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Objective 310.2.1-05: Ethical Issues in Business
Blake Richey
WGU Student

Objective 310.2.1-05: Ethical Issues in Business
A local business can grow successfully if proper care is taken regarding its public image and worth. Every misstep will be magnified and scrutinized within the community. When a business forgets it ethical duty to be socially responsible, it can lead to negative effects not only within the company, but also within the community it participates in. We will look at Company Q’s current attitude toward social responsibility and how it can make an immediate and resolute improvement.
Evaluation of Company Q’s Social Responsibility – Task A
Company Q’s current attitude toward social responsibility is bleak. It does not seem to have any trust in the community nor its employees. The book defines social responsibility as “an organization’s obligation to maximize its positive impact on stakeholders and to minimize its negative impact” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, 2010, p. 12). I would expand further to say it includes the ethical duty to the community and everyone the company comes in contact to. Their errors and lapse of judgment are not difficult to assess. The company must make a more conscious effort to revive its attitude toward social responsibility.
3 Areas for Company Q to Improve its Social Responsibility – Task B Many restaurants and food service related business find it not only rewarding, but also beneficial to donate unused food at the end of business. Company Q is currently destroying all day old food for reasons that seem less than honorable. Panera Bread is a perfect company to model this effort after. After the close of business, all the fresh bread that was not sold that day is donated to local shelters. Staff from these shelters, come to Panera to pick up the donations. It is rotated on a daily basis to ensure a fair

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