Socially Responsible Efforts Social Responsibility Is Quite

Socially Responsible Efforts

Social responsibility is quite often associated with corporate organizations and governments with individuals' input being relegated to the periphery. Corporate bodies, governments, and individuals have a duty of care to the greater society. These entities perception of what is socially responsible is; however, a preserve of their ideals and beliefs. Organizations that are sustainability-minded may undertake to develop green buildings where as others may give monetary donations to the neighboring communities towards construction of social amenities. Some organizations may donate their time to volunteer organizations that perhaps endeavor to increase forest cover. Individuals or organizations with businesses that negatively impact environment may undertake to recycle their products or even champion for the use of Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs that save energy. This paper seeks to compare the differences and similarities between two different communities and finally evaluate the effects of socially responsible efforts in each community. The two communities under study would be Santa Clara and San Jose found in the state of California.

The City of Santa Clara is situated in the Silicon Valley neighborhood in California. It is an industrial hub that is criss-crossed by a network of roads, railways, and expressways. Besides, it also has one of the busiest airports in the region. Its robust transport network makes it an ideal destination for investors. Its financial stability is the reason behind mushrooming of local businesses. Local authorities charge low business taxes. There are also moderate real estate prices. Low incidences of crime have also made it the preferred investment destinations for those who deal in electronic goods. The community's fire department ranks as one of the best in the region in terms of response. This has ensured that commercial businesses and industries pay lower insurance premiums. The community's Santa Clara City Library is one of the top 10 public libraries. It offers outstanding programs and services to the members of the community. The community also boasts of an award winning Convention Center, Recreation Center, an International Swimming Center, and Youth Activity Center among other facilities (City of Santa Clara California, 2012). Some of the corporate organizations found within the neighborhood include Intel, McAfee, Silicon Valley Power, and Oracle Hyperion among others.

The City of St. Joseph (San Jose) lies within the County of Santa Clara in the Silicon Valley. It is undeniably the largest city within the Silicon Valley. It is the most populous city within the San Francisco Bay Area with an estimated population of 971, 372 according to California Department of Finance. The San Jose community has a host of universities that annually churn out engineering and computer science graduates who are the back-bone of the local industries. One of these universities is San Jose State University (City of San Jose California, 2011). San Jose households, because of the neighboring booming industries, by the year 2000 had the highest median income than any city in the United States (City of San Jose California, 2011). Some of the world's renowned technological companies have their headquarters within this community. These include Hewlett Packard, Cisco Systems, IBM, Adobe, Ericson, and Hitachi. These companies provide employment opportunities to the residents of San Jose. The cost of living here is very high. This is occasioned by high housing costs, a sharp contrast to Santa Clara case. The residents nevertheless have high disposable income. Incidences of crime in San Jose just like in Santa Clara are very low compared to other populous American cities. In fact, it is one of the safest American cities (City of San Jose California, 2011).

Hewlett Packard as part of its social responsibility effort undertook to recycle electronics, toner, and cartridges in 2004. It also made an undertaking to recycle hardware. The company finally managed to recycle one billion pounds of electronics, toner, and ink cartridges. It further recovered 187 million pounds of electronics. These initiatives made the company reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, HP became Americas major IT Company to report greenhouse gas emissions associated with its supply chain. Because of HP's community involvement in areas like environment, climate, and corporate philanthropy, it has scooped the number one spot in 100 best Corporate Citizen's List. It has embarked on decreasing its total energy use and recovery of electronic products (HP, n.d).