve the seeming conflict between individual rights and social responsibility? A better question to pose may be, do you as an individual believe in a need for social responsibility? If so, then the discussion can be channeled to, what degree are you willing to sacrifice your individual rights vs. your obligations to being socially responsible? If you do not believe in social responsibility, despite living in a world built around the premise that harmony among individuals can be achieved only if there is order, rules, and a respect for the rights of others, then you will live a life in constant conflict with other members of society, and further discussion is a moot point. As Drs. Urdaneta and Giwa wrote, our oaths as physicians compel us to uphold fiduciary duties as enshrined in our roles as physicians. This duty comes even in the face of potential harm to our individual rights.

This normative ethic may seem more of a cry from the days of the “Great War” and a society all united in response to an external threat. However, in several polls on society's expectations of physicians, even when faced with potential danger to the physician, the respondents overwhelmingly believed physicians should put their lives on the line to save a patient's life ( 8 ). So although we may be immersed in a social media world claiming “it's all about me,” society still maintains old-world views on its expectations of physicians. Notwithstanding, most medical schools still require all entrants or graduates to recite an oath, which, generally speaking, vows to uphold a patient's interests over their own ( 9 ). So if society expects it, and our own training ensures we swear an oath to uphold it, how can a physician argue against social responsibility to their own patients?

So we conclude and restate our acknowledgment of individual rights, but stress that, as physicians, we must maintain the interests of society above our own and uphold social responsibility when there are clear-cut cases of a need to protect the public health over individual objections not based on clear-cut science. Again, we limited our arguments to only physicians because they are explicitly held to oaths and societal obligations to protect society and put their personal beliefs aside for the sake of patients.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of Brooke Army Medical Center, the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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Essays on Social Responsibility

The importance of sociological theories.

Social responsibility is a modern philosophy that states that all individuals and organizations are obligated to help the community at large. This is typically an active effort involving acting against a social issue or prevention of committing harmful acts to the environment. Many companies and individuals engage in social responsibility because of its benefits on their immediate community as well as their business and profitability. It is an ongoing topic in society with many questions available for discussion.

Argumentative Essay

Social responsibility is an ideal topic for debate; there have been mixed results for companies and individuals who have pursued social responsibility. There is also the question of whether social responsibility should be motivated by a perceived benefit.This type of essay is based on philosophical theories on the necessity of social responsibility backed up with facts about previous social responsibility efforts. For example, an essay could be about how giving support to disaster victims can significantly boost an entity's professional image.

Analytical Essay

Social responsibility is a broad field of study; there are numerous factors to analyze in determining which mix of factors will have the highest chance of a successful social responsibility effort. For example, an author can look into the different types of philanthropy that address a social injustice, including: giving monetary gifts, hosting social awareness events and starting a sub-organization which addresses the issue at hand. Each type of social effort may have varying levels of effectiveness depending on the people’s acceptance and the complexity of the issue itself.

There are an abundant number of social responsibility campaigns enacted by different companies and individuals. Authors choose a particular entity and write a case study about that entity’s social responsibility efforts. This includes researching the motivation behind the effort, analyzing the program execution and judging the overall social impact of the campaign. Moreover, the essay can also highlight how the social responsibility effort directly affected the entity itself. Some common methods include doing a profitability comparison before and after the social responsibility campaign and conducting a qualitative study of how the campaign improves the entity’s image and reputation.

Future Application

Social responsibility is a highly evolving topic. Given the reported indirect benefits of social responsibility, there is a growing argument of how it should become a new form of business. Based on the original philosophy of social responsibility, this type of essay discusses the outlook on the integration of social responsibility in the work force. Some topics include the feasibility of a pure social responsibility company, ways for a single company to efficiently help macro audiences such as third world countries, or the possibility of legally enforcing social responsibility efforts from all companies.

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Raleigh Kung has been a social-media specialist and copywriter since 2010. He has worked with various companies on their online marketing campaigns and keeps a blog about social-media platforms. Now, he mainly writes about online media and education for various websites. Kung holds a master's degree in management and entrepreneurship from the University of San Francisco.

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Individual Social Responsibility: Be the change

Isr is an individual emotional investment that can last a lifetime and beyond. it can transform communities for a sustainable future.

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C. P. Gurnani is MD and CEO, Tech Mahindra.

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Charity, as the proverb goes, begins at home. Metaphorically, that is, because Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) goes beyond charity. Simply put, ISR encapsulates the very essence of humanity -- to be humane.

It is about ownership, emotional investment and gratification – a personal journey. It is not the ‘art of giving’ but the ‘science of being’ in symbiotic relationship with our immediate surroundings, communities, society and the world at large. It is about sustainability persevered with ethics, integrity and unwavering generosity. Today, I feel, ISR has all the makings of being a high-impact change maker.

Many people consume green products, invest in socially responsible funds and essentially give their time for good causes. Such social behavior obeys a complex mix of interdependent motivations. Besides being driven by genuine, intrinsic altruism, they add to one’s self esteem. After all, our conduct defines what kind of person we are, not only in the eyes of others but also in our own eyes.

ISR is a way of life. While interacting with volunteers and participants at a Tech Mahindra Foundation event recently, I popped the question as to how many of us would invest in ISR down the line. Simran, daughter of Anita Rao, a security guard at a Tech Mahindra facility and one of the recipients of the education scholarship, was among the first to raise her hand. It was heartening to see her enthusiasm in wanting to empower others while taking the journey herself.

Another individual that has inspired me is Tejasvi Podapati, a 22-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad, who has done phenomenal work in cleaning up her hometown, Ongole, in Andhra Pradesh. For the last two years, she has been traveling 300 kilometers each weekend, to mobilise the cleaning drive at her hometown, to make it better than how she left it the week before. Her movement is now 1,000 volunteers-strong, and growing. Winner of numerous rewards and recognitions by the government, Tejaswi’s simplicity is as infectious as the grandeur of her work.

The ISR movement is not restricted to a community, city or even a country. It is a global movement that addresses the problems of societies at large, and aims to solve them by congregating efforts of each and every individual in a progressive direction. Another such individual who has been diligently investing his time and relentlessly contributing towards ISR is Vipin Gudwani, Global Head of Business Development, HCI Group. For past 11 years, Vipin has been a volunteer with the New Providence Rescue Squad as a New Jersey Certified Paramedic, to support the 911 Emergency Response System. I feel immensely inspired, when I see Vipin working every weekend from 7 AM to 7 PM, on 12-hour shifts to complete 40 hours of his volunteering service in a month - through storms, snow or sleet. Vipin’s dedication towards making his society a happier and more sustainable one with each passing day, has earned him the role of a trustee by the Mayor, and made him the first South Asian in his community to do this service.

I am truly inspired by individuals, who make their communities and societies a better and a humane place.

ISR can have a multiplier effect in the society, where individual efforts can gather mass and become a collective force. The time is now, Let the ISR movement begin. Be the Change. Lead the Change!

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.

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“An Inspector Calls”: Theme of Social Responsibility Essay

Introduction.

“An inspector calls” is one of the plays produced immediately after the end of the Second World War in 1946. During this period, most scholars and human activists were majorly concerned with the welfare of the less privileged individuals within society (Priestly et al., 1992). The poor individuals in the United Kingdom did not have people who could fight and address their grievances, leading to most leaving a low-quality life. Priestly wanted to address the issue of classism and how poor individuals can be empowered to climb up the social ladder. He advocates for successful individuals to help poor individuals to live a quality life in the community (Priestly et al., 1992). Priestly also encourages that it is an individual’s responsibility to ensure that those close to them are safe and always available for each other when need be. This paper strives to highlight how Priestly has portrayed the theme of responsibility in different scenarios within the play.

Good neighborliness is when one cares about the well-being of those who are around them when things seem not to be okay on their side. One of the major points where Priestly portrays the theme of social responsibility is whereby Sheila feels a sense of duty when she realizes that she has a role to play in the death of Eva Smith. She tells Gerald to stop looking at her angrily since he also has once been involved in circumstances that are shameful (Priestly et al., 1992). Sheila finally admits and agrees to be held culpable for her actions and talks out the truth. However, Gerald is also blaming her for various faults while he has declined to take responsibility for his actions that also contributed to the demise of Eva Smith (Priestly et al., 1992) . The target audience can learn the importance of taking responsibility for various aspects and how their actions may impact the well-being of other individuals.

When one lives a responsible lifestyle, members of the community will not be worried much about them compared to those who are careless with their lives. Priestley also explores the theme of social duty when Mr. Birling fails to take responsibility for various actions that led to Eva Smith’s death. His sentiments suggest that everyone should be held responsible for their own life and well-being (Priestly et al., 1992). Individuals who take the responsibility of taking care of others mostly land into awkward situations in case an unlikely event with a devastating effect occurs to the individuals. Dr. Priestley strives to encourage the target audience to ensure utmost self-care and responsibility to maintain a good relationship with others within the community since there will be no unnecessary blames.

Putting one in an individual’s shoes is one of the major ways of understanding other people’s struggles. In the play, some of the characters also display social responsibility in some instances. For example, Erick feels socially responsible for some of his actions in the final parts of the play (Priestly et al., 1992). This indicates that Erick possesses some sense of social responsibility to ensure that other individuals within the society are always safe. Erick’s mother and Gerald have withdrawn from being involved in Eva Smith’s incident, but he still insists that something could have been done to salvage Eva Smith’s actions that cost her life (Priestly et al., 1992). He takes Eva Smith’s Matter very seriously and even urges her mother to be responsible for the unfortunate occurrence too. The reader can learn that nobody can understand other people’s struggles unless they go through the same experience.

Responding quickly to other individuals’ struggles is also a major aspect of ensuring effective social responsibility and good neighborliness. Mrs. Birling, who is a close individual to Eva Smith as well, also elaborates on the theme of social responsibility when she fails to take control over the events that contributed to the death of Eva Smith. Even after being questioned by the inspector and the inspector elaborating that she had a responsibility to undertake during the process, Sybil Birling still does not want to take the responsibility. This can be seen when he negatively remarks on Erick’s sentiments by saying that he is ashamed of him (Priestly et al., 1992). Telling Erick that she is ashamed of him indicates that she does not care about the inspector’s investigation and the impact the investigations have on other members close to Eva Smith (Priestly et al., 1992). This context enables the reader to stop being greedy and self-centered individuals and instead act responsibly when dealing with other individuals in the community.

In conclusion, responsibility is considered one of the most significant social characteristics since it enables individuals to care for other people. Human beings have universal rights, ensuring that no individual is subjected to circumstances against human rights. Priestly also highlights how individuals in higher positions and social class should effectively use their influence by positively impacting community members. One should always adhere to the principle of supreme morality when dealing with fellow human beings. The target audience can understand that social responsibility begins with good and productive neighborliness.

Priestly, J. B., John Braine Priestly, & Bezant, T. (1992). An inspector calls . Heinemann.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "“An Inspector Calls”: Theme of Social Responsibility." December 16, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/an-inspector-calls-theme-of-social-responsibility/.

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