Happy EconEdMonth! Celebrate economics all month long by visiting EconEdMonth.org

Grade 9-12
,
Lesson

Do Businesses Have Social Responsibility?

Time: 45 min,
Updated: April 24 2023,
Author: Chris Cannon

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Compare and contrast views on the social responsibility of business.
  • Evaluate the responsibilities of business.

Description

Through a short simulation, a primary source discussion, and creating a verbal pitch for a company’s board of directors, students consider perspectives related to whether or not businesses have a social responsibility.  This lesson is part of the Ethics, Economics, and Social Issues curriculum.

The simulation specifically uses volunteerism and charitable donations as examples of actions that might be considered social responsibility. Students experience how companies have competing interests in how to use their resources and what benefits and costs are involved with allocating resources to social responsibility.