Effective Corporate Social Responsibilities As A Business Survival Strategy

INTRODUCTION
Social responsibility is an ethical framework which suggests that an entity, but is an organization or individual, has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. A trade off may exist between economic development, in the material sense, and the welfare of the society and environment. Social responsibility means sustaining the equilibrium between the two B.O. (2001) it pertains not only to business organizations but also to everyone whose any action impacts the environment. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing activities that advance social goals.
According to Buffa, I. and Pletcher, P. (2000) businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. For instance if a company follows the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for emissions on dangerous pollutants and even goes an extra step to get involved in the community and address those concerns that the public might have, they would be less likely to have the EPA investigate them for environmental concerns. A significances element of current thinking about privacy, however, stresses “self-regulation” rather than market or government mechanisms for protecting personal information.
According to some experts, most rules and regulations are formed due to public outcry, which threatens profit maximization and therefore the well-being of the shareholder, and that if there is not outcry there often will be limited regulation.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In the early 1930, the mission of business is primarily economic. But within the past few decades there have been pronounced changes in the views of many business managers and markets about their social responsibility, which have parallel and part reflected the changing priorities and operation of society about business society functions. This is because businesses rely on the society for their continuous existence. In view of this, the inter-relationship between organizations and their environment has become interestingly important. As a result, organizations especially in the manufacturing sectors are no longer viewed as private endeavours that are free to pursue their own ends as long as they do not break any law. Instead, their actions are seen as having consequences that goes beyond serving customers and paying attention to owners. The outcome of this notion is rising public clamour for social response on their part of business firms as well as other social organizations.
But the business makers have the task of knowing what to do to meet the demand of the demand of various claimants of social responsibility. All these claims have made the issue of social responsibilities a great concern in the business world.
Social responsibility is essentially concerned with public interest. It is the intelligent and objective concern for the welfare of society which restrains individual and corporate bodies from resorting to ultimately destructive activities no matter how immediately profitable it is.
The idea of social responsibilities recognizes that each person is attached to an extended social system in which he or she is partly dependent. Consequently, certain obligations or social responsibilities arise from this attachment business owners should also consider that needs and interest of others might be affected by their actions.
Business operates in a dynamic environment that changed, likewise their expectations from societies. Society gave business its charter to exist and their charter can be amended or revoked at any time if business fails to live up to societal expectations.
The creation of better social environment benefits to society and business. The society gains through better neighborliness and employment opportunities. Clean and safe neighborhoods on the other hand mean a more stable community inch to operate. Fewer employed person reduce the change of social unrest. Educated members of the community provide a more attractive labour pool from where to draw personnel. People make up societies; human being today is part and parcel of the social organization and is utterly depended on it. Human society makes possible the production and distribution of goods and services.
Business can only exist within an organized society, when people are totally self sufficient, the concept of business has no place in their lives. The organization of society then makes it possible for people to engage in business activities. In return, those in business must make contribution to the society that sustains their existence that is business owners have obligation to the society in which they operate and responsibility is to other who live in the society with them.
While an organization is busy establishing goals, objectives developing and executing strategies for achieving its states propose, it should recognize that it operate within an environment which expects it to operate in such a manner that would not disrupt its existence. Furthermore, the environment in the community also expects the organization to assist in tackling its socio-economic problems. It is the contribution of the organization to the development of its environment that constitutes social responsibility.
Peter Drucken (1999:10) suggest two major way by which demand for social responsibilities arise in the first place it arises firm the social impacts business organization. In other words, the negative consequence of business activities like rapid organization and rural urban drift, traffic hold-ups, environment pollution, deceptive advertising, defective series offered for sales, television and avoidance, all create disenchantment and demand for more socially responsible behavior.
Secondly, corporate social responsibility also arise from the problems of society itself including failing standard of living, illiteracy, poor infrastructural facilities and social amenities and the growing disenchantment with government and its inability to solve major social problems. Hence, society has come to expect business with their successful operation to solve major part of these problems by developing effective social responsibilities objectives and strategies.
The business system is made up of internal and external components of the community, the schools, the churches, customers, government, shareholders and suppliers and all members of the external components and the business organization depends on the for survival. Hence, they owe some obligations in the way of discharging certain social responsibilities to them. Similarly, within the internal component of the business system are the employees, the management and other social organization. The equally demand that they should reap from the surplus generated by the organization which they have given their best.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The fulfillment of social responsibilities as a business management sustainability strategy, companies like PZ Cussons Plc face lots of problems such as when all the claims made b the various stakeholders are too much in that organization cannot solve all society’s problems with their limited resources yet they are expected to get actively involved in getting them solved. To the government, the organization’s social responsibilities include payment of taxes and other financial obligations which are seen to be costly to business and restrict its flexibility in decision making. In trying to avoid the wrath of the regulation on them, most organizations bribe their way out which of course, will not be recorded anywhere. But long run when he records will be reviewed these organizations will still be seen as owing.
Likewise in the community, must times organizations are expected to create job opportunities. But in the process of doing that, the organization encounters problem like not getting qualified personnel for a particular job or position within the organization which may discourage the organization from employees who are also stakeholder to the organization.
Employee who are also stakeholder to the organization and who are also affected by the actions of the organization sometimes constitutes problems to the organization, such as delays of salaries, lack of motivations and incentives to the employees. This could lead to stoppage of work (strike) which could lead to the reputation of the organization tarnished.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The primary purpose of this study is to determine and identify, the impact of fulfillment of social responsibilities on PZ Cussons Plc. In more specified terms, other purpose includes:
a. To find out whether fulfillment of social responsibilities can contribute to the sustainability of a business.
b. To find out or study the modalities adopted by the companies to its environment.
c. To find out importance and advantages derived from the fulfillment of social responsibilities to the environment.
d. To determine the various by which organizations can carry out their social responsibilities to the environment.
e. To proffer solution to problem areas where deficiency in the fulfillment of social responsibilities.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Fulfillment of social responsibilities has really contributed greatly to the business survival of organizations especially for organizations with long term plan. This is so because if an organization winds up before the long or medium run because of a hostile environment cased by non-fulfillment of social responsibilities all the efforts grateful towards survival in the long run becomes fruitless.
a. How does the organization utilize the usefulness of fulfillment of social responsibility?
b. To whom is the organization socially responsible?
c. What the organization and its environment expect from each other?
d. How does the environment define social organization?
e. What is the need of corporate social responsibility in an organization?
f. What should the need of corporate social responsibility be given priority?
g. Why is corporate social responsibility regarded as a strategy for the sustainability of a business?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Hypothesis is a proposition put forward as a basis for reasoning on suggestion formulated from proven observation and presentation as a temporary explanation of experience in order to establish future research. To come out with significant result, the following hypotheses were formulated.
Ho: Fulfillment of social responsibilities has no significant role to play in firm’s business sustainability.
Hi: Fulfillment of social responsibilities has significant role to play in firm’s business sustainability.
Ho: Engagement in the discharge of corporate social responsibility does not distract business from their primary objective.
Hi: Engagement in the discharge of corporate social responsibility distracts business from their primary objective.
Ho: Social responsible action may not increase profit in a firm business in a long run.
Hi: Social responsibly action may not increase profit in a firm business in a long run.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be importance to the following persons or group of persons:
a. The Company: This research project will be useful to PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc. It will help them know how effective corporate social responsibility could be the growth and survival of their company.
b. To Other Individual: This work will equally be of great importance to individual citizens of the country who would like to know more about corporate social responsibilities as an effective tools for sustainable growth and survival of companies.
c. To The Students: This study would be significant to students who might wish to use it as a basis for further research, it will serves as a spring board from which further research might take off. The data already gathered and documented in this project will serve as a source of information to students.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research work on effective of corporate social responsibility as a business survival strategy. The study will centered on PZ Cussons Plc Aba, Abia State.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The research was faced with some obstacles. In the course of carrying out this study as result of some factors such as a financial and material constraints which is beyond the researchers control.
Time Constraint: The time available for this research to be carried out is limited since other activities are bound to infringe and interface with the time allocated to the project. This time has constantly been depleted by the incessant changes in the school calendar. Also been a student’s research, the researcher is often expected to complete the work within a specific time for it to be successful.
Lack of Funds: This research is constrained financially because of high cost of material. The high cost of transportation occasioned by increased in fuel has not help matters in any way since one has to travel to places to collect materials for the research. The result is that research funds may be insufficient or inadequate for the one to carry out the research as would wish to,.
Infrastructural Inadequacies: There is a general condition of inadequacy of infrastructural such as textbooks, libraries, telecommunication equipment, computers network and social amenities that make life comfortable for the researcher.
The lack of appropriate textbooks in most libraries a serious impediment to a research of this nature, majority of the libraries is not well stocked with the pre-requisite textbooks.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Social Responsibility: This is a managerial obligation to take action and improve both welfare of the society and the interest of the organization.
Unethical: Behaviour that fall short or below the generally acceptable standard or expectation.
Stakeholders: These are the various groups to which an organization is socially responsible.
Resurgence: The return and growth of an activity that had stopped.
Charter: A written statement describing the rights that a particular group of people should have.

1.10 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PZ CUSSONS
Paterson Zochonis Industries commonly known as PZ came into existence through the effort of two friends namely Paterson from Britain and Zochonis from Greece. The company was incorporated on 14th December, 1945 and the name Mr. P.B. Nicholas and Company Limited to take over soap making activities of Mr. P.B. Nicholas who had earlier established a factory for that purpose.
Paterson, Zochonis and Company Limited of Manchester (PZ) subscribed 75.5% of the company’s issued capital and has since directly or through subsidiary companies retained the controlling interest.
PZ itself was incorporated in England in 1884, became a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange in 1953. But PZ came into Nigeria in 1899 and its principle activity is that or general merchants in the West African content. Therefore, the company is already over a century old.
In 1960 also, the company achieved its first indigenous Nigerian equality participation and by 1972,. It sold out 40% of its shares capital to indigenous Nigeria. In accordance with the federal government directive (indigenous policy), it sold out another 20% of its shares capital to Nigerians in 1976, thereby brining the equity share to participation to 60% in favour of Nigerians.
In 1960 precisely 24% November, it changed its name to Paterson Zonchonis Industrial Limited, following its merger with associated industries limited. In compliance with the companies and allied matter decree of 1990, it adopted its present name of Paterson Zonchonis Industries Plc.
On November 1990, it has its factories in Aba, Ilupeju and Ikorodu (Lagos). Ilupeju is the headquarters and the principal activities of groups are the manufacture and sale of a wide range of customer products and home appliance which are leading brands name throughout the country of Nigeria in detergent, soap, pharmaceuticals, air conditioners, plastic containers, cosmetics, perfumery, creams and a whole lot of other products. In addition, the group engages in the wholesale and distributed of general merchandize through a network of branches in almost all the states of the country.
PZ Aba, a leading manufacturing company in the manufacturing industry has since inception experienced some conflict of some sorts. These conflicts occur in every department within the organization. However, these conflicts have been handled and managed in a way and manner that industrial harmony is achieved productivity is the main concern of every establishment.
PZ has a proper functional procedure for Prof. E.C. Edozie is the chairman board director PZ Company.