Corporate Social Responsibility in an Organization

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how corporate character and corporate social responsibility have tended to be high on the list of social and ethical concerns in modern times. It argues that the role of the individual in ethical action surpasses that of the corporation, as by default the corporation is not an entity which can be held accountable for its actions. In order to discuss the concept of individual responsibility, as it applies to corporate culture, the paper looks at three high profile case studies: It looks at Enron, WorldCom and Nike and discusses ethical and legal issues surrounding them as well as actions taken toward accountability.

Outline:
Introduction
Punitive Action Against the Corporation
The Public Cries Foul
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Enron and WorldCom are two names that will likely go down in infamy with regard to fraudulent business practices. They also boast being responsible for one of the most sweeping alterations in tax and accounting laws that has ever occurred in a single piece of tax legislation. These changes will impact all levels and sizes of business, not to mention accounting firms who work for them for years to come. Yet these changes are external forces, not imposition of individual ethic. In a sense the changes that have occurred as a result of Enron and WorldCom in conjunction with ethics are punitive and collective, applying to all corporations to protect the public from future fraud. In other words they are preventative, restrictions on future actions, yet again those who will be held liable if the rules are broken are the individuals who break them, not the corporations themselves. In business much more thought must now go into the real financial situation of a company and the reported financial situation of a company expressed to the public and stakeholders. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Beauchamp, Tom. L. Bowie, Norman. E. Ethical Theory and Business 7th Ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003.
• Dalla Costa, John. The Ethical Imperative Why Moral Leadership Is Good Business. Reading, MA: Perseus Publishing,1998.
• Fox, Loren. Enron: The Rise and Fall. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003.
• Geisst, Charles R. Wall Street: A History : from Its Beginnings to the Fall of Enron. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.
• Hurt, Christine. Of Breaches of the Peace, Home Invasions and Securities Fraud. American Criminal Law Review, 44(4), 1365. 2007.

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