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Does Business Have Any Social Responsibility?

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The topic I choose was “Does business have any social responsibility (over and above turning a profit) and if it does what should such a responsibility amount to?”. I feel as though profits are a huge part of what a business should focus on, it should not be the only thing. I learned in one of my business classes that a corporation acts as a fictitious person. It bears the responsibility of any all decisions, good and bad. The benefit of a corporation versus sole proprietorship is that the business takes on the debt, not the sole proprietor. When the corporation goes belly up, the stockholders aren’t going belly up as well. So therefore, the corporation should be socially responsible, just as a person should be.

Corporate responsibility has been a hot topic issue this year partially due to the election. It is among the favorite topics of politicians and public interest groups. Congress often offers tax breaks to companies that incorporate social responsibility into their mission. Almost all colleges teach a class of some form of social responsibility in a corporate world.

In 1992, a formation of 51 companies created Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) (Business for Social Responsibility, n.d.). One company that has been with BSR from the beginning is Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Ben Cohen was featured in the inaugural event. Everyone knows that Ben & Jerry’s has been a leader in the social responsible corporation arena for a long time. They promote GMO

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