Corporate Social Responsibility
ABSTRACT
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND INDUSTRIAL DISASTER
Bijoya Banik[1]
Corporate Social Responsibility is the responsibility of the business towards the society that it takes from. It is the management of the business in a manner such that it produces a positive impact on society. Critics of CSR say that the primary purpose of a business is to make profit, and that it has no additional duty as long as it complies with all rules and regulations. Not doing anything negative might seem easy, but it could actually go a long way.
Multinational corporations face major challenges when dealing with crises simultaneously at both local and global levels. The magnitude of the environmental and human devastation resulting from the Bhopal disaster confronted Union Carbide with a challenge that severely tested the mettle of its crisis communication expertise. Although two decades have elapsed since the disaster, Bhopal is still evoked as an example of “what not to do” in the case of a crisis of global proportions. As one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, the Bhopal tragedy devastated an entire city and country both physically and emotionally. The disaster had far reaching ethical, social, environmental, legal, and financial consequences for Union Carbide, and offers a rich lesson in corporate social and communication irresponsibility.
The 1984 Bhopal Gas disaster involved a catastrophic failure at Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), pesticide manufacturing plant at Bhopal, India. Over 15,000 people died, and 500,000 injured in the accident. The disaster occurred due to lack of safety measures and inferior technology at the plant. The aftermath of the disaster was improperly handled by the management of UCC as well as Dow Chemical after its takeover. Indian government officials also failed to provide adequate compensation and relief and rehabilitation to the victims. It had been the source of ongoing legal battles in both India and the U.S. Dow
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND INDUSTRIAL DISASTER
Bijoya Banik[1]
Corporate Social Responsibility is the responsibility of the business towards the society that it takes from. It is the management of the business in a manner such that it produces a positive impact on society. Critics of CSR say that the primary purpose of a business is to make profit, and that it has no additional duty as long as it complies with all rules and regulations. Not doing anything negative might seem easy, but it could actually go a long way.
Multinational corporations face major challenges when dealing with crises simultaneously at both local and global levels. The magnitude of the environmental and human devastation resulting from the Bhopal disaster confronted Union Carbide with a challenge that severely tested the mettle of its crisis communication expertise. Although two decades have elapsed since the disaster, Bhopal is still evoked as an example of “what not to do” in the case of a crisis of global proportions. As one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, the Bhopal tragedy devastated an entire city and country both physically and emotionally. The disaster had far reaching ethical, social, environmental, legal, and financial consequences for Union Carbide, and offers a rich lesson in corporate social and communication irresponsibility.
The 1984 Bhopal Gas disaster involved a catastrophic failure at Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), pesticide manufacturing plant at Bhopal, India. Over 15,000 people died, and 500,000 injured in the accident. The disaster occurred due to lack of safety measures and inferior technology at the plant. The aftermath of the disaster was improperly handled by the management of UCC as well as Dow Chemical after its takeover. Indian government officials also failed to provide adequate compensation and relief and rehabilitation to the victims. It had been the source of ongoing legal battles in both India and the U.S. Dow