This is adapted from International Standard ISO 26000. The first edition was on November 1, 2010.
International Standards and their use in technical regulations on products, production methods and services play an important role in sustainable development and trade facilitation through the promotion of safety, quality and technical compatibility.
The benefits that are derived are significant. Standardization contributes to the basic infrastructure that underpins society including health and the environment, while promoting sustainability and good regulatory practice.
Corporate Social Responsibility includes the following core subject areas:
1. Organisational governance
2. Human rights
3. Labour practices
4. The environment
5. Fair operating practices
6. Consumer issues
7. Community involvement and development.
Are the consumers in Guyana aware of the social responsibilities due to them?
Organisational governance is the system by which an organization makes and implements decisions in pursuit of its objectives.
Organisational governance can comprise both formal governance mechanisms based on defined structures and processes and informal mechanisms that emerge in connection with the organisation’s culture and values, often influenced by the persons who are leading the organisation.
Organisational governance is a core function of every kind of organisation as it is the framework for decision-making within the organisation.
Governance systems vary, depending on the size and type of organisation and the environmental, economic, political, cultural and social context in which they operate. These systems are directed by a person or group of persons (owners, members constituents or others) having authority and responsibility for pursuing the organization’s objectives.
Organisational governance is the most crucial factor in enabling an organisation to take responsibility for the impacts of its decisions and activities and to integrate social responsibility throughout the organisation and its relationships.
Organisational governance in the context of social responsibility has the special characteristic of being both a core subject on which organisations should act and a means of increasing the organisation’s ability to behave in a socially responsible manner with regard to the other core subjects.
This special characteristic arises from the fact that an organisation aiming to be socially responsible should have an organisational governance system enabling it to provide oversight and to put into practice the principles of social responsibility.
