Title Page 
Social responsibility and ethics in Strategic 
Management.
A Summary of Milton Friedman’s Main Points 
• Friedman argues against the concept of social responsibility. 
• Friedman argues that a business person who acts “responsibly” by 
cutting the price of the firm’s product to prevent inflation, or by 
making expenditures to reduces pollution, or by hiring the hard-core 
unemployed, according to Friedman, is spending the shareholders 
money for social interest. 
• Friedman further his argument with this assertion “There is one and 
only social responsibility of business-to use its resources and engage 
in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within 
the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free 
competition without deception or fraud.
A Summary of Milton Friedman’s Main Points 
(Contd.) 
• Friedman argue that even if the businessperson has shareholder’s 
permission or encouragement to do so, he or she is still acting from 
motive other than economic and may, in long run, harm the very 
society the form is trying to help. 
• He added that, by taken on the burden of these social costs, the 
business become less efficient-either price go up to pay for the 
increased costs or investment in new activities and research is 
postponed.
A Summary of Archie Carroll’s Main Points 
• Archie Carroll proposes that the managers of business organizations 
have four responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary. 
• ECONOMIC responsibilities of a business organization’s management 
are to produce goods and services of value to society so that the firm 
may repay its creditors and shareholders. 
• LEGAL responsibilities are defined by governments in laws that 
management is expected to obey. 
• ETHICAL responsibilities of an organization’s management are to 
follow the generally held beliefs, about the behavior in a society.
A Summary of Archie Carroll’s Main Points 
(Contd.) 
• DISCRETIONARY responsibilities are purely voluntary obligations a 
corporation assumes. Examples are philanthropic contributions, 
training the hard-core unemployed, and providing day-care centers. 
• Carroll lists these four responsibilities in order of priority.
The Principle I would like to implement in my 
current place of work. 
• I will prefer to implement Archie Carroll’s principle in my present 
place work, this is because I believe that a business organization must 
not only be concern on profit maximization alone but must also be 
concern about its corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship 
and sustainability . 
• A business entity should responsible enough to be concern with the 
concept of environmental sustainability (i.e. Pollution control) and on 
impacting the life of individual and making positive impacts in the 
communities.
Two Organizations that applied Friedman’s 
theories . 
• Most business organizations in developing economy of Africa and Asia 
applied Friedman’s theories, as the issue of environmental 
sustainability means nothing to them, the only thing they focus on is 
profit maximization. Examples of these organizations are: 
• Dangote Cement Plc. This multi million dollars company is the major 
producer of cement in Nigeria but despite the huge profit this 
organization in making, the company is not given anything back to the 
societies, the location of organization is within a rural area that 
cannot boast of good schools, low standard of living, lack of 
infrastructural facilities. This company did nothing to assist .
Two organizations that applied Friedman’s 
Theories (Contd.) 
• Another organizations that applied Friedman’s theories is Sona 
Breweries Plc, this company also focus on profit and have no program 
on corporate responsibility.
Two Organizations that applies Carroll’s 
Theories 
• CISCO: When Cisco system decide to dismiss 6,000 full times employees. It 
provided a novel severance package. Those employees who agreed to work for a 
local non-profit organization for a year would receive on-third of their salaries 
plus benefits and stock option and be the first to be rehired. Nonprofit were 
delighted to hire such hire such highly qualified people and Ciscso was able to 
maintain its talent pool for when it could hire once again. 
• General Mills: As a result of drug barons war going on Hawthorne. Executives of 
General Mills became concerned when the murder rate in Hawthorne reached a 
record high in 1996. The company headquarter was located just five miles away 
from Howthorne, then the city most violent neighborhood, working with law 
enforcements, politicians, community leaders and resident. Working with law 
enforcement agencies, politicians, communities leaders, and residents, General 
Mills spent $2.5 million and donated thousand of employees hours to help clean 
up Hawthorne.
Two Organizations that applies Carroll’s 
Theories ( Contd.) 
Cracked Houses were demolished to make way for elementary school, 
dilapidated houses rebuilt, Grants were given to people to buy houses 
in Hawthorne. This impact reduces the rate of homicide from 70% to 
32% in 2013. This is indeed is a great corporate responsibility by 
General Mills.
References 
• Thomas L. Wheelen, J David Hunger, Concepts in strategic 
Management and Business Policy, Twelfth Edition(2012), Pearson, NJ

Friedman vs Carroll, Social responsibility and Ethics in Strategic Management

  • 1.
    Title Page Socialresponsibility and ethics in Strategic Management.
  • 2.
    A Summary ofMilton Friedman’s Main Points • Friedman argues against the concept of social responsibility. • Friedman argues that a business person who acts “responsibly” by cutting the price of the firm’s product to prevent inflation, or by making expenditures to reduces pollution, or by hiring the hard-core unemployed, according to Friedman, is spending the shareholders money for social interest. • Friedman further his argument with this assertion “There is one and only social responsibility of business-to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.
  • 3.
    A Summary ofMilton Friedman’s Main Points (Contd.) • Friedman argue that even if the businessperson has shareholder’s permission or encouragement to do so, he or she is still acting from motive other than economic and may, in long run, harm the very society the form is trying to help. • He added that, by taken on the burden of these social costs, the business become less efficient-either price go up to pay for the increased costs or investment in new activities and research is postponed.
  • 4.
    A Summary ofArchie Carroll’s Main Points • Archie Carroll proposes that the managers of business organizations have four responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary. • ECONOMIC responsibilities of a business organization’s management are to produce goods and services of value to society so that the firm may repay its creditors and shareholders. • LEGAL responsibilities are defined by governments in laws that management is expected to obey. • ETHICAL responsibilities of an organization’s management are to follow the generally held beliefs, about the behavior in a society.
  • 5.
    A Summary ofArchie Carroll’s Main Points (Contd.) • DISCRETIONARY responsibilities are purely voluntary obligations a corporation assumes. Examples are philanthropic contributions, training the hard-core unemployed, and providing day-care centers. • Carroll lists these four responsibilities in order of priority.
  • 6.
    The Principle Iwould like to implement in my current place of work. • I will prefer to implement Archie Carroll’s principle in my present place work, this is because I believe that a business organization must not only be concern on profit maximization alone but must also be concern about its corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship and sustainability . • A business entity should responsible enough to be concern with the concept of environmental sustainability (i.e. Pollution control) and on impacting the life of individual and making positive impacts in the communities.
  • 7.
    Two Organizations thatapplied Friedman’s theories . • Most business organizations in developing economy of Africa and Asia applied Friedman’s theories, as the issue of environmental sustainability means nothing to them, the only thing they focus on is profit maximization. Examples of these organizations are: • Dangote Cement Plc. This multi million dollars company is the major producer of cement in Nigeria but despite the huge profit this organization in making, the company is not given anything back to the societies, the location of organization is within a rural area that cannot boast of good schools, low standard of living, lack of infrastructural facilities. This company did nothing to assist .
  • 8.
    Two organizations thatapplied Friedman’s Theories (Contd.) • Another organizations that applied Friedman’s theories is Sona Breweries Plc, this company also focus on profit and have no program on corporate responsibility.
  • 9.
    Two Organizations thatapplies Carroll’s Theories • CISCO: When Cisco system decide to dismiss 6,000 full times employees. It provided a novel severance package. Those employees who agreed to work for a local non-profit organization for a year would receive on-third of their salaries plus benefits and stock option and be the first to be rehired. Nonprofit were delighted to hire such hire such highly qualified people and Ciscso was able to maintain its talent pool for when it could hire once again. • General Mills: As a result of drug barons war going on Hawthorne. Executives of General Mills became concerned when the murder rate in Hawthorne reached a record high in 1996. The company headquarter was located just five miles away from Howthorne, then the city most violent neighborhood, working with law enforcements, politicians, community leaders and resident. Working with law enforcement agencies, politicians, communities leaders, and residents, General Mills spent $2.5 million and donated thousand of employees hours to help clean up Hawthorne.
  • 10.
    Two Organizations thatapplies Carroll’s Theories ( Contd.) Cracked Houses were demolished to make way for elementary school, dilapidated houses rebuilt, Grants were given to people to buy houses in Hawthorne. This impact reduces the rate of homicide from 70% to 32% in 2013. This is indeed is a great corporate responsibility by General Mills.
  • 11.
    References • ThomasL. Wheelen, J David Hunger, Concepts in strategic Management and Business Policy, Twelfth Edition(2012), Pearson, NJ