Environmental Safety Essay

What would happen if businesses ignored social responsibility? what would happen if environmental safety was not considered? The world would be full of toxic elements and wastes. Businesses have to ensure social responsibility as part of the society. Social responsibility is the involvement of a business in social matters to ensure product safety, good services,employees good health and the general societal development. As Lance says, â€Å"Businesses have an obligation to the community† (Besser, 2002. 13). This, a business should do alongside the real aims a business was set up for. They are therefore said to be interdependent with the society. For a business to accomplish social responsibility, a social issue has to be identified, analyzed then implemented thus responding to the development of the society (Besser, 2002). IDENTIFICATION: There are so many social issues a business has to deal with, for example employee issues just to ensure employee’s good health and good working conditions,legal issues that demand for operation according to the rule of law, economic issues that requires production of quality and safe goods and services, and the ethical issues that considers ethical matters in a society (Hughes and Kapoor. 9th edition). The main issue in this discussion is environmental safety. This is classified as a legal issue but can as well be an ethical issue since the society is not asleep (Hughes and Kapoor. 9th edition). Harming the community is not acceptable and a business would never have success with that. The society will rebel, and who would deal with such a business anyway? Do you think a society would need goods and services from a business that does not put into consideration there health and wellbeing? Environmental pollution has always been a barrier to good business and customer relationship if in any case a business does not handle that carefully. For a business to ensure success among other managerial duties, it has to implement programs to deal with the social issue and ensure safety by preventing and reducing pollution. This kind of pollution can be through many ways from a business. When it is an industry, there could be air pollution due to the toxic gases produced during production processes. There could also be air pollution due to radioactive materials within the company. Environmental safety mostly deals with businesses that produce toxic materials and waste to the environment. Waste products therefore also pose a big threat to pollution if not disposed appropriately. The other is water pollution due to toxic waste dumped to water sources (Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) . ANALYSIS: A business has always to consider it’s managerial integrity, the ethical values, the philosophy of operation as well as commitment to organizational competence when dealing with a social issue (Besser, 2002). Analysis is a tough area for the business plus considering how it will implement it. But there is a governmental organization, with the control systems that help the businesses meet the requirements for social responsibility. For the environmental issue,the U. S Environmental Protection Agency offers guidelines and compliance programmes to various pollution prevention methods (Environmental Protection Agency, 2008). Therefore a business has just to analyze the sources of pollution within it and what likely can cause pollution and look for control methods from the Environmental Protection Agency. There are various ways pollution can occur, through water, air, air and radiation, and wastes (Environmental Protection Agency, 2008 ). The business should look for the guidelines, requirements, and any methodologies for every source of pollution from the business. IMPLEMENTATION: Good management is required for the success of a business. Just as stated before, one of the managerial duties is dealing with social responsibility. A business has to draw out a plan in order to implement this. Programs with the steps for implementation are different and are used on preference. Just like the advocates of the social responsiveness program prefer their program due to certain beneficial factors to them (Besser, 2002). A business therefore has to select that program which it prefers based on it’s own reasons of benefits. One of the steps to implementation is the three concentric circles of the CED. This includes the inner circle, that deals with the economic responsibility ensuring quality and safe products and the provision of jobs and services. The intermediate circle which ensures the business policies and practices are consistent to the societal values. The last circle which calls for the business to work towards community development. A second program with steps that could be used is the social involvement program. This program does not believe in social responsibility as the advocates refused the name of social responsibility before. They prefer social responsiveness and therefore has activities that deal with the consequences due to the business’s activities in the process of accomplishing their mission of economic function to the society. This therefore ensures product quality and safety, reduced and prevented pollution of the environment thereby meeting social requirements. A third program is the Carrol’s category of social responsibility. Carrol’s program is based on the views that the society expects more than economic duties by the businesses. The steps are in order of importance, with economic responsibility being the first, followed by the legal issues then ethical and lastly discretionary responsibilities that demands for social improvements. The ethical issue requires a business to conduct it’s activities in an ethical manner. Legal needs production following the rules of law (Besser, 2002). For a business to ensure environmental safety, it can choose from either of the programs. Being that the national safety standards for the environment are already set by the Environmental Protection agency by the United States government. Implementation then is done. Social responsibility, has to be part of the business. Good relationship between society and business leads to more sales therefore more profit and the big blessing is success! References Besser T. , 2002. The conscience of Capitalism-Business social Responsibility to communities. Greenwood publishing group. IOWA U. S Environmental Protection. Compliance and Enforcements retrieved from http://www. epa. gov/compliance/business/? cm_sp=ExternalLink-_-Federal-_-EPA