Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study

Corporate Social Responsibility: Who Decides What’s “Responsible?”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a word that is bandied about with really little regard as to what the full implications actually are. Consider a few thoughts: What exactly is a corporation’s responsibility? Who are the arbiters of CSR for corporations? What does it cost to “rein in” corporations? Why are some companies held to a different standard than others?

To start with, this author needs to establish a few things. This author is a conservative with libertarian leanings when it comes to free enterprise. I believe that from an economic sense, a rising tide lifts all boats. I believe that redistributive policies, no matter how carefully disguised, damage economic growth. I believe that taxes should be simply enough to run the government, and not a punitive measure to punish people for too much success.

So, what exactly is a corporation’s responsibility? Much will depend on who you’re talking to, but

Billions spent each year by corporate America on compliance are billions not being spent on the social justice cause du jour. It is also not being spent on hiring the disadvantaged or going to the coffers of local government. A company that is going broke trying to keep out of trouble with the regulators really doesn’t have a lot left over for niceties. Continuing to regulate corporate America as though they have endless revenue will eventually drive the smaller players out of business. “… Americans paid a grand total of $1.863 Trillion in federal compliance costs for 2013. That’s more than the entire Gross Domestic Products of countries like Australia, Canada and India” (Shackleford, 2014). Shackleford further points out that in the average household, with an average income of $65,000, nearly $15,000 per household is spent on hidden regulatory costs that have been handed down to the customer (Shackleford,