Choose a company of your group's choice and imagine yourself (company) in this dilemma as below and questions mentioned at the bottom of the page. Much of the appeal of your products is based on their association with famous athletes but paying these celebrities to endorse your products adds millions of dollars a year to the cost of doing business. You're also in a ferociously competitive, trend-driven industry, where you can drop off the public radar practically overnight if you don't invest heavily in constant promotion. Plus, many of your products are technically innovative, which requires ongoing research and development. Finally, consumers want to be able to buy your products from thousands of retail outlets, at a moment's notice, wherever they like to shop, so you must keep a vast distribution network supplied with inventory. Add up all these costs, and you still haven't paid for somebody to make your products. You could make them in Canada, with its comparatively high labor costs, which would force you to raise prices to sustain the profit margin your investors expect in return for the money they have entrusted to you. Of course, if you raise prices too high, consumers will decide that, as cool as your products are, they can get a better deal from your competitors. Or you could move production to a country with significantly lower labor costs, taking the pressure off your prices and profit margins and allowing you to maintain high levels of investments in other areas. Looks great on paper, but you know that every decision in business involves trade-offs. Moving production overseas and into the hands of other companies entails a significant loss of control over the manufacturing process, materials sourcing, and working conditions. You can measure financial costs and product quality, providing clear feedback on some important performance parameters. But what about the way your production partners conduct business? Do they conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with your values and your public image? Do they treat workers humanely? Do they steward shared natural resources in a responsible manner? Do they minimize negative impacts on their communities? You don't have direct control over how these companies perform, and you don't always know what they're up to, but you know one thing for certain: People are going to hold you accountable for the performance and behavior of these business partners, even if they are independent companies operating in other countries. Big companies make big targets, and you've been the focus of several campaigns by advocacy groups and other nongovernmental organizations. Welcome to a day in the life of David Bensadoun, president and CEO of Aldo Group, the fashion footwear, and accessories company in Canada. 1. If you were in David's Aldo, how would you balance the competing demands of investors, employees, retailers, advocacy groups, and business partners? 2. How would you keep Aldo on its path of strong growth while also being a responsible corporate citizen in the more than 180 countries where it does business? 3. Discuss what it means to practice good business ethics and highlight three factors that influence ethical decision making. 4. Define corporate social responsibility (C S R), and explain the difference between philanthropy and strategic C S R. 5. Distinguish among the four perspectives on corporate social responsibility. 6. Discuss the role of business in protecting the natural environment and define sustainable development. 7. Identify five fundamental consumer rights and the responsibility of business to respect them. 8. Explain the responsibilities businesses have toward their employees. PS: TQM/Sustainability Module allows companies to invest in areas that produce administrative savings, reduce costs, increase demand or reduce time required for Research and Development projects. All TQM/Sustainability areas can affect balanced scorecard measurement.