Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

A lot of people think that business is an unfair activity whereas entrepreneurs care only about themselves and their profit. They are ready to destroy other rival companies and cause harm to people and environment in order to expand their business. Forests, animals and fish are destroyed for the enrichment of businessmen. They build plants and contaminate water, air and soil inasmuch as they do not appreciate these resources. What is more, many companies make money on the unethical business. Pay attention to numerous tobacco companies and entrepreneurs that produce alcohol and other harmful substances. They earn money causing harm to human health. Millions of people die because of lung cancer and alcohol abuse annually. Thus, it will not be a mistake to claim that such businessmen are unfair and unethical. They do not care about society. Therefore, the problem of social responsibility has become relevant recently. People want big business to contribute into the development of the human society and natural environment. No wonder, big corporations implement new policies and plans that are focused on doing positive things to the world around.

Nowadays the situation has changed radically. For instance, the social responsibility of Apple retail stores does not stop at providing great products and services. They go the extra mile to make sure none of their products contribute to carbon emissions. To that end, they implement programs, like Apple Recycle, to make old, broken devices disappear from the face of Earth in the most sustainable manner.

What is business ethics? Should business be ethical? Many people think that business should be controlled because of its extensive approach towards self-enrichment. A fishing company will never stop killing fish and various sea mammals until they become extinct. Hundreds of species of dolphins, whales, shrimps, etc. are endangered because of the uncontrolled human activity. Then, many companies cut down forests in order to produce furniture, paper items, etc. Millions of tons of paper wastes are thrown away every year. Plants and factories use clean water from rivers, lakes and oceans and pour it back. In fact, this water is contaminated and it kills fish, birds and even people who decide to swim there. It is possible to say that many unjust farmers use various chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, etc. to make their vegetables and fruit grow faster. They do not care about the health of their customers. They worry about profit and nothing more. This problem touches upon cows, chicken and pigs as well. It is easy to grow a huge cow if you feed it with pills containing hormones and other substances. Without doubt, this meat is dangerous for human health.

What about technologies? Some companies produce poor-quality automobiles, gadgets and domestic devices that can serve for no more than several months. They make money cheating their customers paying no attention to their problems. What is more, there are producers of toys for children that can cause harm to their health. In my opinion, such actions are too far from the ethical ones.

Bear in mind that business ethics touches upon both customers and employees. A decent boss cares about his employees to improve their performance. It is vital to maintain the right positive atmosphere at the workplace. Employees should be satisfied with their boss and their work. If they feel neglected or constrained, they will not work well. If you want to win respect among the members of your staff, you should provide them with freedom and opportunities for self-development and career growth. When an employee knows that his performance can provide him with promotion, he will work harder. Moreover, he will try to build the tightest connections with his company. This factor is paramount for every employer. The latter can solve two problems simultaneously. He treats his staff positively and avoids the problems employee turnover.

Social responsibility is the activity of business in the field of social environment. When a businessman cares not just of his profit but of the improvement of humanity, his company is supposed to be the ethical one. Years ago, no one paid attention to social responsibility. Entrepreneurs and big corporations earned money and nothing else. Nowadays the situation has changed radically. An average businessman should contribute into the development of our society with the help of his goods, services and social programs. In what way is it possible to help common people? The simplest way is sponsorship. When there is an international sports competition, the biggest corporations give much money to organize it. In this way, they promote the importance of sports for people. They promote healthy lifestyle and make sports accessible for everyone. Then, many companies implement the opportunity of recycling of their products. For instance, a mobile phone manufacturer opens its own recycling center to utilize its old devices that pollute environment.

In fact, the concept of social responsibility is a debatable issue. Many critics say that the nature of business is money and nothing else. A businessman should produce goods and services, earn money and accumulate wealth to expand his business. Social responsibility breaks this simple rule. Now, an average entrepreneur should take efforts to improve the condition of current society. He has to contribute into education, sports, environmental protection, healthcare and other fields of social life. Thus, his main duty is not to produce goods and services but improve our society.

Business ethics and social responsibility are two factors that can make big business closer to people and less harmful to the natural and social environment.

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