Listening Week-13 [Business & Ethics]

BUSINESS AND ETHICS 

Today I’m going to talk 1……………. business and ethics. First I’ll 2……………. what is meant by business ethics. Then I’ll 3………………. the kind of ethical considerations companies need to 4………………., how they can go about doing business in a more 5………………..way, and look at some examples of ethical business 6…………………..

So what are business ethics and why are they seen as 7……………….. in today’s business climate? Business ethics 8…………………. to how a company conducts its business in order to make a 9…………………. Although the primary goal of the 10…………………..may be to make money, it also recognises that it has a responsibility 11………………….. the society in which it operates. The term 12…………………. Social Responsibility is often used, and nowadays many 13……………………. have strong corporate social 14…………………programmes designed to help create a 15……………….., inclusive society.

Now I’ll look at some basic ethical 16………………… that a company needs to address. The first 17…………… is how the company treats its employees. All employees should be 18……………… fairly, and with respect. A company that 19………………. for its workers’ welfare will tend to have a 20………………. workforce and a lower turnover of staff. It is also 21………………..that workers are recruited on a basis of equal 22…………………..

The second area is how a company 23………………….. its day-to-day business. In a manufacturing business, this 24………………… how suppliers of raw materials are 25…………….. and treated. A good example of this is the Fair Trade 26……………….. This initiative ensures that small-scale farmers are paid 27………………..and at a fair price for their 28………………. A company should also look at its policy on paying 29………………., and ensure that payments are made on 30…………..

Another ethical consideration is the 31…………….. the business has on the environment. Manufacturing companies should strive to 32……………. that production is clean and careful, and 33……………..for ways to minimise energy 34……………… and 35…………….. products.

Finally, a company can also 36…………….. to give something back to the community it operates in. This can be in the 37……………. of ‘corporate giving’ programmes, where 38……………..are given to community projects, or by 39………………. schemes to improve the local community and encouraging 40………………. to work on these schemes.