Introduction Social responsibility and ethics play a key role in an individual’s value system. In recent years, we have witnessed consumer confidence getting eroded following the emergence of various corporate scandals like Enron and the failure of a number of banks as well. Therefore, the issue of ethics becomes very important. This should be the case, regardless of whether the company in question deals directly with its customers, or not. In this paper, the writer attempts to examine the role of ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan in an organization. The effect that the program has had on the writer’s ethical perspective shall also be examined. Role of ethics in strategic planning Ethics entails choosing between what is right and what is wrong. The key ingredients of an individual’s ethical behavior are integrity and uprightness. Assessing the ethical behavior of an individual also entails looking for evidence of such traits as justice, benevolence, and honor. Acting in an ethical or socially responsible manner is thus the hallmark of an effective strategic plan (Margoli & Walsh 2001). An effective strategic plan has to comply with the existing organizational roles. In this case, those individuals who have cultivated strong beliefs in ethical behavior are better placed to ensure that the organization attains its set effective strategic plan. It is also important to note that decision makers have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the strategic plans they seek to implement are accomplished in an ethical manner. Considering that implementing any strategic plan will often have far reaching ramifications for the organization, as such, the incorporation of ethics while developing a strategic plan is geared towards ensuring that the organization attains the highest possible goal for the entire society. The issue of equity is also crucial in developing a strategic plan in an ethical manner. In making any decision, decision makers should respect and consider the cultures and beliefs of everyone (Jones, 2004). Successful companies always endevours to take into account the social responsibility and ethics as inherent and critical components of strategic planning. Active and critical reflection on ethical issues is the duty of every professional. Ethics leads to the creation of company guidelines. In turn, these guidelines bind the entire organization into a single entity. Also, ethics guide the conduct of the company’s employees, in effect ensuring that there is no deviation from the intended strategic path. In addition, ethics results in the preparation of a strategic plan in line with the best interests of the various stakeholders of an organization namely vendors, employees, customers, as well as the neighboring society. Role of corporate social responsibility in strategic planning Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is yet another key component of modern day strategic planning. As such, a forward looking manager always ensures that he/she has included CSR as part of the company’s strategic planning. Here, managers often encounter increased and varied demand from various stakeholders (McWilliams & Siegel 200) on grounds of numerous claims that CSR is closely associat