Some people believe that corporations have a responsibility to promote the well being of the societies and environments in which they operate Others believe that the only responsibility of corporations provided they operate within the law is to make as mu

Every corporation is domiciled within a certain society and in an environment. Most corporations that deal majorly in manufacturing and extraction of minerals pollutes such environments which they generate their income. The inhabitants of these areas deserved unadulterated means of survival on which their well-being is based. Some people believed that since corporations operates within the realms of the law, they are not concerned with the well-being of the inhabitants of the areas where they are situated. While operating within the law, corporations should not neglect the fact that they are saddled with the responsibility to promoting the well-being of the societies and environments in which they operate.
Those who are of the opinion that corporations operating within the law are only meant to accrue as much money as they can and not cater for the well-being of the inhabitants of the areas where they operate are not completely right. Considering the Corporate social responsibility Act that charged every corporation to contribute positively towards the growth and development of their host societies and environments. This Act, if kept sacrosanct would help promote the social values of the society, and would serve as the major driver of sustainable growths and developments.
Furthermore, the benefits of this corporate social responsibility are limitless. Considering the case of a multinational corporation that has one of its offices in Ogun state, Nigeria. Lafarge Cement is a corporation that has been authorized by the federal government of Nigeria to mine Limestones within the limestone rich-zones in Nigeria. The corporation is well known for their compliance to the enacted laws guiding the mine operations in the country. There is a known fact that wherever such mining sites are sited, the inhabitants of such areas are exposed to various industrial discharges that are detrimental to their health, bad roads, retarded growth in human development, poor recreational facilities, etcetera. Through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the company was able to address these issues by providing the basic needs for the community, they generated electricity and distributed to their homes at no cost, they built schools that are accessible for all, employed some unemployed youths and through the Lafarge Training Academy they provided their immediate society dwellers with trainings on driving of trucks and mine equipment, amongst other laudable community projects.
A second instance is culled from a popular saying: “doing good is like passing the baton in a relay race, if it is passed to you, you have to pass it to someone else ” This means that, the society and environment have given both directly and indirectly some of their resources to these corporations and in return deserves a form of benevolence from such corporations. Some people may hold on to fact that, since a corporation regularly pays its dues and operates within the law, they are charged to contribute positively to the development of such society. Considering the case of an aluminium sheet manufacturing plant in an environment where several people reside. The harmful discharge from their exhausts, the incessant odours as well as pollution in the area would mar the well-being of these inhabitants hence, resulting in loss of lives as well as shortage in their expected life span. This company under the CSR Act took it up as a monthly project to disinfect the affected areas as well as organize health talks for the dwellers of the environments.
However, a start up corporation might not have the luxury to drive positive changes in its hosting societies and environments due to its financial incapability. Such corporation might go bankrupt and possible liquidation might be looming but again this shouldn’t warrant the total snub of their social responsibilities even if it a weekly or monthly health talk, it would definitely go a long way and healing the such society.
Ultimately, after considering both sides of the issues, it must be concluded that Corporations are saddled with the responsibility to promote the well-being of their host societies and environment. This is evident in the case of the Cement manufacturing firm that provides supports in form of infrastructures to its host society and that of the aluminium sheet manufacturing plant that enlightens the inhabitants of where they are located on a monthly basis. These examples further reiterate that it is the responsibility of corporations to promote the well-being of the societies or environments in which they operate.