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The Role of the Individual in Promoting Social Change

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Responsible People

Abstract

We are all very familiar with the power of the individual. Rosa Parks, perhaps one of the best-known examples, was a black woman in a highly segregated Alabama, USA, who refused to give up her seat to a white person. Her actions inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott and she is regarded as ‘the first lady of the civil rights movement’. This was back in 1955. Interesting enough, the civil rights movement, together with other social movements of the 60s—consumer, environmental and women’s movements—are intrinsically related to refinements and applications of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (Carroll in Int J Corp Soc Responsib 1(1): 3, 2016). So, where are we now? Can the power of the individual change the way we deal with environmental issues? Can it impact the way corporations understand their obligations and responsibilities towards society? Can teachers and lecturers shape the managers of the future? Can entrepreneurship provide an answer to social problems?

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Correspondence to Francisca Farache .

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Farache, F., Grigore, G., McQueen, D., Stancu, A. (2019). The Role of the Individual in Promoting Social Change. In: Farache, F., Grigore, G., Stancu, A., McQueen, D. (eds) Responsible People. Palgrave Studies in Governance, Leadership and Responsibility. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10740-6_1

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