Substance Misuse Prevention as Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

All sectors of society should be involved in reducing substance misuse, including businesses. However, the business sector is typically involved only to the extent that their products compel them to be (e.g., alcohol producers promoting responsible alcohol consumption). This article examines why business participation has been limited and how embedding prevention within a framework of health promotion could increase participation. It reviews both Hungarian and international cases, concluding that although corporate social responsibility (CSR) offers a framework to approach substance misuse reduction, a different perception of the role of the business sector is necessary to make it viable.

Keywords :

• substance misuse prevention
• corporate social responsibility
• workplace
• health promotion
• East-Central Europe

THE AUTHORS

Gergely Radacsi, formerly the Director of a Hungarian NGO dealing with substance misuse, he presently works as a Researcher at the Central European University Business School, Hungary. His research concentrates on the role of business in society in general and in particular the involvement of companies in the resolution of behavioral health issues. In addition to research, he is also actively involved in policy making at the national level.

Peter Hardi, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Business and Society, an academic research center at the Central European University Business School, Hungary, and Professor of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. His current research focuses on the role of business in society, its interaction with major social partners, and the linkage between integrity and business management. He heads several research projects dealing with business integrity and corporate social responsibility.

GLOSSARY

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Generally interpreted as an approach taken by companies to integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. More recently CSR is interpreted as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society, integrating social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into their business operations.

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): Employer provided programs designed to identify and help resolve personal problems of employees. EAPs generally focus on behavioral health issues, including mental health, substance use, marital and family problems, and legal and financial issues.

• Externalities: The costs and benefits of economic activities experienced involuntarily by third parties. Externalities are infeasible to be charged within market transactions.

• Health promotion: The process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health.

• Management salience: The perception of a state or a condition as prominent. Often used in the context of stakeholders: Managers give priority to stakeholder issues that are perceived as salient.

• Stakeholders: Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objectives. Stakeholders also include groups who have a stake in or claim on the firm including suppliers, customers, employers, employees, management, stockholders and the local community.

• State failures: The negative policy outcome of states when they can no longer or only imperfectly perform basic functions, such as governance, security or welfare services.

• Stigma effect: Resistance of business organizations to address substance misuse issues, resulting from their reluctance to establish any connection between their brands and organizations and the issue of substance misuse due to the negative connotations of substance misuse.

• Strategic CSR: An integrated CSR policy that is part of the corporate strategy and implementation plan in order to create corporate value and social value simultaneously.

• Substance misuse prevention: Actions and services that aim to prevent instances or patterns of substance use not consistent with accepted legal or medical guidelines, and/or use that constitutes a risk to health, security or the well-being of individuals, families or communities. Potentially misused substances include alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drug products, solvents and glues.

Notes

1 The following section is included thanks to Royer F. Cook, Ph.D., President, The ISA Group