paper on csr caritas in veritate

8/6/2019 Paper on CSR Caritas in Veritate

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Reflection paper on the Corporate Social Responsibility in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate

According to Benedict XVI, in his encyclical, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is

seen as a natural ethical responsibility, which does not come from abstract principles, nor is

limited to management skills; which derives from the objective or purpose of the company andits role in society. Which is based in justice and charity; is voluntary; focuses on the human

person; is not identified with social action or philanthropy; and which is very demanding for

those leaders who wish to put it into practice.

Based on my understanding of the Popes stand on CSR, CSR policies function as

intrinsic means where firms are able to ensure their conformity to the ethical standards and

moral norms of the society. However, more than the abstract principles, CSR transcends such

into practical application wherein the focus of firms from profit would be somehow shifted to thehuman person per se. With that, CSR aims to make and encourage a positive impact outside

the firms through social responsibility-related activities on the environment and the community

which includes the consumers, employees, and its stakeholders. Such activities are fruits of the

firms initiatives based on justice and charity, given that the firms have this sense of

responsibility to contribute towards development and to promote the common good.

To have a better grasp of the encyclical passage earlier, let us use the four different

CSR angles (Argandona, 2010) in dismantling its key points to have a clearer definition of CSR.

According to Argandona, CSR has already been approached using the Ethical

perspective where companies have a responsibility for the effects their actions have on

themselves and on the environment, and this responsibility is ethical, not legal. CSR which is

seen as a natural ethical responsibility would then be tantamount to CSR as the whole set, or

part of the set, of moral responsibilities that companies assume for all their actions and

omissions, insofar as such actions and omissions have an ethical content. In the Popes

encyclical, he reminds us that locating resources, financing, production, consumption and allthe other phases in the economic cycle inevitably have moral implications. Thus every economic

decision has a moral consequence. If people will not be discerning of their actions, judgment

and decisions, then it is in this context that the Pope stated a need for a greater social

responsibility on the part of the firm, an ethical responsibility to be exact.


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spiritual growth, openness to transcendence. CSR policies should then be aiming to create

value for the firm owners as well as its stakeholders. With that, the firms objectives should have

value intrinsic to these goals, aligning it with the public interest or betterment of society. In this

way, there would be solidarity and mutual gratitude present among stakeholders.

Lastly, Argandonas Instrumental approach talks about how companies must measure

results and show accountability where CSR is valued for the results it achieves. This approach

would be parallel to the Popes assertion that CSR demands committed leaders . It demands

committed leaders where each person is to be "the main agent of his own success or failure

(CV17). Development is impossible without upright men and women, who are attuned to the

requirements of the common good. Both professional competence and moral consistency are

necessary (CV71). Briefly speaking, CSR is not just about good intentions but a combination of

skill competence as well.

Basically, I think that both the Pope and Argandona defines CSR as an aid in an

organization's mission as well as a guide to what the company stands for and will uphold to its

consumers. I strongly agree with Argandona as he asserts that development needs Christians

with their arms raised towards God in prayer, Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-

filled love, Caritas in Veritate, from which authentic development proceeds, is not produced by

us, but given to us. That is why in complex times, we turn to God's love. Development requires

attention to spiritual life... reliance upon God's providence and mercy, love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of others, justice and peace (CV79). It is in this way that CSR policies may

be directed and inspired by the light of a higher grace, as men and women alike, continue to

work on how to make the world a better place to live in.

paper on csr caritas in veritate

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