Social Responsibility in Binational Centers

Michele L. LeeExecutive Director

Centro Venezolano Americano de Merida

AgendaDefinitions of Social ResponsibilityGovernment and BusinessTypes of Social ResponsibilityHow BNC’s can take partExamples of Social Responsibility

What is Social Responsibility?

Corporate responsibilityCorporate citizenshipResponsible businessSustainable responsible business (SRB),

or,Corporate social performance

Social responsibilityAll organizations have: Responsibility to society Obligation toward the good of a larger social unit as

opposed to the self alone Imperative to improve the quality of relations with key

stakeholders: putting values into action in the perspective of our relations with society at large

Responsibilities as citizens as part of a society and nation.

Need to contribute to the welfare of society and not be solely devoted to maximizing profits

Origins of Social Responsibility

We have always had government or caretakers

Government & business

Government has always asked business to lend a hand in societal concerns

3⃰ Obligatory: Taxes3⃰ Self determination: Philanthropy3⃰ Sustainable development: Responsibility

Government & SocietyGovernment is stepping back:

Government & Society

Business is rising to the challenge

The Role of BusinessTraditional role: management must

maintain its wealth-producing resource intact by making adequate profits to offset the risk of economic activity.

Social Responsibility model: management must also increase the wealth-producing capacity of these resources and with them the wealth of society.

Working definitionBusiness has an obligation to make

choices and take actions that will contribute to the welfare and interests of society as well as the organizational (Richard L.Daft, 1988).

Two principles which provide the foundation for contemporary views on social responsibity, the principle of charity and the principle of stewardship.

Two Principles

Principle of Charity:3⃰ To practice benevolent giving

Principle of Stewardship:3⃰ To actively engage in a project (of your choice) that contributes to long-term sustainability

Two Roads to Take

Global Issues:3⃰ i.e. the environment or global citizenry

Local Challenges:3⃰ i.e. city beautiful campaign or feeding the homeless

Hot Topics in Social Responsibility

Culture and the artsSports programs, especially with childrenEnvironment, sustainable developmentCommunity Health and safetyEducation and Scholarship

The BNC Social Responsibility Dilema

Today’s world has contemporary social, economic, environmental, and political challenges.

BNCs can contribute to the tasks required to meet those challenges

Pro´s and Con´s

Pro´s1. We benefit from society,

therefore, have an obligation to improve it.

2. It is in our interest to improve our community

3. SR improves our public image

Con´s1. SR involves high costs

2. Resources (economic & human) diverted to non profitmaking activities

How to1. List your stakeholders.2. Identify the issue(s):

3⃰ that most identify you with your stakeholders within a global or local context

3⃰ Where can the BNC make a real difference? (list obtainable & measurable objectives)

3. Decide to which you would like to or you could most contribute?

4. Identify the expected outcome

How to5. Identify alternative outcomes & plan for

them.6. Determine your action plan and decide how

to incorporate your Social Responsibility Plan in your Binational Center Plan.

8. Write a mission, vision, and values statement with social responsibility in mind.

9. Implement your plan.

Who are our stakeholders?

Those individuals or groups who have an interest in and / or are affected by the activities of the organization or the behavior of its members. Examples:

3⃰ Assembly, board of directors3⃰ Directors, teachers, and staff3⃰ Clients, students, community3⃰ Country, world3⃰ Special interests groups or people

Cevam believesWe can implement systemic practices that

create safe, caring, and equitable environment so that all young people succeed in school and life, and help shape a safe, democratic, and just world

We can contribute to an education for young people which provides them with hopeful and intelligent engagement with their world

Teaching ContentFrom the Abla plenary speakers:Ricardo Romero: we not only teach

English, we teach contentGary Strong: It’s not just about learning

the language, it’s creating social interaction with the language.

Therefore, at Cevam we add social responsibility content to our language

classroom.

CEVAM’s ExampleWe do what we do best:

3⃰ Teach our children3⃰ Collaborate with our adults

To raise their conscious about issues important to us

3⃰ Environment3⃰ Civic education3⃰ Citizen participation

A Couple of Examples from Cevam’s

classrooms

The World CupTeach our students to appreciate other

cultures and cultural differences through the world cup example.

Repower America’s WallWe added our Voice

Bob Marley’s Earth Day RemixWe sang our voice

Thank you for letting us share with you

today.

Michele L. Lee de LeónExecutive Director

CEVAM

cevam@interlink.net.ve

Referenceshttp://socialresponsibility.vinsign.com/http://www.ehow.com/how_2161226_teach

-children-social-responsibility.htmlhttp://www.viacom.com/corpresponsibility/

Pages/ourinitiatives.aspxhttp://www.ashoka.org/http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/leeperm/d

ocs/gbus-8306-spring-06-syllabus.pdf