Jericko Malaya Prof Gamboa Prcis # 7 The Responsibility Revolution Our lives have been periodically changed by inventions

s - the light bulb, the automobile, television and microwave ovens - which have an influence that goes beyond the new product and affects how we interact with one another. Mr. Stengel argues that "We are again entering a period of social change as [we] are recalibrating our sense of what it means to be a citizen, not just through voting or volunteering but also through commerce: by what we buy." He suggests that we have begun to realize "that we can serve not only by spending time in our communities and classrooms but by spending more responsibly. We are starting to put our money where our ideals are." I'm not sure how socially responsible the average consumer was in 1937. Chances are, for example, that if families ate organically-grown vegetables, they came from their own gardens, which were planted as an economic necessity, not to ease global warming. In those days, few fruits and vegetables were shipped cross country, much less from around the world. Sixty years ago, it seems as if there were fewer opportunities to be socially irresponsible. Corporate responsibility has become increasingly more than a side issue, owing to recent episodes of business mis-management. With globalization, the power and impact of transnational organizations have increased, as have the demands for space and resources, both of which show trends towards becoming more scarce. This has led to the need and desire for greater responsibility and safeguards. Current media focus can be seen to be concentrated upon environmental issues. In the Philippine setting companies are slowly adapting to the idea of being socially responsible. Pushing the CSR agenda within the organization has largely been attributed to the chief executive officer, according to a 2007 survey. At the time, the CEO initiated CSR 77% of the time. To augment funding of these activities, he or she shared discretionary funds, including his or her budget for dining out with clients and suppliers, golf tournaments and other perks, so the company could, for example, donate books or support the arts. I believe, any comparison to the past circumstances is futile. We cant gauge our improvement based on activities done in the early 1900s. With that said, it is great that companies are stepping out of their way to be socially responsible. However we as consumers should ponder, are companies being responsible because it is being asked from them due to the trend worldwide? Or is it really from their core principles? Maybe, it is just part of a greater advertising scheme. For example Adidas has been flagged last month by the "Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights" for problems in its El Salvador plant. Granted, they received accolades for their corporate social responsibility policies, can we elevate Adidas to receiving the CSR award for using better cotton, while overlooking other less-favorable reports?