The soCial Dimension

In the social dimension the central aspect is the rules of living together in a society, whereby these have to be considered on local, national and global level. The goal thereby is the reconciliation of social unfairness. A harmonious interaction of the single society members is aimed at. It concerns the definition of the minimal requirements of a generally valid world order, where the dignity of each human beeing is inviolable. The right of liberty, equality and independence of each particular is the center of attention. These are the conditions for a (global) economy to function. “Solidarity and justice” ^[1] represent thereby the foundation, on which must be built.

The social behavior of an enterprise

If an enterprise wants to meet the social criteria, it has to consider the effects of their acting on their stakeholders. This view is not limited to the aspects of legality of an action, it aims also at their legitimacy. A socially responsible enterprise will not define the maximization of the profit as the highest principle of its existence legitimacy, but will regard itself as an element in a system, according to which its decisions affect the other elements of the system.

[1] Andreas Sturm, Norbert Egli: Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren. Ein Strukturvorschlag für die Schweiz. Basel 2000, S. 5