1. Chapter 4
Social Responsibility of Business and
Government

2. Social Responsibility
• The duty by a business to contribute to the
well-being of a community.
• Includes:
– Protection to the environment
– Minorities and women in the workplace
– Employment of the physically challenged
– Healthy and safe work environment

3. Environmental Protection
• Non-renewable Resource
– A natural resource that cannot be replaced when
used up.
– Gas, oil, minerals (copper and iron)
A socially responsible business takes actions that
improve or change operations that cause pollution.

4. Environmental Protection
Example:
Starbucks uses
recycled material for
their coffee cup
sleeves saving 78,000
trees per year.

5. Environmental Protection
Example:
Toyota offers the
Prius that is the first
mass market hybrid
vehicle.

6. Environmental Protection
Example:
Run and operate an
“e-waste” program
for disposing of and
recycling old
computers.

7. Workplace Diversity
• More sensitive to the roles of women, ethnic
groups, and older workers.
• ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
• “Equal Opportunity Employer”

8. Job Safety and Employee Wellness
• OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
• Promoting good health through the workplace

9. Business Ethics
Ethics
– Principles of morality or rules of conduct
Business Ethics
– Rules about how businesses and their employees
ought to behave
Code of Ethics
– Set of rules for guiding the actions of employees
or members of an organization.

10. Business Ethics Checklist
• Is the action illegal?
• Does the action violate company or professional
standards?
• Who is affected, and how, by the action?