issue 153 [TSUBASA] by wildrose800331

wildrose800331UID: 2602131

Issue 153
6. 9
7: 46  这篇是唯一一篇我背诵的 默写又校对的北美范文 可以不用改了

Does business have social obligations beyond minimal requirements imposed by law? According to Economist Milton Friedman, there is one and only one social responsibility of business—to use its resources and engaged in activities designed to make profits so long as it stays the rule of the game, that is, engaged in open and free competition without fraud and deception. However, in my opinion, although making profits is an important and necessary responsibility of company, business executives have an unshirkable social responsibility beyond obeying the law and creating profits.
Corporate executives should assume a social responsibility for a variety of important reasons. First, business is involved in social issues whether it wants to be or not. No matter which industry they are in, corporate executives are confronted with these two basic questions: (1) how should they behave as they pursue their goal of making profits? (2) What positions should they take on issues of public policies that affect both society and business? If they like, there is one more question to consider: What charitable efforts should they undertake that are not related to their normal business activities? Second, business has the resources to deal with some of the most difficult problems that the society confronts. For instance, it is hard to imagine how individual citizens and their government can manage to solve such serious problem as pollution and energy crisis without the business’s conscious and active efforts as well as corporation in this direction. Finally, business is a major beneficiary of every improvement in society. In return, they should repay the society with community service, with community development, with employee development or with philanthropy.
Similarly, when profit-making and social responsibility conflict at times, the latter should take precedence over the former. Consider, for instance, a company that unknowingly leaks into the ground a toxic substance that threatens to contaminate local groundwater. While the company may favor an inexpensive containment program, community leaders may want the company to go further by cleaning up and restoring their environment—even if the expenses will force the company to leave and take jobs from community. Whatever the company decides, it should not assume that the protecting profits automatically outweighs social obligation.
As a matter of fact, more often than not commitment to social responsibility benefits a company’s long-term pursuit of profits. Nothing is more important to the long-term success of any business than its reputation. Recognizing the significance of social commitment, many companies encourage their employees to take on community projects. One of the most noted programs of this type is the Xerox Social Service Leave Program. Qualified employees may apply for a six-month to one-year paid leave to work on a community-service program. Afterwards, they are guaranteed their old job back or a similar one. Another example is Shao Yifu, one of the wealthiest tycoons in Hong Kong, who makes his donations to help major Chinese universities construct teaching buildings. To acknowledge his contribution, the university agreed to engrave his name on each of the donated buildings, usually the most distinguishing ones on the campus. College students—the future backbone of the business world—certainly know and will remember whose generosity is bringing them the well-equipped laboratories and comfortable classrooms. Such commitment to social responsibility will undoubtedly add to a company’s publicity and success in the long run.
All in all, it is either irresponsible or out of date or counterproductive for corporate executives to deny any social responsibility. The question today is how business should fulfill their social responsibility, not whether that responsibility exists. Actually, wise corporate executives have long enjoyed the benefits brought about by their generous undertakings to serve the society.