Businesses and Society - Essay Example

A close analysis of the case study scenario involving Sarah and Robert, a retired couple in their seventies shows that they are spending quite a fortune on drugs for different diseases despite the fact that their annual income is not so huge. The major problem being addressed here is that businesses and the society at large ought to be socially responsible by not charging premium prices for drugs meant for life threatening diseases particularly amongst the elderly. The elderly people basically survive on their pensions and this may not be much given that in this case, the annual income for this retired couple is $21 000 per annum and their drug requirements cost $6 500 which is about a third of their income. They also need to meet other expenses such as food as well as other related bills from this same income. Against this backdrop, it can be noted that the basic problem addressed is that elderly people remain citizens of their given communities and they should be honoured and cushioned from paying high prices especially on drugs that are meant to save their lives from threatening diseases. The main concepts being addressed here include the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and that of morality which derives from the concept of ethics. There is need to balance the needs of the people in the society and the need for businesses to be profitable in a moral fashion. Strydom (2004 p.11) suggests that “Social responsibility is the concept that maintains that businesses are part of the larger society in which they exist and are accountable to the society for their operations.” In other words, there is need for the organisations to strike a fine balance between the needs and interests of customers, needs of the environment and the need for businesses to realise their financial goals. This goes hand in hand with the concept of ethics, which is loosely defined as an attempt to distinguish between something that is morally good from bad. The issues of morality and social responsibility have gained prominence especially with regards to the ways businesses operate. There is need for businesses to establish goodwill with the values and norms of any given society it would be operating in as a way of promoting mutual understanding. The success of any given company would be determined by its willingness to observe the social norms of the areas it would be operating in. Establishing goodwill is not only limited to values of the society but the needs of the elderly as well who should not be neglected by virtue of their age. Randall (1994 p.101) concurs that: “the better the relationship, the more trust that has been built up, the easier it will be to solve the difficult issues which may arise.” Therefore, observing the norms of the society is the foundation of establishing mutual understanding which may lead to the success of whatever product. In most cases, senior citizens are given due respect and recognition from their contributions they would have made to the economy during their hey days as productive workers hence the need for them to be indirectly compensated through reduced prices for different products and services they get as well as other related benefits. Prescription drugs are very expensive due to different reasons. These are regarded as special drugs in most cases that are meant to cure a particular kind of disease which is not very common among the other ordinary members of the population in a given society. In this case, we have noted that Sarah is being treated for heart disease and diabetes while Robert on the other hand is being treated of gout, blood pressure and heartburn. These diseases often develop in different individual people with age. The more they get older, the more their bodies are weakened and become more susceptible to these kinds of ailments. It can therefore be noted that these diseases are unique in various ways and they are mostly common in certain particular age groups. The drugs used in treating these diseases are not often produced in large quantities like any other tablets for ordinary ailments which can be cured by even painkillers. By virtue of the fact that chronic diseases are often treated by are special drugs recommended through prescriptions, it can be noted that their prices are often high since they are limited only to special cases. Unfortunately, such cases are found in elderly people who are pensioners and are no longer able to work for themselves. In the spirit of fairness and understanding, this is a moral issue given that it is not a choice or desire by the elderly people to be affected by the aliments of this magnitude. During their early days as productive workers, they greatly contributed to the growth of the economy and the betterment of life for everybody hence their contributions should not be ignored because they are old. Morally, organisations should be considerate and realise the conditions of the elder people and try to cushion them so that they can be able to afford these drugs. In other words, ignoring the plight of the elderly people is immoral and it amounts to discrimination on the basis of age. The elders in the society deserve to be cared for especially with regards to health issues given that they may not be able to afford the drugs from their meagre earnings in the form of pensions. Given that retired people often rely on earnings from their pensions for survival, it can be argued that it is a noble thing for the government or insurance companies to assume more responsibility in paying for expensive drugs for senior citizens. These are no longer active and they cannot work for themselves anymore hence the need for bigger corporations to do the moral thing, offer assistance in paying for expensive drugs for the elderly citizens since they will remain part and parcel of their respective communities regardless of their old age. Helping the elderly is a good idea in that the government as well as other bigger organisations would be showing that they are responsible for the well being of every citizen. References Randall G. (1994). Trade Marketing Strategies: The Partnership between manufacturers, brands and retailers. London. Butterworth-Heinemann. Smith, C. (2003) Corporate Social Responsibility: Whether or How? California Management Review, Vol. 45, Iss. 4, pp. 52-76 Strydom J. (2004). Marketing. 3rd Edition. Cape Town. Juta & Co Ltd. Read More