Final answer:
Engaging in voluntary responsibilities often benefits businesses, but improving employee compensation is not typically considered a direct financial benefit, as it increases costs. Voluntary responsibilities often contribute to creating an ethical culture, reducing government involvement, and improving societal conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about a particular aspect of business engagement in voluntary responsibilities that does not benefit businesses. According to the options provided, the one that is not a benefit to businesses when engaging in voluntary responsibilities is d. Improve employee compensation and retention. This is because improving employee compensation directly increases costs for the company, which is not beneficial from a financial standpoint, although it may have some indirect long-term benefits such as improving employee morale and productivity.
Engaging in voluntary responsibilities often includes actions such as a. Helping workers as a group, b. Helping industries stay strong, c. Protecting the environment, and d. Advancing national defense. These are all pursuits that can improve a company's image, contribute to sustainable practices, and promote good ethics within a firm, which in turn can help buffer against organizational misconduct, enhance the company's reputation, and reduce the need for government involvement by proactively addressing stakeholder concerns. However, they do not necessarily directly improve employee compensation.