Month: July 2021

Where would you rather shop—Walmart/Sam’s Club or Costco? If
you answered Walmart based on the price of its products, would you be willing
to pay a higher price if you knew that the extra money would go directly to the
firm’s employees? Think of some of the jobs you have done—would you work harder
if your pay had been higher?

What do you think explains the fact that, in Europe, “the
market for Fair Trade Certified products is three times larger in dollar sales
than it is in the U.S.”?

Did you know about Starbucks’s involvement in this issue and
the Fairtrade products the company sells? Do you think this is something the
company should publicize? Is there any downside to doing so?

From the same CSR perspective, what is your impression of
the Rainforest Action Network (RAN)? What do you think of the organization’s
tactics to bring about changes that it thinks are correct?

From a CSR perspective, what is your impression of
Citigroup? Should it share responsibility for the projects for which its funds
are used?

How did you choose where to open your main bank account?
Would you ever choose a bank based on its CSR performance? Alternatively, would
you avoid a bank that received negative press coverage because of an ethical or
CSR transgression?

What reforms would you recommend to a mortgage lender in
terms of its employee incentives to ensure it avoids the mistakes of
Countrywide? In general, how do you incentivize salespeople who work on
commission (as the majority of mortgage brokers did in the run-up to the
2007–2009 financial crisis)? How can a company encourage them to sell products
that are in their customers,’ rather than their own, interests?

How many credit cards do you carry? Do you think that reform
of the credit-fueled economic model in the U.S. is essential for a more
equitable global economy? In general, to what extent is it fair to ask the U.S.
to make any sacrifices in its standard of living for the benefit of the rest of
the world?

What is your opinion of the Community Reinvestment Act (see
Online Resources)? Is it a good piece of legislation? Do you think it played a
role in the credit crisis that led to the 2007–2009 economic crisis?

Visit the Accion International Web site at
http://www.accion.org/. What are your impressions and thoughts regarding the
work this organization is doing?

Have a look at the article “Community Investing Pays” 181 on
the Socialfunds.com Web site (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.
cgi/article945.html). Does the author make a convincing case that low-income borrowers
represent a lower default risk than conventional borrowers? What do you think
about the CDFI Fund, establish in 1994?

Is it acceptable for pharmaceutical companies to oppose
cheaper generic alternatives of their medication in countries where the
majority of people who require that medication cannot afford to pay for it? In
general, is it acceptable that the same drugs cost vastly different amounts in
different countries—even within the developed world?

Is it acceptable for a company to patent the DNA of a
naturally occurring plant or food (that some argue should be available for the
benefit of all) simply because they were the first to make the patent
application? Does that answer change if that process or piece of knowledge has
existed in local folklore or customs for many generations?