Is it better to be responsive than responsible? By Rusty Cawley, APR | ColdCrisis.tv
Is it betterto be responsive
than responsible?By Rusty Cawley, APR | ColdCrisis.tv
Survey: Social Responsibility
• Penn Schoen Berland– 1001 online interviews
with general U.S. public (ages 18+)
– Feb. 10-12, 2010– Margin: +/- 2.53%
More then 75 % say social responsibility
is important.
55 % say social responsibility
influences the products they buy.
38 % say they will pay more for a
socially responsible product.
But …
Only 45% say they know the meaning of ‘social responsibility’
What does‘socially responsible’ mean?
• Of the 45% who say the know the meaning …– 20% say ‘giving back to
local community.’– 19% say ‘self regulation
and accountability.’– 17% say ‘helping people.’– 12% say ‘ethics and
honesty’
The problem with saying,‘We are socially responsible.’
• No one will believe you.• It’s an impossible
standard.– U.S. corporations are by
design and by law sociopathic.
– The CEO can have only one concern: The interest of shareholders.
The Skilling Defense
• ‘I always acted in the best interests of our shareholders.’– Jeff Skilling, president of
Enron, testifying before Congress, 2002
A different approach: Responsiveness• Companies ‘undermine the
public’s understanding of capitalism by claiming to be ‘responsible’ when I’d rather they claimed to be ‘responsive.’– Dr. Peter Sandman, The
Synergist, Dec. 2005
‘Responsible’ vs. ‘Responsive’
Factory A• ‘We’ve stopping polluting
the stream because we love fish more than profits.’
Factory B• ‘Here’s why we stopped
polluting the stream …’1. Our lawyers2. Our regulators3. The activists4. Our neighbors, families and
employees
Which one do you believe?
When you lie about your motives, you imply that you lie
about your behavior.
Five ways to be responsive
1. Be empathetic2. Be accountable3. Be transparent4. Share the fact-finding5. Take meaningful action
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