Corporate Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

Running head: CORPORATE BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Corporate Business Ethics & Social Responsibility
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CORPORATE BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Discussion on Statement of the issue:........................................................................................2
What has happened?...........................................................................................................3
Moral perspectives.............................................................................................................3
Ethical Perspectives...........................................................................................................4
Legal Ramifications...........................................................................................................5
-Who has evolved?.................................................................................................................6
-What kind of issue?...............................................................................................................6
Ethical and Moral philosophies..........................................................................................6
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................7
References:.................................................................................................................................9

2CORPORATE BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Introduction:
Ethics and social responsibility are of the important aspects an organization needs to focus in
order to improve its image and show responsibility towards the society and the environment
within which it operates and takes it resources from (Crane and Matten 2016; Rhodes 2016).
Business ethics can be understood as applied ethics or professional ethics that helps to
examine ethical or moral principles and challenges within an environment and helps in the
application of ethical practices within a business and an organization (Quarshie et al. 2016).
This includes adherence to rules, policies, goals, recommended actions, compliances and
moral codes (Pearson 2017; Rhodes and Pullen 2018).
In this given study the ethical and social responsibility exhibited by Australian mining
companies as reported in the article by Smee (2018). The author of the article pointed out that
the mining companies in Australia are potentially breaking the law by ignoring the risks of
climate change and have dismissed climate change studies as financial risks for the business.
Their operations have breached the environmental, legal requirements set up by international
and national bodies. In the article, it was found that most of the 60 Mining Companies in
Australia including the largest ones did not consider the climate change policies and
frameworks such as the Paris agreement or the 2C/3C climate increase target within their
organizational policies (Smee 2018).
The study aims to identify the ethical and moral issues shown in the case study and its legal
ramifications and how the case be related to significant ethical and moral philosophies in
business.
Discussion on Statement of the issue:

3CORPORATE BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
What has happened?
The issue that has been reported by the Author in the given article involves a majority of the
mining companies operating in Australia and their attitude towards policies and frameworks
on global climate change. Interviews with the leaderships of some of the biggest mining
companies and surveys done on more than 60 companies in the mining industry in Australia
openly revels that the organizations consider climate change practices are a financial risk and
is not considered is not as an immediate consideration for the organizations. The studies have
shown that companies like Prairie Mining AGM does not consider the targets of the Paris
agreement within its operational radar and other companies considers these targets as
something that needs consideration only in the future or as of now should be the concerns of
the Government. In effect these companies show that they do not feel any sense of
responsibility towards the duties and practices prescribed under the climate change policies.
It has been pointed out that the directors have the legal responsibility to consider the climate
risks and failure to do so can lead to a breach of their legal obligations. Thus the report shows
that the mining companies in Australia are ignoring the social responsibility through their
unethical practices through the avoidance of their moral responsibilities and duties.
Moral perspectives
The moral perspectives that can be implied within this scenario include:
Social justice: This perspective can be related to the scenario as the mining companies
operations leads to an adverse impact on the society through its effect on the environment and
therefore to comply with social justice principles (Şahin 2018).
Welfare and risk: The perspective of social welfare and risk management/mitigation can be
contextualized within the attitude of the mining companies that avoids the responsibility