A Study of the Social Responsibility of Iranian Pharmaceutical Companies in 2019

Background: C orporate g oals a re t o m aximize e fficiency and profit, but in the age of information and competition to succeed, they must respond to societal expectations. Corporate disregard for social responsibility can create problems for the company and cast doubt on the company’s actions and mission and, consequently, its success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the social responsibility status of pharmaceutical companies in Iran in 2019. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that was done in the year 2019. The study population consisted of all staff working in pharmaceutical companies. In this study, 354 individuals were selected through the available sampling method. The data gathering tool was demographic information questionnaire and social responsibility scale. The dimensions of the social responsibility scale included political, cultural, economic, moral, social, legal, and environmental factors. Results: Some 62.4% of the samples were male, and 53.10% had a bachelor’s degree. Nearly 56% of the samples were occupationally in the middle management category, and 49.20% had human qualifications. Most of the samples (46.6%) were under 30 years old and 34.5% had 5-10 years old. The social responsibility components in all seven dimensions were higher than the median number three. They were political (3.91±0.69), cultural (3.69±0.80), social (3.65±0.90), ethical (3.45±0.85), legal (3.37±0.83), economic (3.23±0.78), and environmental factors (3.18±0.86). Conclusion: From the point of view of pharmaceutical companies, all social responsibility indices, including political, cultural, economic, ethical, social, environmental and legal factors are important.