Responsible. What is it that makes companies so love this word?
Here a few examples:
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Jim Quick, President of the Canadian Paint & Coatings Association, says: “products which can’t be recycled, like pesticides, will be disposed of responsibly.”
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“There is a real need in the marketplace to give consumers ways to safely and responsibly dispose of consumer electronics,” said Tony Nader, president and CEO of NEW.
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The Coalition for Responsible Transportation
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The Responsible Business Summit 2008
The core meaning to ‘responsible’ is accountability. So when companies use “responsbile” to suggest improvement, they are perhaps being more honest than they intend. For in fact they are signalling that being responsible is a change in behaviour.
A lot has been said and written about the ‘value’ of being a socially responsible company, and figures are trotted out to demonstrate that companies with very high scores on Corporate Social Responsibility indeces, also do well economically. At the same time, a quick scan of stock values reveals that companies that are notably low performers on social responsibility indeces, also do very well (e.g. Exxon or Philip Morris). But their stating that they are responsible doesn’t make them more so.
The only way to be, and be seen to be, responsible, is to demonstrate responsibility – and accountability. This means a company must define the areas in which it is responsible, the activities it is undertaking to demonstrate responsibility, and progress in those activities. And to be believed – it needs to get independent certification from a credible party.
Otherwise, its your word against your accuser’s. And that fight guarantees you’ll be seen as irresponsible…
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* What does “responsible” mean? As defined by Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) it means:
| 1. | answerable or accountable, as for something within one’s power, control, or management (often fol. by to or for): He is responsible to the president for his decisions. |
| 2. | involving accountability or responsibility: a responsible position. |
| 3. | chargeable with being the author, cause, or occasion of something (usually fol. by for): Termites were responsible for the damage. |
| 4. | having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action: The defendant is not responsible for his actions. |
| 5. | able to discharge obligations or pay debts. |
| 6. | reliable or dependable, as in meeting debts, conducting business dealings, etc. |
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