Research Proposal格式范文：Advantages of Ethical Responsibility in Corporations

Research Proposal格式范文-企业道德责任的优势。本文是一篇留学生Research Proposal写作范文，主要内容是讲述在安然、世通和玛莎·斯图尔特，几个世纪以来，这个问题一直困扰着公司、政府和公众。因此，这个话题与其说是新的，不如说是耸人听闻的。

这篇研究计划书的目的是回顾当今企业领域中围绕社会和道德责任的理论。还分析了商业社区中的组织以这种方式行事的优势。此外，还考虑了公司可能危害或伤害其利益相关者的具体情况。最后，我们简要介绍一下戴尔电脑，以及公司责任如何在其整体业务活动中发挥作用。下面就一起来看一下这篇Research Proposal研究计划书写作的具体内容。

Introduction 引言

In this proposal of scandalous business affairs played out in public including Enron, WorldCom and Martha Stewart, there has obviously been a heightened media attention to business ethics and corporate responsibility. However, this issue has plagued companies, governments, and the public for centuries. So, the topic is not so much new as it seems to have been sensationalized.

The purpose of this brief is to review the theories surrounding social and ethical responsibility in the corporate arena today. An analysis of the advantages for organizations in the business community to conduct themselves in this manner is also offered. As well, specific situations where a company may jeopardize or harm its stakeholders are considered. Finally, a quick look at Dell computers and how corporate responsibility plays in its overall business activity is provided.

Socially and Ethically responsible: What does that mean? 对社会和道德负责：这意味着什么？

There has certainly been a shift in thinking since Milton Friedman penned his classic essay on corporate responsibility, claiming that the main responsibility any business actually had was to make a profit (Friedman, M 200, pp. 51 – 55). Although some still concur that his original theory was correct and should be applied to businesses today (The Ethics of Business, 2005, p.21).

自从米尔顿·弗里德曼写了一篇关于企业责任的经典文章，声称任何企业的主要责任实际上都是盈利以来，思想肯定发生了转变。尽管有些人仍然认为他最初的理论是正确的，应该应用于今天的企业。

Much has been written and many theories have been proposed regarding business ethics in general. It’s been given many names like corporate responsibility, corporate social performance, social consciousness, and social accounting. Two main theories for corporations acting socially and ethically responsibility are the stakeholder theory and the social contract theory (Cooper 2004, pp. 20-26). For the purpose of this study, focus will be placed on the stakeholder theory, which focuses primarily on the interest of the stakeholders. The social contract theory focuses on society as a whole and the benefits that a business can offer in this capacity (Cooper 2004, p.26).

关于商业伦理，人们已经写了很多文章，提出了很多理论。它被赋予了许多名称，如企业责任、企业社会绩效、社会意识和社会会计。公司履行社会责任和道德责任的两个主要理论是利益相关者理论和社会契约理论。为了本研究的目的，重点将放在利益相关者理论上，该理论主要关注利益相关者的利益。社会契约理论关注的是整个社会以及企业以此身份所能提供的利益。

Utilizing the stakeholder theory helps to provide an outline for measuring a company’s social performance. First, it is important to differentiate between a stakeholder and a shareholder in a company. Shareholders are financially invested in the company and do make it onto the company stakeholder list. What is crucial to understand is that the stakeholder list consists of many groups other than the shareholders. The main stakeholders for most companies (although there are oftentimes many others) include shareholders, employees, consumers, suppliers, and the environment (Cooper 2004, p.6). Additionally, the stakeholder can be though of as a group that is essential for the corporations existence (Brown 2005, p.19). For example, if all the consumers stopped using a certain company’s product, the company would undoubtedly go out of business.

利用利益相关者理论有助于提供衡量公司社会绩效的大纲。首先，区分公司的利益相关者和股东是很重要的。股东对公司进行财务投资，并将其列入公司利益相关者名单。需要理解的是，利益相关者名单由股东以外的许多群体组成。大多数公司的主要利益相关者（尽管通常还有许多其他利益相关者）包括股东、员工、消费者、供应商和环境。此外，利益相关者可以被视为对公司生存至关重要的群体。例如，如果所有消费者都停止使用某家公司的产品，毫无疑问，这家公司将倒闭。

Traditionally, those financially invested in a company as shareholders, have required companies to be financially accountable for their actions. With the growing trend in social and ethical responsibility, stakeholders are now expecting (and sometimes demanding) for companies to provide some type of social accounting.

传统上，那些作为股东对公司进行财务投资的人要求公司对自己的行为承担财务责任。随着社会和道德责任的日益增长，利益相关者现在期望（有时要求）公司提供某种类型的社会会计。

Back to the main question – what does it mean for a company to be socially and ethically responsible? The question is more difficult that it may seem because so many opinions exist on this manner, so many theories, and so many definitions. When considered at a higher level, it is clear that this topic can be very subjective and in response, most companies develop their own unique requirements to act in a socially positive and ethical manner to keep its stakeholders satisfied. Overall, according to the stakeholder theory, a company operates in an ethical and socially responsible manner when it takes into consideration the affect it may have on the many factions within society and its own corporate structure that is may have some responsibility (Cooper 2004, p.21).

回到主要问题——对一家公司来说，对社会和道德负责意味着什么？这个问题看起来更困难，因为对这种方式有很多意见，有很多理论，有很多定义。当从更高的层面考虑时，很明显，这个话题可能是非常主观的，作为回应，大多数公司都制定了自己的独特要求，以社会积极和道德的方式行事，以使利益相关者满意。总的来说，根据利益相关者理论，当考虑到公司可能对社会中的许多派别产生的影响以及可能负有一定责任的公司结构时，公司以道德和社会责任的方式运营。

An example as it relates to one specific stakeholder group is the employees. When a company acts socially responsible for its employees, it offers adequate employee remuneration, job security, and health and safety (Cooper 2004, p. 123).

与一个特定利益相关者群体相关的一个例子是员工。当一家公司对员工承担社会责任时，它会提供足够的员工薪酬、工作保障以及健康和安全。

Why should an Organization be Socially and Ethically Responsible?为什么一个组织应该对社会和道德负责？

Our society is in the midst of the Information Age where zillions of megabytes of information are available to consumers with a few clicks on the keypad. Because of this, more and more consumers are putting their money where there mouth is before purchasing products. Many consumers are interested in the social and ethical behavior of organizations in general and will let it affect their purchasing decisions. In addition, there are ample resources for consumers to find information on most large companies without relying solely on that company’s website or annual report, which can be presented in manners that only reflect positively on the company in question. For example, the SocialFunds.com website (www.socialfunds.com) touts itself as “the largest personal finance site devoted to socially responsible investing”. Here, a potential investor, consumer, or interested community member can find specific information about many company’s and its specific efforts in the corporate social responsibility arena.

我们的社会正处于信息时代，消费者只需点击几下键盘，就可以获得数以亿计的信息。正因为如此，越来越多的消费者在购买产品之前就把钱花在了嘴边。许多消费者对组织的社会和道德行为感兴趣，并会让它影响他们的购买决策。此外，消费者有充足的资源来查找大多数大公司的信息，而不必仅仅依赖该公司的网站或年度报告，这些信息的呈现方式只能积极反映相关公司。例如，SocialFunds.com网站标榜自己是“致力于社会责任投资的最大个人理财网站”。在这里，潜在投资者、消费者或感兴趣的社区成员可以找到许多公司及其在企业社会责任领域的具体努力的具体信息。

Another reason why a company should act socially and ethically responsible is for company image and public relations. Not just for consumers, but for suppliers, investors, potential partners, and employees. For example, any employees take pride in working for a company that is seen as holding high standards for business ethics. It reflects on the way they feel they are treated in the workplace, how they perform their jobs, and their company loyalty. As well, companies benefit from this positive image by attracting highly qualified employees.

公司应该对社会和道德负责的另一个原因是公司形象和公共关系。不仅针对消费者，也针对供应商、投资者、潜在合作伙伴和员工。例如，任何员工都会为为一家被视为具有高商业道德标准的公司工作而感到自豪。它反映了他们在工作场所受到的待遇，他们如何履行职责，以及他们对公司的忠诚度。此外，公司通过吸引高素质的员工，从这种积极的形象中受益。

An important motivator in companies acting socially responsible is avoiding expensive legal battles if it is found that it was aware of a problem and didn’t bring it the public’s attention. The big tobacco lawsuits are an excellent example of the enormous costs a company (or consortium of companies) can incur in this type of situation. Not to mention the horrific public relations and negative press that can result.

公司履行社会责任的一个重要动机是，如果发现自己意识到了一个问题，但没有引起公众的注意，就避免昂贵的法律诉讼。大型烟草诉讼就是一个很好的例子，说明一家公司（或公司财团）在这种情况下可能会产生巨大的成本。更不用说可能导致的可怕的公共关系和负面新闻了。

Why do organizations act in ways that may harm their Stakeholders?为什么组织的行为可能会损害其利益相关者？

There are multiple reasons why a company may act in a way that is considered harmful to its stakeholders. The pressure to make a profit and conflicting stakeholder interests are two key reasons this occurs. Many companies create stakeholder maps that help to categorize and “rank” the many segments of stakeholders (Johnson & Scholes 2001, p.168). Sometimes, the desire of one stakeholder group supercedes the desires of another because of the internal power ranking assigned to stakeholders to help manage these conflicts. In the case of conflict, many companies attempt to change the “orientation” of these stakeholders, sometimes involving someone who is considered an impartial party but who has influence over that group (Johnson & Scholes 2001, p. 180).

一家公司的行为可能被认为对其利益相关者有害，原因有很多。盈利压力和利益相关者利益冲突是导致这种情况发生的两个关键原因。许多公司创建了利益相关者地图，有助于对利益相关者的许多部分进行分类和“排序”。有时，由于分配给利益相关者以帮助管理这些冲突的内部权力排序，一个利益相关者群体的愿望会取代另一个利益攸关者群体的欲望。在冲突的情况下，许多公司试图改变这些利益相关者的“方向”，有时涉及被认为是公正的一方但对该群体有影响力的人。

It is interesting to consider a classic example of a company that did not act in the best interest of its customers, a very large stakeholder, in the Ford Pinto Case. In summary, back in the late 60’, Ford was in a rush to get its Ford Pinto out the door to compete with some tough competition from Japan. Right before release, during the crash test phase, a flaw in the location of the gas tank was identified. After a cost benefit analysis was conducted, it was concluded that Ford could not cost justify the $11 per car it would cost to fix the defect. Ford projected costs to fix the flaw at $137 million and the projected benefits to be paid to cover repairs, injuries and deaths to be $49.5 million. Cost to repair cars, replace cars, and pay insurance policies for potential deaths came to a much lower number so Ford released the cars without fixing the defect. In the end, Ford was the first American company to ever become indicted or prosecuted on criminal homicide charges and ended up paying much more in legal fees and jury awards (one case alone was awarded $128 million) than they ever would have paid just to fix the problem before release of the product. Of course, this is an extreme case but a clear example of the consequences of a lack of moral and ethical responsibility from a company.

有意思的是，在福特平托案中，一家公司的行为没有符合其客户的最大利益，这是一个非常大的利益相关者。总之，早在60年代末，福特就急于推出福特平托，与来自日本的一些激烈竞争对手竞争。就在释放前，在碰撞测试阶段，发现了储气罐位置的缺陷。在进行成本效益分析后，得出的结论是，福特无法在成本上证明修复缺陷所需的每辆车11美元的合理性。福特预计修复缺陷的成本为1.37亿美元，维修、受伤和死亡的预计收益为4950万美元。修理汽车、更换汽车和为潜在死亡支付保险的费用要低得多，所以福特在没有修复缺陷的情况下就发布了这些汽车。最终，福特成为第一家因刑事杀人罪被起诉或起诉的美国公司，最终支付的法律费用和陪审团裁决（仅一个案件就获得了1.28亿美元的裁决）远远超过了他们在产品发布前为解决问题而支付的费用。当然，这是一个极端的例子，但它清楚地表明了一家公司缺乏道德和伦理责任的后果。

Dell Computers – What have you done for your Stakeholders Lately?戴尔电脑–您最近为您的利益相关者做了什么？

Often, it is easy to discuss the topics of corporate responsibility and business ethics in theory but difficult to see them applied in actual business practices. Dell Computers (Dell) has clearly embraced the new era of social and corporate responsibility and it is evident on its website (www.dell.com). In fact, Dell has even created a position to uphold its high level of commitment to corporate social responsibility. Thurmond B. Woodard is the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer: Vice President, Global Diversity and oversees the programs that work to promote and ensure corporate social responsibility for Dell. Dell also boasts of it commitment to the environment, its code of conduct, and the “Soul of Dell”, all addressing issues that affect adherence to corporate ethics and specific stakeholder interests (www.dell.com).

通常，在理论上讨论企业责任和商业道德的主题很容易，但在实际商业实践中却很难看到它们的应用。戴尔电脑已经明确接受了社会和企业责任的新时代，这在其网站上是显而易见的。事实上，戴尔甚至创造了一个职位来维护其对企业社会责任的高度承诺。Thurmond B.Woodard是首席道德与合规官：全球多元化副总裁，负责监督旨在促进和确保戴尔企业社会责任的项目。戴尔还吹嘘其对环境的承诺、行为准则和“戴尔之魂”，所有这些都解决了影响遵守企业道德和特定利益相关者利益的问题。

Not only does Dell promote its commitment to high standards of business ethics on its website, but it is also proactively involved with many initiatives within the industry to improve corporate ethics (Miel 2005). Dell joined many of its other industry leaders to create the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct about a year ago. The industry is attempting to be proactive in maintaining a positive image when it comes to ethics, especially after the very public scandals over the last few years. Manufacturers are asked to sign the code which outlines protections for employee safety, child labor concerns, working conditions, and much more (Miel 2005).

戴尔不仅在其网站上宣传其对高标准商业道德的承诺，而且还积极参与行业内的许多举措，以提高企业道德。大约一年前，戴尔与许多其他行业领导者一起制定了《电子行业行为准则》。该行业正试图积极主动地在道德方面保持积极形象，尤其是在过去几年发生了非常公开的丑闻之后。制造商被要求签署该准则，该准则概述了对员工安全、童工问题、工作条件等的保护。

Conclusion 结论

In summary, this research proposal incentives for corporations today to act in a socially correct and ethical manner. As well, theories and definitions have been provided regarding what should be expected from a socially responsible organization. Some companies end up acting in ways that are considered to be harmful to some stakeholder groups and this in also reviewed. Finally, Dell is offered as a current company that is positioning itself as a highly socially conscious and ethical company.

References 参考文献

Birsch, D 1994, The Ford Pinto Case: A Study in Applied Ethics, Business, and Technology, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.

Brown, M 2005, Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership,Cambridge University Press, New York.

Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer; Vice President, Global Diversity 2005. Retrieved

Corporate Social Research Center 2005. Retrieved October 31, 2205

Cooper, S 2004, Corporate Social Performance: A Stakeholder Approach, Ashgate Publishing Limited, England.

‘Electronics Industry Institutes Code of Conduct’ 2005, Manufacturing Business Technology, vol. 23, issue 1, p.12.

Friedman, M 2000, ‘The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase its Profits”,

Ethical Theory and Business, Prentice Hall, pp.51-55.

Johnson, G (ed.) & Scholes, K 2001, Exploring Public Sector Strategy, Pearson

Educational Ltd, England.

Lozano, J 2000, Understanding Business Ethics as a Learning Process, Kluwer

Academic Publishers, The Netherlands.

Miel, R 2005, ‘Electronics firms set code for ethical production practices’, Plastics News,

vol. 17, issue 4, pp. 14-15.

‘The Ethics of Business’ 2005, Economist, vol. 374, issue 8410, pp. 20-22. Retrieved

October 31, 2005 from Business Source Premier.

总之，本篇研究计划书概述了当今企业以社会正确和道德方式行事的激励措施。此外，还提供了关于对社会负责的组织应该期望什么的理论和定义。一些公司最终的行为被认为对一些利益相关者群体有害，这一点也受到了审查。最后，戴尔作为一家当前的公司，将自己定位为一家高度社会意识和道德的公司。本站提供各国各专业Research Proposal范文或者Research Proposal写作指导服务，如有需要可咨询本平台。