y socially responsible; others would say that any apparently socially responsible action which it might make result only from self-interest. John Humble has said that he cannot see that it matters which motivation is behind a socially beneficial act so long as the effects of the act are good.
Concern with the social responsibility of business has been around for a long time. Initially, in the last century, workers, tired of the poor conditions in industry, began to demand social reform of them. In 1919, the case of Dodge v. The Ford Motor Company saw the beginning of discussion over nonprofitable business behavior. But it was not until the 1950's that social responsibility really became an issue. In 1953, another case, A.P. Smith Manufacturing Company v. Barlow, et al., stated that the philanthropic activities of business were, in fact, lawful extensions of managerial authority. That same year saw the publication of Bowen's Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, the first book which forwardly proposed the concept.
Now the American public has accepted the more apparent displays of social responsibility such as Eastern Airlines' contribution to the Metropolitan Opera and numerous corporate grants to public television. Racially-balanced hiring techniques are now required by law and business has been forced to concede to certain pollution controls, as well.
Do these things constitute social responsibility? Do they - th
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