Abstract:

For a long time, it has been believed that maximizing the company's market value should be the only criterion followed by managers and CEOs. According to this belief, the owners or managers of these organizations have the right to generate activities that bring profits. Then, the social responsibility that corresponds to companies could be understood just to the use of resources needed to carry out all activities designed to increase the profits of the organization.

In contrast to this position, there is another approach that requires internal actions inside a company aimed at promoting ethical behaviours within the business world, with responsible leadership and conduct within society and towards the environment. In other words, there is a series of actions that encompass perspectives not only from an economic point of view but also from social and humane perspectives.

In this article it is shown a brief analysis of the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the last half century. We are also going to consider different initiatives and regulatory frameworks that emerged at different levels - national, European and international. In this sense, the identification of the expectations and demands of stakeholders, together with the integration of these in the company strategy, can become a powerful tool to achieve a socially responsible position. This study also considers the influence that social responsibility can have within the education sector and its impact on society.

Keywords:

Social responsibility, manager, education sector, CSR.