Chapter 5

Socially Responsible Business – Doing the Right Thing

Appendices

Appendix A

Useful Terms and Concepts

Socially responsible business - Management’s acceptance of the necessity of equal balance in decision making among the following business considerations: profit, consumer satisfaction, and societal well being     back Boycott - An organized attempt to keep the public from purchasing the goods and services of a firm due to ethical considerations     back Activists - People who take up the cause of a given ethical issue; these are usually individuals who are organized and focused on a specific ethical issue. For example, a group of animal rights activists formed a group called "PETA." Members of PETA do not approve of killing minks in order to make mink coats.     back Consumerism - Public demand for business people to consider consumers’ wants and needs in making business decisions and providing goods and services     back Product liability - Claims made against the assets of a company by an individual or group for negligence in design, development, and sale of products     back Sue - To file a claim in a court of law for damages caused by a company’s failure to provide products in line with advertising and consumer rights     back Competing brands - When more than one company produces the same product, the brands are in competition with one another. For example, in the soft drink industry, Coca-Cola and Pepsi are two competing brands. They are competitors.     back Fraud - Lying or misrepresenting the truth in a business situation; an illegal action in business    back

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Appendix B

Basic Assumptions Driving the New Business Environment
1980s and Before Continuity Planning Management Instruction Individuals Knowledge Uninformed customers National borders							1990s and After Change Coping with the unexpected Facilitation Learning Project Groups and Teams Competence Demanding customers Freedom of movement

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Appendix C

Questionnaire on Social Responsibility in International Settings

Answer each question below using the following scale: SA = Strongly Agree A = Agree D = Disagree SD = Strongly Disagree ___ 1. Socially responsible business is a problem in the world today. ___ 2. Employees must determine on their own to what extent they will be concerned about social responsibility. ___ 3. The consumers’ right to be safe is a concern for all businesses. ___ 4. Some information should be not made available to consumers (consumers’ right to be informed). ___ 5. Consumers’ right to choose among competing brands is not of interest to most businesses. ___ 6. In the future, businesses will be required to have all their products approved by consumer groups before they go on the market. ___ 7. Quality of life issues are not a concern for business. ___ 8. Companies should make sure they hire a diverse workforce. ___ 9. Safety is the number one concern for businesses in the 21st century. ___ 10. My biggest concern about socially responsible business in the 21st century is _____________________,

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