Question

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has been fighting for social causes since they were founded in the 1970s. Ben Cohen, one of the company’s founders, started buying ingredients for his ice cream from a bakery that hired people without doing background checks. That bakery hired many ex-criminals who would have otherwise found it difficult to get jobs. In making that decision, Cohen acted as what for his company?

a moral agent

Answer 1

Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s acted as a moral agent, making ethical business decisions that go beyond merely increasing profits, reflecting the company's commitment to social and environmental issues.

Step-by-step explanation:

In making the decision to buy ingredients from a bakery that hires ex-criminals, Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s acted as a moral agent for his company. A moral agent is someone who makes choices that reflect ethical principles or considerations, regardless of whether those choices increase profits. This approach contrasts with Milton Friedman's view, which suggests that businesses have a moral responsibility to increase profits. Cohen's decision aligns more with the idea of corporate social responsibility, where businesses integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations.

The social causes championed by Ben & Jerry's since the 1970s suggest that Cohen and his company place a high value on ethical responses and social justice, factors which sometimes take precedence over just maximizing profits. Cases like the soap opera involving Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel, and Proctor & Gamble, where they conspired to manipulate the marketplace, show the negative consequences when companies solely focus on profits at the expense of ethical considerations.