The social responsibility of business is beginning to be actively and successfully implemented all over the world. Companies today are trying to solve society’s problems by investing in the development of medicine, science, production, supporting socially disadvantaged groups, and caring for the environment (Craft, 2018). At the same time, social responsibility must be extended within the company as well. Every business should have its policy against discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
When talking about ethical issues in manufacturing, one should not forget about ethical consumption. The protection of the environment and society should be done not only by companies but also by ordinary people. Ethical consumption, for example, is the purchase and use of goods, considering the moral factor, that is, the conditions of production and the consequences of using these goods (Zollo et al., 2018). It is society’s reaction to the dire state of the environment and the development of business practices that harm nature and people.
One of Apple’s biggest scandals that violated responsible and ethical trading tools occurred in 2016. The company admitted that it was slowing battery performance on the iPhone 6, 6s, and SE to boost sales of recently launched models. According to ethical trading, company directors have violated individual and social responsibility (Hodges, 2016). In addition, since many batteries were broken, this incident undoubtedly had a negative impact on the environment. Buyers have bought new batteries, which are also energy-consuming, or have not correctly disposed of old batteries. Moreover, due to the irresponsible actions of the management, the company lost the trust of users and was held accountable.
The entire business strives for maximum efficiency, intending to produce and sell high-quality products. At the same time, one should not forget about social responsibility in the activities of commercial organizations. The company’s social responsibility is the acceptable quality of the services and goods offered and a high level of labor safety. Modern organizations need to become transparent and socially responsible by promoting business ethics and responsible commerce.
Reference List
Craft, J. (2018). ‘Common thread: The impact of mission on ethical business culture’, Journal of Business Ethics, 149, pp. 127-145. Web.
Hodges, C. (2016). ‘Ethical business regulation: Understanding the evidence’, The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Web.
Zollo, L., et al. (2018). ‘Ethical consumption and consumers’ decision making: the role of moral intuition’, Management Decision, 56(3), 692–710. Web.