Public social responsibility

Most companies must learn to deal more creatively with local officials and public opinion. The social responsibility of companies can become an extremely important issue. Companies shoiild apply thoughtfulness and skill to the timing and conduc t of pubhc hearings. Management must recognize that local officials have views and constituencies that go beyond attracting new jobs. 

The consuming public must assume that the producer of a product has shown reasonable consideration for the safety, correct quantity, proper labeling, and other social aspects of the product. Since the 1960s these types of important concerns have expanded and been reinforced by a recognition of the consumer s right to know as well as by concerns for conservation, ecology, antilittering, and the like. Numerous safety-related and socially responsible laws have been enacted and more are on the way. 

Concerns over the use of food stocks for fuel sources have heightened the awareness of the general public with regard to the socially responsible use of bioresources [41]. 

As noted elsewhere in this volume, pharmaceutical companies have slowly come to recognize that they have social responsibilities that must be addressed beyond those associated with R D output. Multinational pharmaceutical corporations have a genuine desire to serve public health needs but are constrained by their obligation to shareholders and other factors. All companies aspire to be good corporate citizens in the communities and countries in which they operate and with the populations in which their products are used. 

Public opinion is more critical and controversial about aspects of our responsibility in terms of product and plant safety and, increasingly, social responsibility, in particular with regard to employees. However, only a maximum of 15 percent of the population categorically deny that the industry is aware of its responsibilities, though the figure goes up in times of high-profile problems. 

The spirit of postmodernism demands that applied chemical science recognize its social responsibilities it is not sufficient to manufacture chemical products for a hungry market with optimum economic efficiency. To remain viable, the method of manufacture and the properties of products must be consistent with the public s expectation of respect for human values. 

Rising societal expectations for corporate responsibility have created a new class of socially-responsible investors, customers, and employees and, more generally, a broader public awareness of human health and ecological risks. 

Input from internal and external stakeholders is also critical to continuous improvement and our continued success. GSK actively seeks stakeholder involvement for its Plan for Excellence and its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. In addition, customer feedback is routinely obtained and helps to focus attention on issues that affect the public through the consumption of GSK products. GSK has also published reports of its EHS performance since 1992 and has continued to develop and enhance its reporting to align with many of the features recommended by the Global Reporting Initiative. 

The CERES coalition, based in Boston, Massachusetts, was formed in 1989. It brought together 15 major US environmental groups, an array of socially responsible investors and public pension funds representing US 150 billion in invested capital, together with more than 200 Protestant denominations and Catholic orders. 

The importance of the presence of social responsibility reporting is underpinned by the anticipated move towards sustainability reporting, which will require a consideration of social issues. It is a very subjective EPI. To obtain a yes rating, there must be evidence in the CER of company expenditure on social and community issues or projects, over and above that which would normally be expected to maintain good public relations. It is expected that two or three separate projects or initiatives will be reported, but those included must reflect the geographical diversity of the company. 

The CER includes a section titled Public Relations that refers to initia- Social responsibility tives to educate and inform the public, particularly following registration to EMAS. No examples are given of any expenditure on projects primarily intended to benefit the local community. 

---