Words and Deeds. Corporate Social (Ir)Responsibility in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is twofold. Firstly, to formulate a definition of a university’s social responsibility that takes into account social expectations from this institution and its internal determinants. The final result of this research is a definitione built on two concepts. On the one hand, it is a stakeholder policy, on the other hand, a whistleblower policy. These are the criteria of responsibility, i.e., the rules that make an institution transparent and open to social criticism. Secondly, the article poses the question whether a university in Poland (treated as a dominant institution of knowledge) is rightly seen as an irresponsible partner of civil society? From the business ethics perspective, the more responsible a university is, the more intense are its ties with the social environment represented by stakeholders and whistleblowers. When they fail to play their parts properly, the relationships should be considered dysfunctional. Additional explanation of this problem may be found in the theory of management. Using the concept of the final customer, public opinion can discover if it really is the main interlocutor of the university. The social partners of the university focus their attention on politicians and public administration as the alternative final customer of the academic product.