Ethical Theories: Part IIIFrank P. LoBue IIIPHIL101-1402A-01April 21, 2014Christopher HubbardEthical Theories: Part IISocial responsibility can be defined as “the ongoing commitment of businesses to behave ethically and to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society as a whole” (Mallen Baker, 2004). Additionally, social responsibility has been defined differently by various business leaders who provide guidelines that impact how everyone runs their core business. Social responsibility is an essential part of a business. If managed correctly, it should strengthen the competitive spirit of the company and ensure the prosperity of the company. The differences between Nike and Patagonia are: Nike provides “sports footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories that are primarily supplied by independent contractors. There are an estimated 19,000 retail accounts in the United States and 140 countries around the world. Patagonia has been providing market-dominating outdoor clothing for over 30 years. Patagonia conducted an assessment of the fibers it used to determine their impact on the environment. The main cause of pollution was cotton. Additionally, cotton has shown almost “30% use as a pesticide worldwide” (Rachel Holmes, 2009). Additionally, Patagonia has studied conventional methods of growing cotton with results that indicate cancer risks, particularly in California. Their net sales of 60% were cotton; and should therefore change the way farmers grow cotton by switching to organic. This would be a new selling point, customer approval, which would lead to an increase in revenue in ...... middle of paper ....... Additionally, this company has already made adjustments in its way to proceed. their product using organic cotton to improve the quality of their product. Additionally, as Patagonia makes definitive changes in social responsibility by considering the needs of its customers while increasing the amount of products they produce. ReferencesEdge. (1999). Study of corporate social responsibility. Retrieved from stanford.edu: http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/citypoverty/hedge_poverty.htmlMallen Baker. (2004). Corporate social responsibility: what does it mean? Retrieved from mallenbaker.net: www/mallenbaker.net/csr/definition.phpRachel Holmes. (2009). Wal-Mart wants to be more like us. Retrieved from theguardian.com: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/24/patagonia-ethical-outdoor-clothing-interview