Western Governors University
Student: Anne Jaymes
Student ID: 000320202
Course: EST1
Task: 1 (310.2.1-05)

Social Responsibility

Jaymes
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Part A: Evaluate Company Q’s Attitude Toward Social Responsibility

“Company Q is a small local grocery store chain located in a major metropolitan area. They have recently closed a couple of stores in higher-crime-rate areas of the city, reportedly because these two stores were consistently losing money. After years of requests from customers, all of their stores have started offering a very limited amount of health-conscience and organic products—all of which were high margin items. When asked by the area’s food bank for donation of day-old products, management declined deciding instead to throw the food away, citing worries over lost revenues due to possible fraud and stealing by employees who might say they are donating the food.”

Evaluation of Company Q:

Businesses are in business to make a profit. Businesses that are in business to make a profit with a total disregard for all else, is capitalism at its worst. A company who habitually relies on or exploits others and gives nothing in return, is a parasitic company. In order for companies to positively co-exist with their stakeholders, they must work to minimize the negative impact their business has on them. It was not against any business law, for Company Q, to close two stores that were located in higher crime-rate areas of the city that were consistently losing money. Some would profess this was a more responsible decision than allowing the entire company to go bankrupt. I would argue that complete disconnects with their primary and secondary stakeholders to include; their customers, employees, and members of the community, indicates they are morally, ethically and socially bankrupt.
A disconnect with your employees, customers and the