Corporate Social Responsibility - Reich Versus Desjardins

Final Analysis Paper: Reich Versus DesJardins

In its simplest form, ethics is a system of moral principals that affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. It is the branch of study dealing with what the proper actions for individuals are. It helps us answer the question, “What do I do? Fundamentally, ethics is the method by which we categorize our values and then pursue them. Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and covers a wide variety of dilemmas such as: our rights and responsibilities, the language of right and wrong, and moral decision-making (“What is Ethics,” n.d.).

Ethics is a necessary requirement for human life. It is what guides us in deciding what course of action should be taken in various situations. Without ethics, our decisions, actions, and behaviors would be meaningless and random. Ethical standards allow us to correctly organize our goals and actions to accomplish what we value most in life.

While the study of ethics is undoubtedly important, the study of business ethics is essential to the success and existence of our current business world. Business ethics is defined as the behaviors that a business adheres to in its daily operations, activities, and correspondence with the world. Most people involved in business will, at some point or another, face ethical or moral decisions and dilemmas. “These dilemmas will result in having to make choices by weighing the benefits of business decisions impart on individuals and groups with the negative repercussions that those same decisions have on other individuals and groups. This is the core concept and dilemma most face when making ethical business decisions (“What is Business,” n.d.).”

The difficulties and complexities of ethics, both in an individual context as well as a business context, are the foundations upon which Robert Reich and Joseph Desjardins based their books on. Robert B. Reich is the author of a book titled, “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business Democracy and Everyday Life,” and Joseph DesJardins is the author of “An Introduction to Business Ethics.”

This paper will act as an analysis comparing the views and beliefs of each author. It will look at the viewpoints of both DesJardins and Reich and uncover the methods and implementation strategies dealing with ethical behavior and the ethical decision making process. It is clear that neither author condones unethical behavior, but their approaches to dealing with such behavior differ significantly. This paper will carefully and meticulously analyze both books and compare their similarities as well as differences. While the heart of this paper will revolve around the concept of corporate social responsibility, we will also look at a number of other components of ethics and ethical decision-making.

Before beginning, I will take a brief look at each book. Reich’s book