360 CSR

360 CorCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

It has been existed the businessmen appearing on the mass media through events for charity, preaching about “business ethics” but they owed wages of their employees for a month!

Recently, many businessmen have invested the amounts to go to charity in pagodas. And there are many people who have spent a lot of money, or even taken from the borrowings or wages of employees to support the pagodas. They called that amounts as “the kindness and act of charity” with a belief that they shall be rich and wealthy from by an invisible power, but they have not understood that they should firstly be kind to all the staff and employees of themselves. It is the charity for people and themselves.

Not only that, in our country, there is a monosodium glutamate company which has yearly supported much money for the charity programs of poverty-alleviation movement, but everyday they still illegally eliminate tons of toxic waste into the river to poison the lifeblood of many people for years!

The above-mentioned companies are in our country, and now we refer to the businesses in another country.

While we are working together with our American partner, we have realized that they are willing to invest the solar energy electronic system although it shall consume the cost more expensive than 2 times of using the city electricity system. However, they shall minimize 350 tons of carbon dioxide every year. They are willing to spend more money to invest the rain water filtration system to protect the underground water source of the earth. At the same time, they also accept the product costs increased in case of using the recycled packages or biodegradable nylon bags to protect the environment.

And then, a British company has visited our company to check the working conditions of our staff and employees, see whether we could use the labor of children as some Chinese companies did or not. When negotiating the price, they are willing to buy the commodities at the higher prices if we use the materials or packages for the environmental protection.

Those examples are mentioned to proclaim that the social responsibility of businesses in developed countries has reached its height. They put the future of world and humanity higher than the business profits. In other words, I would like to call on businesses actively fight against the corruption as a festering social evil in Vietnam. Supposedly that the businesses have mutually consent not to “bribe” the customs officials when the goods are imported, and not to bargain with the tax staff in tax payment and not “return the favor” for the big contracts…, the corruption will no longer exist!

Do not refer to CSR anywhere; please rather do the best CSR at your own business. Please pay the full taxes, ensure the full wages of employees, and take care of a green and clean working environment for all the employees…. Just do the best at your own businesses; it is also the considerable contribution to the social community!

Dinh Hong Ky                                                                                

October 18, 2012   – Saigon Times

Translated by Harvey