Social responsibility comes in many forms—and it’s something that many businesses are taking an increasing interest in. Based on the nature of certain industries, some companies might integrate social responsibility into their business model from the very start. However, other types of businesses might consider social responsibility at later stages of company establishment.
No matter where your business lies with regard to implementing socially responsible practices, knowing that there are many means to do so—and acquainting yourself with those means—is a big step towards ultimately making a difference.
Many companies, for instance, have taken an interest in environmental issues, adopting green practices and constantly looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly. This could entail anything from conserving resources in the workplace and offsetting carbon emissions, to providing support for environmental organizations. Regardless of the type of actions your company takes with regard to helping the environment, it’s undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to become more socially responsible.
Helping charities is another way to increase your company’s social responsibility. Of course, there are various ways to get involved with a charity—whether through donating money, or donating time as a volunteer. However, it’s a good idea to get involved beyond simply providing a charity with a check, as doing so will help your company learn and grow to a greater extent.
Even if the primary source of your involvement is monetary, ensuring you’re involved in other ways will help you and your employees better understand a charitable organization. It’s also important that the charities you choose to work with are in line with the values of your company, customers and staff.
Finally, supporting fair trade and ethically made goods is another socially responsible practice that your company can easily adopt. Whether encouraging your employees to support fair trade in their personal lives, or supporting fair trade practices with regard to securing your business resources, fair trade practices affect countless people across the world by providing a fair price for their goods, and helping improve the livelihood of communities.
Ultimately, making a business more socially responsible opens up relationships and opportunities for a company, improves employee commitment and satisfaction, and attracts a greater number of customers—not to mention investors. Ethical businesses are sure to benefit in various ways through social responsibility, in addition to helping individuals, groups and communities around them.
Article courtesy of articlesbase.com. You can find the article at: http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/how-to-make-your-business-more-socially-responsible-1358733.html
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Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency, and is also a contributor to Articlesbase.com.
