In the first half of the year, the typical ethics deficiency and responsibility default cases like Qvod, Baidu Tieba happened in the Internet Industry, which gained extensive attention from the public. President Xi gave a speech on the “419 Cybersecurity and IT Application Symposium ”, arousing the deeply thought of social responsibility for Internet industry. The websites can not only pursue the hits. The online shops should prevent the sale of counterfeit. The social networks should not become the rumor diffuser. The search engines cannot rank the websites of the amount ranking of expenses. It seems simple to not be evil, but it is not.
The social responsibility of Internet corporations is different from that of traditional corporations, and the responsible relation between corporations and users on the Internet platform is now different. On September 20th, 2016, Beijing Rongzhi CSR Institute organized Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Experts Workshop II, discussing the modes of responsibility of Internet corporations. Experts from industry associations, research institutes of social responsibility, Internet companies and universities had in-depth discussions on this subject. (The report is collected through on-spot presentations, which was not reviewed by speakers)
Wu Jun: We can see the future, but notarrive yet.
Wu Jun, Professor of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
For the past two decades, the developing model of Internet companies has experienced three changes: The first stage is to establish the closed integration of software and services via hardware terminals, for example, APPLE. The second stage is to establish the hardware and software of internet as well as to provide open platform system extending to hardware and software, such as Google. The third stage is the super APP, like Taobao model.
We were in the process of model change, in popular words, we can see the future but not aarive yet. In the developing process of internet, we should pay special attention to two aspects. One is how to construct platform governance and supervision model for internet companies. At present, there is no clarified developed theory and practice for this field,though research is being explored at home and abroad. The other is how to develop the companies’ sense of responsibility under the situation that supervision lagged behind the development.
Ma Libo: Go through the “Gigantic Baby” period.
Ma Libo, Senior director of Public affair department, JD Group
We can describe that the development of Internet industry is in a “gigantic baby” state. For one side, it developed rapidly, from the other side, it is not mature. The coperate social responsibility (CSR) has faced three dilemmas: Firstly, the difference of development would lead to different understanding level of CSR, so we should lead the company to build up their CSR according to the different development situations but not push them too much. Secondly, because of the fast development of numerous businesses, companies had a great challenge onCSR management for large-scale CSR problems. Thirdly, we should provide the foresight CSR strategies in order to suit the company business, and match the international strategy of companieswhile make it valuable to companies.
Zhou Xi: Right direction is more important than effort.
Zhou Xi, Director of CSR department, YiChe company
Since 2010, Yiche has co-launched the China FSC with SAE-China and 20 universities. In the competition, each team designs and manufactures a good-performance single-seat race car in one year according the competition rules and race car manufacture standards, and successfully complete all or part of the competitions. At present, there are not only competitions for fossil cars, as well as the new energy cars. Yiche devoted to establishing the public platform for Chinese auto motor talents. They hope through the competitions to enhance the comprehensive ability to auto-motor majored students, and take the long-term talent education for the development of auto motor industry.
Meanwhile, in 2013, Yiche co-founded the “Auto motor foundation” with China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. As the first philanthropy foundation founded by internet auto motor company, Yiche devoted to providing philanthropy support to education, social care and training, such as donation for Ya’an Earthquake, rewarding the frontline auto motor workers, and helping the needed auto motor staff to fulfill their auto motor dreams.
As Professor Wu said, the development of Internet companies has transferred from consumption and social community to every vertical produce and service field. “Right direction is more important than effort”, as the industry-leading company, Yiche chose the right development direction. We believe that Yiche would have a better performance on CSR.
Wang Xiaoguang: Users are both the objects and subjects of responsibility.
Wang Xiaoguang,Director of Beijing Rongzhi CSR institutes
Internet companies relyon the internet and high-tech to provide information andapplication. This feature would decide that internet companies have obvious different CSR with traditional manufacture companies and service companies. The core differences indicated in three aspects:
One is internet company relyon internet platform to support their products and services.It is a process of inter-cooperation of participants in order to fulfill the services, meaning the group of enterprises buildcooperation to co-fulfill the social responsibility on internet platform.
Secondly, because of the interaction feature of internet, users directly participatein the company value development process. They have the significant influences for company value development, and greatly impact the response of internet companies’ CSR and their performances.
Thirdly, internet companies have the rapid generation switch and great influence for economy development, so we try to lead these innovations to have positive impact on future economy development or to effectively control its negative impact. This is the main content of internet corporations’ social responsibility.
Liu Baocheng: Eastern ethics and western ethics share common values.
Liu Baocheng, Director of CIBE, University of International Business and Economics
The bottom line of eastern ethics is being conscious of shame, while western ethics focus on no harm. The value of eastern ethics is “Ren (benevolence)”, while western indicates “altruism”. These ethics share common values. One of the important features of internet is open. In internet era, people’s values and cultures are sharing, so that, we should find the universal value in the research of CSR and business ethics for internet companies. Chinese internet companies should recognize and understand the international society perspectives for our companies. We cannot separate ourselves from the reality. What do so many difficulties Alibaba encountered when it attempted to list in the U.S. reflect? Why did IACC cancel the membership of China? Enterprises should seriously study the concept and rules behind.
Professor Liu stressed that the overall situation of social development is conducive to the study and promotion of CSR. CSR has transfered from the requirements of the external international rules (according to statistics, 80% of nontariff trade barriers were from CSR) into the enterprises’ endogenous competitive advantage. Seizing the opportunity, co-creating the industry platform, increasing cohesion capability, sharing results, learning from each other, increasing research capabilities and avoiding the irresponsible behavior of the company greenwash need the endeavor of all colleagues.
Yu Zhihong: Create the sustainable development of Internet.
Yu Zhihong, President of “China WTO Tribune” Magazine
The development of human society has experienced different civilizations. From agricultural civilization to the industrial civilization, and to the present age of the Internet, we can call today’s civilization the Internet civilization. Each civilization has two edges of effects: positive and negative. The resource consumption, environmental impact, gap broadening between the rich and the poor we mentioned today are all left behind by the industrial era. When we entered the era of Internet, do we have a little self-knowledge or the ability to avoid what we have met in the past civilization development period.For example, in the Internet era, the capital can be a bit warmer. Internet business practitioners are generally young, creative, imaginative, while their social responsibility consciousness and ability is relatively weak. So we have to focus on the future, strengthening the training of young people's future leadership to cultivate their sense of social responsibility from the beginning of the university.
Liu Weihua: The corporate should develop with the original mission.
Liu Weihua, Vice president of China Commission of Corporate Citizenship
"Do not be evil" sounds very simple, but it is not easy to really obey this rule. We can recognize that many problems of enterprises today are the bottom line problems. Even an enterprise that can consciously do not be evil is very great. The name of “Internet Empire” indicates the important society impact of the Internet and Internet companies. So the Internet companies should always ask themselves in the development to follow the original mission and to create social value, rather than short-term revenues.
Zhang Hongfu: Learn from each other and gain mutual benefits.
Zhang Hongfu, Senior research manager of Syntao Consulting Company
It is important for the social responsibility research institutions and researchers to build a shared platform, then everyone can learn from each other, and gain mutual benefits. After the establishment of the platform, we should develop some tools to help the management of enterprises.
Guo Yi: More valuable communication is needed in this globally diversified era.
Guo Yi, Professor of Beijing Technology and Business University
The original problem of social responsibility is the question of values. In the Internet age, the values are clearly diversified. When certain phenomenon occurs, we find it difficult to form a unified value among different groups. At present, the old economic systems were deconstructed, while the new economic systems reconstructed. These all have profound influences in our lifestyle. The changes lead to the diversity of values and our understanding of truth, goodness and beauty. Therefore, it is a very important proposition to find out how to communicate and integrate the value in this diversified era. The researchers of CSR, policies, guidelines, and standards makers should sort out which aspects of our values has been reflected by the new technology and new lifestyle, anticipate the short term and the long term effects on the social mentality, and form the positive value orientation view. The consensus of this guide may not be very strong at the beginning, but it can continue to pass the tests, through trials, then form a relatively core universal value. However, this process is a long way to go.
Xiong Huajun: Focus on the origin of social responsibility.
Xiong Huajun, Vice Secretary of CSR committee, CECT Standard Association
There is a very positive change in the understanding of CSR. The initial social responsibility was caused by external pressure, while many companies began to take social responsibility as a tool during its development, such as brand promotion, risk management. Up to now, CSR has slowly been integrated into the enterprise business, and even outputted the value aboard. Not only the Internet companies have such a process of understanding, but also all the country's enterprises have experienced such a process. The basic responsibility of corporates evolve into social responsibility awareness, whichis a delightful transformation, and it gradually return to the origin of social responsibility focus. The most basic responsibility of corporate is to provide high-quality products and services, to fulfill consumer demand. Discussing the CSR without the core business of corporate is not meaningful. Whether we have to do social responsibility report or social responsibility itself, it is already an evolution of human civilization. It is also a process of further understanding for the cost of the enterprise as well as the whole social operation. In the past, we thought that only the raw material and labor are the enterprise cost. Then we realized the environmental cost. These days, corporate responsibility has become an important cost of business operation.Therefore,the management of CSR cost is much more important.
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Expert Workshop was initiated by Professor Liu Baocheng, director of CIBEand Dr. Wang Xiaoguang, director of Beijing Rongzhi CSR institute. It aims to advocate the regular roundtable meeting held by researchers of this field, to enhance mutual exchange, and to promote the healthy development of the industry. The first session of the forum was held in UIBE on March 17th, and the second session was organized by the Rongzhi CSR Institute.
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