(Regs.) Within the last two decades, U.S. businesses moved from an era of min¬ imal regulation to the current environment that includes compliance with nu¬ merous social regulations. Businesses no longer have the freedom to design and produce products without regard to social considerations, nor do they have com¬ plete control over marketing practices and pricing policies. Social regulations have had an enormous impact on businesses, causing economic and continuity concerns. Despite the fact that overregulation by the government has been crit¬ icized, polls indicate that the majority of Americans continue to support most forms of social regulation.

Listed below are five agencies that have been created for the implementation and administration of social regulations:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

a. Discuss the general reasons for the dramatic increase in the social regulation of business during the last mo decades.

b. Describe the social concerns that gave rise to each of the five areas of social regulation administered by the agencies listed above.

c. Discuss how each area of social regulation has affected the business O community.
LO2