Environmental ethics principles and applications

Environmental Ethics

Saving the environment is an important aspect of both society and business. Business, particularly those that are global in scale are responsible for the communities in which they operate in. Environmental ethics therefore is very important in regards to the overall decision making of business. It is important that business understand the nature in which behaviors affect society at large. "Going Green" is one initiative in which companies can use to help preserve many of the planets resources. Being environmental friendly has many benefits for both the company and society. In regards to society, generations are better able to view and take advantage of nature. Natural phenomenons such as global warming and carbon pollution are reduced. Wildlife and the world's natural resources are preserved for other generations to use. All of which contribute to the well being of both society and the environment. From the business perspective being environmentally friendly helps serve two corporate objectives. First, it helps minimize the overall costs associated with operations. Sending email and electronic paperwork allows companies to save on paper and other materials cost. It also allows companies to be more accurate and minimize loss associated with human error. "Going Green" also provides an incentive for consumers to purchase the companies product. Research has proven that products that are connected with a cause generally sale more than those that are not. In particular, caused connected to the environment are of particular importance to consumers. Consumers are generally concerned with the well being of the environment as it has implications for the entire society in which they live. As such, by going green, companies can save money while also increasing sales. The problem is worth solving as society can be negatively affected by the environment in the long run. Global warming is a very large concern as it can damage society in terms of pollution, natural disasters, and drought. As such, this issue is very important to society at large (Edward, 2006).

I agree with many of the pundits in regards to environmental ethics. I believe that it is the duty of business to be socially responsible in regards to the environment. Social responsibility is very important irrespective of the community in which business is conducted in. In my opinion all stakeholder groups are benefited from the use of socially conscious behavior. For one, stock holders benefit as they doing good within the overall community. These sales numbers will therefore provide a solid foundation in which to evaluate the merits of a particular activity such as a merger, acquisition, dividend, stock buy back and so forth. Consumers benefit as they are not mislead in regards to purchasing decisions. If the company is truly acting in the benefit of the society, consumers will realize it. These activities builds trust as the brand will become synonymous with environmentally friendly behavior, further expanding the market share of the company. Because the environment is so important to so many individuals, more people will buy the product. This will then benefit the shareholders even further as more consumers purchase products from this trusted company. The community benefits as the company contributes to the community through the profits garnered from sales. As such, all stakeholder groups benefit and flourish. Social responsibility and environmental ethics are no different in this regard. Companies, especially during tough economic circumstances want to demonstrate their commitment to the communities and environments in which they operate. Usually, these commitments translate into high sales figures and better customer loyalty. Social responsibility also engages associates on a personal level as they can volunteer and contribute to causes pertinent to their beliefs. These increases employee satisfaction which ultimately helps improve productivity. In regards to benefits, a company has many incentives to be socially responsible. For one, active participation in causes such as employee diversification and environmental sustainability are pertinent to ALL stakeholder groups involved. This also indicates that the corporation cares about its socially responsible behavior and has an extreme desire to make this responsibility a priority (Woodhouse, 2009).