It really does not matter, what kind of accent one will use to say this; it just does not sound right, and for a good and legitimate reason.
Over the past decades, corporations have taken over the world. They have controlled governments, like in South America, they have dictated the way the world should be run, and to some extent, what everyone should buy. Many corporations operated as if they were the government—inefficient, corrupt and arguably the worst business partner an average honest man could ever have. In other words, they are behind all the influential forces of society – politicians, policies and even education.
Aside from contributing to pollution, oppression and slavery, corporations also contribute to the global economy because of their efficiency—arguably, they are too efficient that majority of them lose track of their social responsibility.
A perfect example would be the health insurance corporations that have faced and eluded countless suits because of their well-documented practice of denying treatment and policies to millions of US citizens. Their capacity to elude lawsuits is a testament to their political strength and their rent-seeking activities.
Today, however, many corporations are cleaning up. Corporations now practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and other mechanisms to fulfill their duty as partners of the government in improving the society and natural resources. Some organize company outings, which include tree planting, out reach programs geared towards disabled, and the like.
While many companies are starting to change for the better, much of the change in the Philippines has been brought by new enterprises and multinational companies; the remaining local corporations practice relatively few socially responsible acts.
Many companies still dump their waste in rivers, landfills, and in established communities. Some still use products that come from child labor, and many use raw materials that are harmful to their consumers. Hence, a good corporation needs to be efficient and socially responsible to all its stakeholders, external and internal.
Perhaps the most critical corporations or organizations are educational institutions because they have to be profitable, but at the same time, they should uphold their respective academic mission and vision.
Case in point, DLSU. Although the University needs profit to expand and pay for the P2 billion building, they cannot accept students beyond a certain number because they need to ensure that all enrollees get the quality education they pay for.
But how responsible is DLSU really? In all honesty, DLSU has excellent public relations (PR) because of the Office for Strategic Communication (STRATCOM), but organizations are not all about PR—spending millions on PR is actually a sign that an organization has many things to hide.
In terms of being socially responsible, students are given to participate in activities sponsored by the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA), which has done much to gather volunteers and to help communities outside DLSU. In the same manner, the University Student Government (USG) is using an advocacy calendar to focus efforts on a specific advocacy for each month.
In terms of efficiency, the University is now using policies to maximize the limited space we have in the campus. Moreover, the University conducts studies to ensure that the end customers (students) are happy.
The quality of education is also improving. In a few years time, many of the professors in DLSU will add the label “Ph.D” after their names. The University also upholds strict hiring standards to ensure that the students will get the best professors, who have specializations in the field of the students’ interests. DLSU has also succeeded in creating an environment conducive for research. Professors get the necessary funding they need to finish their groundbreaking discoveries and studies; many are sent abroad to study or to present papers.
Although the University has done all these, are they enough to brand the University as responsible, if not socially responsible?
Responsible organizations need to consider well being of all their stakeholders. More explicitly, all stakeholders should have the power to approve policies. In other words, responsibility starts within an organization.
The problem though is that while the University is trying to get the opinion of its students, members of the faculty and employees, many of them do not know the actual system. Thus, most only make general suggestions like, “Please solve the persistent problem of MLS’s tendency to crash.”
It is not just about informing students and employees about the policies so they could comment on it, more importantly, the processes behind a decision should be laid down wholly and honestly, no additional frills or thrills.
Good organizations can also live without incentives. Incentives are all well and good, but when the coffee runs dry, would anyone be willing to talk about University issues or if no food will be served during University activities, would anyone still attend such events? Pardon my pessimism, but I do not think so.
Organizations also need to empower its stakeholders, and while there are successes in the Grievance system of students, many are still afraid to file cases against abusive professors because the justice system takes a long time, and many feel that the system will only bring them false hope.
Moreover, the discipline system at DLSU has become legalistic, in such a way that the law is above the truth. Responsible organizations should focus less on the possible lawsuits that they could get, and focus more on the value of the stakeholders. In addition, management and the administration should learn to respect the system, and not circumvent it.
Responsible practices start with the lower level employees – starting positions, but how could such practices exist and become good examples for the students when everyone is bound by a service contract—not a good labor practice by any standard.
There are efforts from all sectors of the University to change this, but for now, DLSU would be better off being called an institution of higher learning instead of a corporation, negative and possibly true connotations considered.
