Ethical instruments for the development of the social responsibility of the business operators in Romania

• Author: Laura Muresan (Potincu)
• Position: Transilvania University of Brasov, Dept. of Management and Economic Informatics
• Pages: 65-72

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 9 (58) No. 1 - 2016

ETHICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY OF THE

BUSINESS OPERATORS IN ROMANIA

Laura MUREŞAN (POŢINCU)1

Abstract: Starting from the provisions of standard ISO26000 regarding

social responsibility together with results of a quantitative research

performed in 2015, it can be concluded that the public institutions are

outside the range of a normal behaviour regarding their relation to the

several categories of stakeholders, including the legal entities, i.e. the

business operators. A normal behaviour is a socially responsible behaviour.

Key words: social responsibility, public institutions, economic operators,

quantitative research.

1. Introduction

In order to defend their rights, even since the Middle Ages, traders have organized

themselves in corporations – named universitas. In time, they have acquired

administrative, juridical and even legislative autonomy. The corporation included the

traders and craftsmen in the same branch and was led by a consul, elected from them,

assisted by counselors. (Cărpenaru, 2007, pp. 3-5)

One can speak about the incipient stage of the economic operator’s social responsibility

concept at the beginning of the 19th century, when the first commercial enterprises

appeared. Some of the owners and their managers have taken upon themselves, within the

community, a more extended role than the business men role, participating in the creation

or development of the nation they were part of by contributing to building houses,

schools, libraries, museums and universities.

The end of the 1950s was marked by an increase of the power of the consumers to

influence the behavior of the economic operators. (Oprea, 2005, pp. 49-52)

In this context, starting with the 1950s, a popular and efficient proposal has appeared at

the international level: for the economic operators to voluntarily take responsibility for

several social aspects.

Other authors (Frederick, 2006, pp. 6, 138) consider that the social responsibility of the

economic operator has initially been only an idea for the economic operator to be

considered responsible to the society, for their decisions and actions. It is considered that

the social responsibility was not born however at the beginning of the 1950s, as stated in

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, Dept. of Management and Economic Informatic s, laurapotincu@yahoo.ro.