Corporate Social Responsibility: the friend or the foe?

In a society that has increasingly grown into the very utopic idea where image is everything, it is no wonder that Capitalism itself needed a revamp. In a capitalist world that has adopted firmly cemented humanist ideals, corporates and organisations have no other choice than to chase the new trend: the humanist trend. This reflection piece has started on a somehow sarcastic note, yet that is not my aim. I truly think that Humanism is indeed the very core moral point in our society. It drives forward the idea that everything has a humanist aim, even if to some extent, some of its end is profitability. A social impact is by its means, a mark in this world, it is a brand within a brand, it is what sets organisations, charities and corporates apart. CSR has come to be from a very genuine idea, the very idea that the business and the business owner have a responsibility to do good, with the money earned, but that in order to have that money, that a business must be profitable. Well, this is where interests clash. Profit effectively means less expenditure and more results. Social impact can’t be measured in a such a way, as the very foundations of it are measured by the positive impact or lack of negative impact it has on the planet and people.
CSR in theory is indeed a step forward in giving a human face to Capitalism, as it allows businesses and companies to understand how they can directly support and positively benefit their society and employees, as well as at the same time allowing companies themselves to evolve and connect further with their own core values, sometimes even allowing them to completely rethink such.
One example of this is Google Green, a corporate effort that use resources effectively and efficiently, by supporting renewable power. This social effort has seen Google drop their power investments by 50 percent, as well as astoundingly lowering electricity consumption, therefore hugely benefiting the environment and reducing their carbon footprint. Also, in regards to Google’s workplace, equality and equal opportunity are key components of policy procedures as well as brand, and several perks and incentives to the employees are offered by the company.
Despite the fact that CSR has many positive highlights, it also has many negative points; CSR has indeed almost given a free pass to companies and corporations, meaning that no matter how negative their very brand is, as long as they connect themselves to good causes or create good CSR documents, that all social responsibility is taken care of. This was never the main aim of corporate social responsibility, yet we see companies such as tobacco firms, oil companies and fast food and drink companies connecting themselves to social causes and organisations with very divergent values. It takes me back to ‘voluntourism’ and the very satirical post, where the idea of volunteering abroad has changed one’s Facebook profile picture forever. One can indeed see a similar superficiality, and in a capitalist world with a human emphasis and a heightened social image, money can indeed buy anything, even if that is a socially responsible image and a higher rank in the corporate world, despite sharing such divergent views.
One good example of this is one that comes from the very CSR Abercrombie & Fitch’s statement that says:
“It is our mission to continue our efforts to support human rights, invest in our associates, give back to our communities, commit to environmental sustainability efforts, make responsible business decisions, stand for and achieve diversity and inclusion.”
Abercrombie & Fitch are an American clothing brand that aim to be anything but inclusive. This was further highlighted when its CEO Mike Jeffries claimed that its brand was aimed at attractive slim American males, between the ages of 18 to 34 only. This is one very good example of when CSR is only used as a means to make a company or corporate appear socially responsible, when it is in fact the opposite.
CSR: a socially benefiting tool or the capitalist’s best friend?