58. Should businesses do anything they can to make a profit?
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Businesses should do anything they can to make a profit. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. 『分析』
不能同意这个观点。
商业的首要目的确实是盈利(profit-making) 但是任何企业团体作为社会的组成部分，有责任考虑到整个社会的利益(overall welfare of the society)，
所以不能为所欲为(do whatever one wants to do; have one's own way; have [take] one's (full) swing; stop at
nothing)。法制的必要性。 『范文』
The ultimate goal of every business is to make a profit. Businesses that don't turn a profit go under and
dissolve, and increasing competition on national and international markets makes it more and more difficult for
companies to succeed or simply stay alive. Regardless, as members of society companies are subject to laws and regulations that they must abide by, and the people who run businesses have a personal responsibility to both their employees and the community in which they do business. It is true that stiff competition will force companies to go to extreme measures to secure profits, but these must not. include illegal means. In the recent past, the enormous sums of money involved in contemporary economics have led CEOs and managers of businesses to bend the rules of the trade. For example, companies have deliberately ignored government standards for environmental pollution limits or tried to bribe government officials to allow mem to bypass these regulations. Such illegal means might be possible because of the sometimes tremendous social and political influences of businesses, but they are immoral, and the government should make a point of punishing violators. Furthermore, the managers of companies must be aware that employees and their families depend on jobs for financial security. For many businesses cutting jobs or moving jobs to another country is a way to further increase profits. However, the same jobs that are being cut or moved often support entire communities. If, for example, a company closed down an entire manufacturing plant of 5,000 or 10,000 jobs in order to make even greater profits, then a community of the size of a small city would suddenly find itself out of job. The initial consequences would be mass unemployment and a sudden death for the entire local economy, and before long related social problems will surface, e.g. crime, homelessness, domestic violence, and drug abuse. These are all indirect yet devastating consequences of the business aim to increase profits. The owners and managers of the company have an ethical obligation not to ignore the consequences of their actions and should not try to maximize profits at all costs.
