Imagine you are the founder of a company that provides shelter for pets that have neither homes nor owners to return to after a major weather disaster such as a fire, hurricane, or flood. What moral case could you provide to your staff as to why your company should engage in socially responsible actions and environmentally sustainable business practices?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The essence of the business case for why your or any company should engage in socially responsible actions and environmentally sustainable business practices boils down to "it's the right thing to do." Ordinary decency, civic-mindedness, and contributions to society's well-being should be expected of any business. In today's social and political climate, most business leaders can be expected to acknowledge that socially responsible actions are important and that businesses have a duty to be good corporate citizens. But there is a complementary school of thought that business operates on the basis of an implied social contract with the members of society. According to this contract, society grants a business the right to conduct its business affairs and agrees not to unreasonably restrain its pursuit of a fair profit for the goods or services it sells. In return for this "license to operate," a business is obligated to act as a responsible citizen, do its fair share to promote the general welfare, and avoid doing any harm. Such a view clearly puts a moral burden on a company to operate honorably, provide good working conditions to employees, be a good environmental steward, and display good corporate citizenship.