Socially Responsible Products: Sri Sathya Sai Guidelines

We have to take care of not only the amount of production, but also the way we can serve the society through proper production in terms of quality and also at affordable prices. But today, we are producing only those goods and services that satisfy our personal needs and justify our ends. We are spending large amounts of money on advertising those products that are either unnecessary or detrimental to society. For instance, in certain countries, the advertisements of items like liquor and cigarettes, figure in radio, TV and the print-media. In this context, we have to appreciate the significance of moral obligation to society in making products detrimental to public health and welfare. Do people consume these products because they are made available by business people or do business people make them because there is great demand for such products? Business people assert that they produce such items because there is great demand for these things. This may not be the complete truth. The truth is also that people do consume these things because companies make them available. 

Those companies and their management, who make money-making their sole aim, undertake the production of such items which are harmful to public health. As such, business people have to do some soul-searching and assess whether their products make or break the society. Corporate organisations make decisions from the standpoint of increasing profits and wealth. They might not have so much concern about social or national welfare or the harmful impact of such products on society. However, management students should always assess as to what could be the impact of their organisation’s products on the society. 

Source: Values-OrientedFinance: Insights from Indian Wisdom, Chapter 7, Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective – Based on the Discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba