This study found out the importance of Ethics and social responsibility in a business organization, to be precise the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc Enugu State. To make this study successful, questionnaire, interview questions and review of related literature were employed as research tools. Data collected were analyzed, using frequency and percentage method after displaying some on table. The research highlighted the importance of ethics and social responsibility in one organization and the major findings among others are:

- The staff are ethically and socially responsible in their dealings in the organization.

- The staff complains of some inadequacies that stops them from being ethically and socially responsible.

- Some of the management unethical practices.

Finally, the researcher believed some important suggestion, that may help to solve the problems of unethical practice in the organization. The management should bring up a panel to look into and solve the problems of unethical practices.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page i

Approved page ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Abstract v

Table of content vi

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Statement of the problem 5

1.3 Purpose of the study 7

1.4 Research questions 8

1.5 Research hypotheses 9

1.6 Scope of the study 10

1.7 Significance of the study 10

1.8 Definition of terms 11

References 14

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW 15

2.1 Concept meaning of the ethical and social responsibility 15

2.2 The importance of ethics and social responsibilities to manager in a business organisation. 17

2.3 Ethical requirements of the managerial profession 21

2.4 Ethical matters related to functional areas of business and participants 24

2.5 Involvement of government in ethics and social responsibilities 43

2.6 Government control and business ethics in organizations 46

2.7 Social responsibilities of Nigerian bottling company (NBC) Plc 51

2.8 Ethical responsibilities of Nigerian bottling company (NBC) plc 53

2.9 Summary of literature 55

References 59

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 60

3.1 Design of study 60

3.2 Area of study 60

3.3 Population 60

3.4 Sample size 60

3.5 Questionnaires 61

3.6 Personal interview 61

3.7 Observation 62

3.8 Validation of the instrument 62

3.9 Administration of the instrument 62

3.10 Data analysis technique 63

References 64

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 Data presentation and analysis 65

4.2 Research question 1 (1) 65

CHAPTER FIVE

FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSIONS 71

5.1 Findings 71

5.2 Recommendation 73

5.3 Conclusion 74

5.4 Areas of further studies 75

Reference 77

Bibliography 78

Appendix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Ethics and social responsibilities of a business and their organization has been extremely important to every society and Nigeria at large. Every society makes sure that those who engage in any form of business should engage in good morals in their daily activities. Ethics and social responsibilities are related concepts that pay special attention on moral conscience of business. The idea of ethical responsibilities has to do with those issues and problems that concerns people in business, and their faithfulness to their organization and to their customers also. Social responsibilities and its problem is the interest and need of every society.

There are laid down rules that govern every profession. In enabling us understand what “ethics” actually means, we shall quickly look at the following phenomena that could rapidly be misconceived as ethics. We are referring to such phenomena as law and morality: Laws are laid down rules made by administrations, communities, governments etc. And the motives of these laws are primarily to regulate or check discrepancies or misconduct as may be observed in human character or behavior.

Summarily; laws improves human character, which when absent could bring about disorderliness and chaos.

Morality on the other hand is related to the opinion principal of good and evil as it affect human conduct. It comes from the mind to differentiate good from evil. We can in other words refer to morals as love and ethical virtues. Finally morals involves individual character considered by the winning standard of moral honesty.

Ethics has been defined as the principal of right and wrong conduct by the American heritage dictionary (second college edition). It is also the general study of the entire nature of morals and the specific moral choices made by a person as it affect his relationship with his fellow individuals. Those used in an organization in achieving it’s objectives, makes up the workforce of that organization and also of competence of any organizational objectives.

A very high level of performance and efficiency has to be attained by the staff as a workforce: Efficiency is a function of so many different factors like, political, social, societal and economical, just to mention but a few. The staff is an essential factor of production in any given establishment since their proficiency and contributions can either promote or demote the efficiency of an establishment. In the eyes of an ordinary person, a staff could be considered as a group of individual or persons that operate in an establishment in order to achieve a common purpose. They also indulge in accounting, managerial and clerical functions.

A good staff is one that uses his intellect and positive opinions to make suitable decision not beyond the scope of approved governance without having to be monitored and also with a reasonable degree of moral standards. Members of every professions are being guided by some codes of conducts; such professions include, Lawyers, Doctors, Customs, etc. There are some ethical conducts that are written down on paper, whereas others are verbal or unwritten. The said rules are made known to the members of a particular profession. To be ethical means, keeping these rules in your relationship with your fellow staff whereas, to be in ethical means not abiding by these rules.

Social and ethical obligations are concepts that concentrate o the conscience of business managers as an image-maker of an establishment with the outside world. This is normally achieved by the reasonable use of telephones, faxes, letters, etc. To an extent, this encourages positive public reaction towards the organization depending on the moral character of the staff. It is therefore of interest that since the staff engage in various forms of business administration ranging from agriculture to production and manufacturing, they should be socially and morally obligated to the community where they operate so as to excel in their operations.