The general purpose for social responsibility is to make the world a better place, not only for the present world but also for the future. The reasoning for social responsibility rests on the belief that certain societal ills, like gang violence, and global issues, like third-world hunger, have to be addressed. Equality is a main concern. For these organizations or individuals, alleviating or eradicating problems is central to their philosophy of social responsibility. Educational awareness, especially on issues that are cultural-, ethnic- and class-related, is also stressed.
Socially responsible individuals, charities and nonprofit organizations as well as ethically concerned companies and corporations believe that, if people work together to mutually accumulate resources, funds and ideas, social problems can be addressed. For example, a seminar on how to address AIDS issues enables people to exchange problem-solving ideas. A donation drive to support AIDS research helps fund scientists who aim to find a cure for the virus. A socially responsible campaign to end gang violence may use government funds and private donations to host educational classes for kids living in areas with high gang activity. These practical approaches put the philosophy into actual practice.
Over time, there has been a continued push for corporations to be socially responsible. The reasoning is that corporations with large profits and high salaries should donate to charities and help out the general public. Large corporations possess a lot of resources, and, because of this, these companies and bosses also possess the capability to help local communities and the greater world. Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is centered around providing better health services and education to the global community.
The reasoning for corporate social responsibility first and foremost is these high-profit companies can change the world for the better. Secondly, it is important for businesses to present a good model for how other businesses should conduct themselves; moreover, doing good things for the world can help a company obtain the respect of the general population. Companies who have reputation for exploiting labor laws in other countries and for improper business techniques typically have a bad image among the general public. Another issue in corporate social responsibility is the push for companies to be more environmentally aware. This has led to the use of more recycled materials, the search for more environmentally safe industrial processes and to the use of less paper.
In many cases, social responsibility is more than just an idea to be put into practice -- it is the law. Wage laws, equal opportunity hiring and office or industrial safety regulations are all examples of necessary, socially responsible laws. This is to prevent unfair treatment of employees of different backgrounds, unfair salaries and unsafe workplaces. The reasoning is that certain companies must uphold an ethical standard. There also is much talk about how to approach the imposition of laws on company's use of natural resources in foreign countries.