1. Overview of Chapter Contents
What is the limit of social responsibility of an enterprise or hospital? Organizations must not damage or destroy their ability to complete their primary and major tasks in the name of social responsibility. Whether an organization's primary function is health care or economic services, that function is the organization's reason for existence and its primary responsibility. In addition, accepting a task that you are not capable of completing is irresponsible behavior. Because responsibility always matches power, taking responsibility in areas where we do not hold power is not only irresponsible, but also greed for power.
2. Chapter Question Set
Question 1:Why are managers said to be servants?
The reason why managers are regarded as servants can be explained from the following aspects:
- Serving various departments within the organization: Managers are responsible for bringing together the various departments within the organization so that they can coordinate and cooperate and perform their due functions. Their job is to provide services and support to various departments within the organization to promote the overall development and success of the organization.
- Achieving organizational goals: Managers are responsible for developing and executing strategies to achieve the organization's specific goals. Their job is to help the organization achieve its set goals and create value for the organization. In this process, managers need to work with various departments to understand their needs and problems and provide necessary support and resources.
- Help others succeed: A manager's responsibility is not only to complete tasks, but more importantly, to help others succeed. They need to provide guidance and support to employees to help them improve their skills and abilities and develop personally and professionally. Managers also need to collaborate with other managers and leaders to drive the success of the organization.
- Take responsibility: Managers need to take responsibility for various departments and employees within the organization. They need to be accountable for the success of the organization and for the performance and results of their employees. This means that managers need to take risks and responsibilities in decisions and actions to ensure that the interests of the organization are maximized.
To summarize, managers are considered servants because their role is to serve various departments within the organization, help them achieve their goals, provide support and resources, and take responsibility. This view emphasizes that the role of managers is to help others succeed and promote the overall development of the organization, rather than simply pursuing personal interests.
Question 2:What is the first limit for an organization to assume social responsibility?
The first limit for an organization to assume social responsibility is its mission. The mission of an organization is the reason and purpose of its existence and its most basic responsibilities and tasks. If an organization deviates from its mission and focuses too much on social responsibility, the organization's goals and actions will lose direction and meaning. Therefore, when organizations assume social responsibilities, they must first consider their own mission and ensure that the organization's responsibilities and tasks are fully realized.
Question 3:When American universities rashly assume responsibility for urban issues, what limits of social responsibility does it reflect?
The limits of social responsibility are demonstrated when American universities flippantly assume responsibility for urban problems. Although universities have the knowledge and skills, they do not have the resources and capabilities to solve all urban problems. Therefore, when universities assume social responsibilities, they need to carefully consider their own responsibilities and scope of capabilities to avoid taking on tasks that they are not competent for and causing unnecessary losses and negative impacts.
In addition, universities need to clarify their own values and interests when assuming social responsibilities. Since the university is a diverse institution involving various stakeholders, such as students, teachers, researchers, administrators, etc., the university needs to balance various interests when assuming social responsibilities and ensure that its actions will not affect others. Adverse effects on stakeholders.
Finally, universities also need to consider the sustainability of social responsibility when assuming social responsibility. Universities cannot assume social responsibilities just to pursue short-term interests, but should incorporate social responsibilities into long-term development plans to ensure that their actions are sustainable and have long-term benefits.
In short, when universities assume social responsibilities, they need to carefully consider their own responsibilities and capabilities, clarify their own values and interests, and consider the sustainability of social responsibilities. Only in this way can universities better play their role in solving urban problems while avoiding the negative consequences of taking responsibilities lightly.
Question 4:What are the areas in which companies are usually unable to assume social responsibility?
Areas where companies are generally unable to assume social responsibility include the following aspects:
- Political Domain: The main goal of a business is to make profits by creating value and satisfying customer needs. Therefore, companies usually do not have the ability to participate in decisions and activities in the political field, such as elections, policy formulation, etc.
- Social welfare: Although companies can participate in social welfare activities, they usually do not have the ability to undertake large-scale welfare projects on their own. For example, companies may not be able to make large-scale charitable donations or support causes in areas such as education or health care.
- Cultural domain: Corporate values and codes of conduct are often based on business interests rather than cultural values. Therefore, companies are often unable to assume responsibilities in the cultural field, such as protecting cultural heritage and supporting arts and cultural undertakings.
- Environmental field: Although companies can take some environmental measures to reduce their impact on the environment, they usually do not have the ability to solve large-scale environmental problems. For example, companies cannot solve environmental problems such as global climate change and water shortages alone.
- Areas of War and Conflict: Businesses typically operate in a peaceful and stable business environment. Therefore, enterprises usually do not have the ability to participate in decision-making and activities in the field of war and conflict, such as supporting military operations, participating in armed conflicts, etc.
In short, the areas in which companies are generally unable to assume social responsibility are those that are not directly related to the company's commercial interests and business scope. In these areas, companies need to cooperate with governments, non-governmental organizations, social groups and other stakeholders to jointly promote the fulfillment of social responsibilities.
Question 5:What is the most important limit to social responsibility?Why Ralph ·Nader’s position violates this limit?
First of all, we can think that there is a certain limit to social responsibility. This limit is usually determined by the economic performance, ethics and social impact of the enterprise. When social responsibility exceeds the capabilities and scope of an enterprise, it may have a negative impact on the economic performance of the enterprise, thereby violating the original intention of the enterprise to assume social responsibility.
Ralph·Nader’s position violates this limit. He advocates that companies should take on more social responsibilities, a stance that in some cases may have a negative impact on a company's economic performance. For example, if a company spends a lot of resources and funds to fulfill its social responsibilities, resulting in an increase in the company's operating costs, it may reduce the company's competitiveness. In addition, if an enterprise pays too much attention to social responsibility and neglects its own core business and strategic development, it may miss important business opportunities, thus negatively affecting the economic performance of the enterprise.
Therefore, companies need to weigh various factors when assuming social responsibility, including their own economic performance, ethics and social impact. If social responsibility exceeds the company's capabilities and scope, it may have a negative impact on the company's economic performance, thereby defeating the company's original intention of assuming social responsibility.
Question 6:When should an organization refuse to assume social responsibility?
Organizations should not refuse to take social responsibility. As a part of society, enterprises exist and develop not only for their own economic interests, but also to fulfill their social responsibilities and contribute to the progress and development of society. Therefore, enterprises should actively assume social responsibilities, which will not only help improve the image and reputation of the enterprise, but also help promote the sustainable development of society.
Of course, in some cases, enterprises may face some challenges and difficulties. For example, in the face of some unforeseen events or force majeure, enterprises may not be able to assume full social responsibilities. However, this does not mean that companies should refuse to take social responsibility. On the contrary, enterprises should actively seek solutions, minimize the negative impact on society, and try their best to contribute to the progress and development of society.
In short, enterprises should actively assume social responsibilities, not only for their own interests, but also for the sustainable development of society. Only by actively assuming social responsibilities can an enterprise achieve long-term success and stable development.