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Corporate social responsibility can be a heated debate topic depending on who you are talking to. People that are in favor of corporate social responsibility want the companies to give back to the community and other charities because they think it is the right thing to do. Other people believe that companies are not forced to donate money to organizations because they already do enough by providing jobs and services. To really understand corporate social responsibility you must know what it really means. It is commonly described as aligning a company's activities with the social, economic and environmental expectations of its "stakeholders." Having defined corporate social responsibility, it is now a good time to look at the two different views associated with this and the arguments for and against it.

The argument for corporate social responsibility is that for the most part people believe it is the correct thing to do if you have the resources to help out. If a big company such as Walmart or Home Depot doesn't help out the community or donate money, then a lot of people view them as gluttonous and greedy. Most people expect these companies to be heavily involved in charities and donations. For smaller companies such as small family owned businesses, not as much is expected. Perhaps, just to sponsor local sports teams and buy them jerseys or t-shirts. The point is that one of the arguments for corporate social responsibility is that companies that have resources and money should help out the community because it is the right thing to do.

Another argument for corporate social responsibility is that if companies donate money to the community, it will not only benefit the community but also the company. The money donated to communities or charities will obviously support them and provide these organizations with money to carry out their activities. These donations are also good publicity for the company and it shows that they are invested in the community and are willing to help out. Helping out the community also helps create a loyal customer base for their product or service. This is excellent promotion for companies and it may also help with employee morale. If the community sees that that a company or organization is dedicated to the community, then they will be more likely to work for them or buy their services. An example of this would be the Philadelphia Eagles, together with Home Depot, every year they help build a playground in the Philadelphia area. This project is benefiting the community by giving kids a safe place to play and get them off the streets. It also benefits the Philadelphia Eagles by helping build their fan base and customers by showing that they are committed to the community and want to help out. They also advertise the event on their website to show fans what they are doing to help out. This is great advertising and one of the ways that corporate social responsibility benefits both parties.

An argument against corporate social responsibility is that companies already do enough for the community and they shouldn't have to do anything else to help out. The main supporters of this argument believe that companies already provide jobs and a product or service to the community and that in itself helps out. They are not responsible for what happens outside their company and having the company in the community is helping out enough. They also pay taxes and that is helping the community out already. Some people also believe that a company should focus on improving itself and its product and the money that is spent helping the community could be used to help improve the company or product. Right now many companies are trying to survive the hard times so they can't take there eye off the ball, they have to focus on core business. This argument can be made for a lot of companies, however most companies help out the community a little.

An additional argument against corporate social responsibility is that those who are most capable should address social issues. Those in the corporate world are not equipped to deal with social problems. The management and leaders of most companies specialize in finance, marketing, and management and most of them are not very knowledgeable when it comes to societal problems. Because the knowledge and skills are not available to make the right decisions on where the money should go, there involvement in societal issues might make social issues worse. Some argue that when companies stick to what they do best then they are helping society out in that way. However, if they pretend to know what their doing and get involved in social issues it could go horribly wrong because of there lack of experience in the field.

Overall, corporate social responsibility is a very profound topic and one that has so many arguments for and against it. One of the many arguments for corporate social responsibility is that if a company has the resources, it should help out because it's the right thing to do. Another is that it helps both the community and the company if it is done in the right way. Two of the several arguments against corporate social responsibility are that companies already do enough for the community by providing jobs and services or products. Additionally, those in the corporate world are not equipped to deal with social problems. My opinion is that corporate social responsibility is a good thing if it is done in the right way. A company or organization that has the resources should help out the community and do research to make sure their money is going to the right cause. I also believe that this would benefit both parties greatly if done the right way and is an excellent way to help both companies and communities work together for a common goal.

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