Ethical norms that apply to all people across a broad spectrum of situations

A decision that involves a conflict of values; every potential course of action has some significant negative consequences.

The obligation of a business to contribute to society.

The strategy of deliberately designing products to fail in order to shorten the time between purchases.

Any groups that have invested interest or a personal gain—in the performance and actions of an organization.

All business donations to nonprofit groups, including money, products, and employee time.

Federal legislation passed in 2002 that sets higher ethical standards for public corporations and accounting firms. Key provisions limit conflict-of-interest issues and require financial officers and CEOs to certify the validity of their financial statements

Marketing partnerships between businesses and nonprofit organizations, designed to spike sales for the company and raise money for the nonprofit.

Doing business to meet the needs of the current generation, without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Refers to the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that a firm emits throughout its operations, both directly and indirectly.

A systematic evaluation of how well a firm is meeting its ethics and social responsibility goals.