The Social Responsibility Of Business

Freeman believes that business decisions cannot be fundamentally separated from ethical decisions. His argument is compelling; in his “Open Question Argument” he identifies several ways in which business decisions inherently have an ethical dimension, including “Who is harmed and/or benefitted by this decision?” (Freeman, 59). If business is only concerned with profits, they will undoubtedly harm other stakeholders along the way- most directly other businesspeople who are outcompeted! Freeman also contends that businesspeople will in fact accept responsibility for their actions outcomes. A directive from bosses to solely pursue profits regardless of outcomes will not be tolerated by employees or executives, thus in practice profit focused business cannot work if employees see the ethical implications of their actions as wrong (Freeman,

The ethical issues presented in this case are the different views that each individual has on how the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This dispute is between Mr. Milton Friedman, John Mackey, and T.J. Rodgers; all of which has a different outlook on CSR. The definition of CSR refers to the responsibilities that business has to the society in which it operates and to those actions that a business can be held accountable. Most philosophers have come up with three different types of responsibilities that corporations can be held accountable for. The first and most important of the three is a corporation’s duty to not cause harm. If a corporation can

The Cheesecake Factory has been one of the more successful chain restaurants in recent years because they have provided great food and outstanding customer service in a fun atmosphere. The cheesecake factory employs a high standard of general conduct and moral aptitude. As a chief executive officer in today’s society, it is my responsibility to ensure The Cheesecake Factory abides by the laws and ethical duties that are mandated by today’s society. There is a copious amount of benefits to being a chief executive officer, however there is an equal amount of risk as chief executive officers are held liable for almost any action or infraction that their company has induced.

Businesses decide to perform effective ethical actions for marketing purposes. A company continues to exist as long as they make

In Friedman’s article, The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profit, he gives two arguments for what, if any, social responsibilities a business has and why they have it. In his arguments, he presents a businessman in charge of running the business on behalf of the owner. The first point he raises in dictating what responsibilities the businessman should fulfill involves defining the businessman’s purpose. He was hired as an agent of the shareholders, the owners of the business, etc. to make the business profitable. Barring some eleemosynary functions, as Friedman states, such as hospitals and schools, the general purpose of a business is to make money, therefore, the responsibilities of an agent of the business would be to increase said profits. To do otherwise would be to fulfill a purpose other than the one he was hired for and betray the owners.

Can business thrive by profit alone? Barry (2000) described Milton Friedman’s short essay, in the 1970’s, as extremely controversial, in which he denied that corporate executives had any moral duty to relax the conditions of profit maximization on behalf of the wider interests of society. This example of the “bottom line” of business has been demonstrated within the past couple of decades by publicly criticized companies, for fraudulent activities, such as, Enron, WorldCom, and HealthSouth along with many others. These company executives were willing to sacrifice the vast majority and greater good of society for profit gains. This mindset left many of loyal investors, consumers and employees without a sound stabilized future. There are also many businesses that produce a high yield on their investments;

From a business ethics stance “corporate social responsibility” (Velazquez, 2007, pp. 23), refers to the social interest an organization manifest in the environment it operates. SoftMagic has not seized opportunities from corporate social responsibility. In the U.S., the use of pro-bono activities to develop networking is fundamental considering that multiple leaders of different firms participate and engage in activities that consequently offer an opportunity to market and increase the awareness of the organization. One more time, the cultural challenge seems to have affected the opportunities for SoftMagic.

To spend the firm’s money on matters of social responsibility, such as “reducing pollution beyond the amount that is in the best interests of the corporation or that is required by law” (Friedman) equates to spending the shareholders’ money, as it reduces the return on their investment. Thus, they make less of a profit than they maximally could. He argues that managers must prioritise their fiduciary obligations to shareholders – such as turning over a profit on their investment – over altruistic endeavors. Thus, he claims that failure to obey shareholders’ wishes by not maximises profits is to behave

On June 10th, 1999, Chairman Alan Greenspan gave a commencement speech at Harvard University on business ethics. I do not believe that it is naive for business leaders to try and be honest, though he realistically explains the reality of today’s current business world. Toward the end of the speech, Greenspan makes a rather resonating quote,

Milton Friedman was a 20th century American economist who advocated free-market capitalism. In 1970 he submitted an editorial article entitled “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” to the New York Times. In the article, Friedman argues that in free market systems it is nonsensical to make corporate entities adhere to “social responsibilities of business” pushed by activists, as corporations are artificial in nature, and thus do not have any social responsibilities other than to make money for the shareholders of the company. I will argue against this paper and support the claim corporations do in-fact have moral and ethical obligations to more than just their shareholders, and that many individuals have their stakes and livelihoods embedded within the acts of corporations. As well, the idea in the article that corporations are not moral agents has led to unsavory violations of human rights across the world, failing Kant’s second formulation of the Categorical Imperative, as well as not satisfying Act Utilitarianism. Thus, corporations, and individuals within those corporations, possess considerable ability to make ethical decisions that have great impact to many people, culminating in the truth that corporations have moral status.

I do not agree with the following quote by Milton Friedman. Engaging in activities that are designed to only increase profits for a company would open doors to complications and mistakes, which is caused by the lack of customer satisfaction. The social responsibility of any business should be to take care of its customers, instead of just focusing on the amount of profit the company is making. If a company decides to just focus on making a profit, it will lose focus on providing customers with products and services that will improve their standard of living.

The economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman’s article published in The New York Times Magazine in 1970 titled, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” (NYTimes, 1970) set tone for companies all across the country and all over the world. Companies start to turn in profits that shattered all charts and stock markets. Beginning in 1960s to 1990s, Capitalism had won the cold war with its arch rival the Soviet Union had withered away into the oblivion and the companies that turned focused in profits could not have been more right, or so everybody thought. With the latest economic recession in 2008, everything came tumbling down on the front door of once Wall Street and brought the world economy to halt. Today the social responsibility of Business is defined by economic development, the environment investment and human rights.

ITC Ltd has worked exremly hard to start several procedures that have led to compliance of the standards of social responsibility. ITC’s dealings within the tobacco industry have contributed to the increase in company revenues and the company has worked towards following the triple bottom line and giving back to society. Most, businesses pay little attention to their social responsibilities and make it part of their overall strategy, instead they concentrate more on financial benefits from the sales of products. Consequently, managing business in a socially responsive manner contributes to the best combination of business success and societal acceptance, trust and loyalty. Giving back to the community in ways that benefits only society such as planting trees to curb pollution and help the environment or using biodegradable materials in packaging can reap financial benefits to a company by building loyalty among the community. The notion of business ethics and corporate social responsibility is becoming a defining concept in all industries worldwide. ITC believes in the Triple Bottom Line philosophy where the performance and perception of a corporation should not be judged only on the basis of its financial statements or revenues, but its environmental and social performance as well. ITC is one of the only companies in the world to be carbon positive, water positive, and conduct solid waste recycling. ITC provides water to areas where water is very

The overwhelming facts point to a shady underworld of self-dealing and opportunistic exploitation of the poor and working class, which was until recently, well hidden from the commoner. The executives of WorldCom and Enron provide real world examples of unethical business practices, where the desire to make money for their shareholders transcended into an addiction to greed and self-dealing that were displayed by their, “excessive pay, perks, and golden parachutes”(Carson 392) at the expense of all stakeholders. All is not lost, there are corporations that pride themselves in their sound business model and commitment to ethical business practices. Such companies as Eaton Corporation, and Weyerhaeuser, who according to Ethisphere.com, a business ethics watchdog, are among the “2010 World`s most ethical companies.” (Ethisphere)

One philosopher wrote, "Like the wheel, business is one of the great human inventions. But unlike the wheel, the existence of business depends upon a social context, on unwritten rules and conventions…there is no more chance that we could return to an idyllic state before business existed than we could uninvent the wheel" (Klempner, n.d.). Just as the wheel has been redeveloped time and time again, thus making it better and better, we too must redevelop and enhance our philosophical and ethical decisions in the way we operate businesses in today 's society. Trying to maximize profits in business while catering to growing societal demands, proves to be quite complicated and challenging. Society and business owners alike are continually struggling to find that happy medium. Comparing and contrasting the many moral philosophies and belief systems, combined with trial and error is one way society as a whole can create a system that hopefully one day works for us all.