You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
As well as making money, businesses also have social responsibilities. Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
The idea that, besides making money, enterprises also need to have public responsibilities remains a source of controversy. In my opinion, while generating profit is the top priority for each company, I agree that they should also conduct their business in a socially responsible manner.
On the one hand, the efforts of companies to maximise their profits may have some benefits for society as a whole. [1] Firstly, the higher the profits earned by enterprises, the more taxes they pay to the government. As a result, authorities may have more revenue to spend in key fields, including education and health care, which leads to an improvement in the quality of life of the whole community. [2] Secondly, by earning huge profits companies have the opportunity to grow their business. For example, firms could use their capital to expand their production, creating new job opportunities within the community.
On the other hand, there are strong reasons why businesses should also accept that they have social responsibilities. [1] The first reason is that their activities have an effect on the environment. Without controls, production processes may result in serious environmental degradation, such as global warming stemming from factory emissions or the irresponsible disposal of industrial waste. For example, if factories installed waste treatment systems instead of discharging chemical wastes into rivers, water pollution could be controlled. [2] Another reason is that enterprises should help those who are less fortunate, since they have the money to do so. For example, big corporations such as Unilever and Vinamilk have enhanced their public image through philanthropic actions such as providing scholarships and giving charitable donations.
In conclusion, although I recognise that making profits is the fundamental principle of business, I would argue that all businesses should profoundly reflect upon their social responsibilities.
290 words
Vocab Highlights
to generate = to produce or create something. We use it to talk about ‘generating electricity’ as well as ‘generating profits’.
priority = a priority is something which you think is more important than other things and should therefore receive attention first.
to maximize = to increase something, such as profits, as much as possible
enterprises, companies, businesses, corporations and firms = are all used in this essay as different words which have almost the same meaning.
revenue = the money that the government receives from taxes and it can then spend this revenue on whatever priorities it has.
degradation = this describes a process in which something becomes worse or is damaged.
global warming = is the increase in temperature of the atmosphere of the Earth.
stemming from = this means to be the result of something.
emissions = these are simply gases that are sent out into the atmosphere – in this case by factories.
irresponsible = not thinking about the effects of what you do
disposal = is the act of throwing something away or ‘getting rid of’ something.
waste = is another word for rubbish or ‘garbage’ in American English.
install = to install something is to fix it into a position where it can be used.
to discharge = to make something go into the sea or a river.
philanthropic actions = are actions that help poor people, especially by giving them money.
charitable donations = money given to organizations which help poor people or people in need of help.
fundamental principles = are the basic ideas on which a company carries out its business.