ABSTRACT
Social responsibilities—whether of a business, a hospital, or a university—may arise in some areas. They may emerge out of the social impacts of the institution. Or they arise as problems of the society itself. One is responsible for one’s impacts, whether they are intended or not. There is no doubt regarding management’s responsibility for the social impacts of its organization. They are management’s business. Responsibility for social impacts is a management responsibility—not because it is a social responsibility, but because it is a business responsibility. Social problems are dysfunctions of society and—at least potentially—degenerative diseases of the body politic. Social problems that management action converts into opportunities soon cease to be problems. The others, however, are likely to become “chronic complaints,” if not “degenerative diseases.” Management must resist responsibility for a social problem that would compromise or impair the performance capacity of its business.
