Corporate Social Ethics a Mix Bag of Tricks

 

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I am to contrast Entine and Jenning’s views on corporate social responsibilities with those of Friedman and Freeman. And what I find is this, it appears to be mostly Jenning’s perspective that ethics in corporations are largely a product of advertising that is not truly representative of ethical practices. Jennings contends that the organizations have used the image of corporate goodwill and concern for ethical causes to detract the public from the revelation of exercises of immoral behavior perpetrated by their company, are their true ethical skeleton. Such things as the oil company purporting adoration for the environment all the while decimating any vestige of ecology for the sake of profit, is a prime example of this false propaganda. (Jennings, 2012)

In contrast, companies that actually try to facilitate ethical practices into their business models are excoriated by rival companies and political affiliates with vested interest in the success and failure of the principle parties’ outcome. The strategic castigation of the supposed ethical companies follow a simple but albeit effective plan, the annihilation of rival company’s caricature is mystifying how the pubic willfully refuses to see through the thin veil of hypocrisy provided by the offending actors. It is blatantly apparent the qualification for ethical behavior as defined by ethicist, is not a measure based on ethical disciplines but instead an abundant amount of weight is placed on political issues or self-promotion. (Jennings, 2012)

While Friedman and Freeman take a different perspective on corporate social responsibility. Friedman feels that only people have an obligation for social responsibility, further, that corporate make-up is that of an artificial person, thereby not having traditional social responsibilities but having a different, select set of social responsibilities. (Jennings, 2012) Current business practices has the pretense of pseudo ethics in that it espouses their civic contributions are in the best interest of society at large and that business have a social responsibility to maintain these ethical contributions that are so wanted by society, but in truth the real benefactor is the company and its shareholders.