Social Responsibility In today’s world many companies deal with social responsibilities on a daily basis. In my term, social responsibility is the way a company positively impacts its employees, customers, community and investors while minimizing negative impacts on them. In this scenario Company Q would seem to think they have ethical issues. My time in business I have learned that ethics drive culture, culture drive behaviors, and together they drive great results. Having an ethical practice is critical in bringing a business to becoming and staying successful. Knowing Company Q’s scenario, there are many areas in which they are associated with business ethics and social responsibility. Here are a few of the areas that will be discussed about Company Q and its social responsibility. Each area will be discussed more in depth. First off, Company Q’s decision of closing down various stores in high crime areas due to these stores consistently losing money. Second, after years of requests from customers, Company Q began to promote healthy and organic foods at higher margins. Third, Company Q has decided not to contribute its day old products to local shelters and food banks. The three actions mentioned above may cause consumers to believe that Company Q’s social responsibility is not very satisfying. Many may see these as areas of opportunity from opinion basis and personal feeling reactions as appose to seeing the facts in why Company Q has made these decisions. Even with that being said, there are ways that Company Q could work through the issues and fix these opportunities to satisfy the community and its stakeholders. In doing so Company Q will be able to fix their profit and loss, create better community appeal and satisfy its stakeholders and customers. Referring to Company Q deciding to close many stores in high crime areas due to loss of profits, has many negative effects. Not only negative effects on the customers but also on the employees. By closing these stores it would make its loyal customers have to find a new place or drive further to the next store and become an inconvenience. This also effects the employees because many of those working in these stores would be let go and lose their job and source of income. Instead of closing these stores, they could do many things in order to minimize the loss in these areas and allow the stores to stay open. For instance, they could train their associates at giving better customer service. One of the best ways to stop theft from occurring is by giving great customer service to the customers. Great customer service not only prevents more theft but also increases sales. Another way Company Q could deter theft is by installing security cameras or by hiring security for these high theft locations. By doing these things, it would allow the stores to stay open, reduce the amount of loss and also create more profit for these locations. Regarding Company Q having started selling healthy and organic products in the stores at high margins. With these products being at higher margins, they may have limited sales due to the prices being higher. Bringing in these new products did answer to the customer’s requests, but with the higher prices most of the customers may not be able to afford these new products. Company Q could fix this issue, although it would take some time and may lose some money at first: in the end their profits would become much higher. Fist Company Q would have to lower its prices on these items which in turn would lower the profit margin at the beginning. After lowering the prices, more customers would start to buy these healthier products at lower prices. After these healthier products start selling well, Company Q could buy these products at larger quantities for less per product. In doing so, even keeping the prices lower as they are the profit margin would grow due to spending less on purchasing the products and the customers purchasing more of the healthier products. One of the more significant social responsibilities in this discussion is Company Q not donating its day old products to its local food banks. Although there may be reasons in which not to give away the day old products; one being that if a person were to get sick from the old food they could always try to sue Company Q for it. Even with that being said, I think that this is too big of a social responsibility to not support it. They should not only give their day old food to their local food bank but another way to help out the company would be to hold local food drives in the community. This would create a way of free marketing for the company. Along with the free marketing it would put Company Q as a great place in the communities’ eyes and would increase its customer base. In turn more customers and more marketing would create more profits as well as the day old products wouldn’t be going to waste and would be helping out the community in which Company Q is located. In making these suggested changes, Company Q would turn around its social responsibility and the way the community and its stakeholders looked at the company. It would not only be helping out the local community in ways but also would be gaining more profit with its better customer service, higher product sales and community marketing. If Company Q sticks to this new plan they are sure to grow in profits, in customers and in social responsibility.