As well as making money, businesses also have social responsibilities.

Do you agree
or disagree?

The idea that, besides making money, enterprises also need to have public responsibilities
remains a source of controversy. In my opinion, while generating profit is the top priority
for each company, I agree that they should also conduct their business in a socially
responsible manner.
On the one hand, the efforts of companies to maximise their profits may have some
benefits for society as a whole. [1] Firstly, the higher the profits earned by enterprises, the
more taxes they pay to the government. As a result, authorities may have more revenue to
spend in key fields, including education and health care, which leads to an improvement
in the quality of life of the whole community. [2] Secondly, by earning huge profits
companies have the opportunity to grow their business. For example, firms could use
their capital to expand their production, creating new job opportunities within the
community.
On the other hand, there are strong reasons why businesses should also accept that they
have social responsibilities. [1] The first reason is that their activities have an effect on
the environment. Without controls, production processes may result in serious
environmental degradation, such as global warming stemming from factory emissions or
the irresponsible disposal of industrial waste. For example, if factories installed waste
treatment systems instead of discharging chemical wastes into rivers, water pollution
could be controlled. [2] Another reason is that enterprises should help those who are less
fortunate, since they have the money to do so. For example, big corporations such as
Unilever and Vinamilk have enhanced their public image through philanthropic actions
such as providing scholarships and giving charitable donations.
In conclusion, although I recognise that making profits is the fundamental principle of
business, I would argue that all businesses should profoundly reflect upon their social
responsibilities.
 VOCABULARY

to generate (tạo ra) = to produce or create something. We use it to talk about

„generating electricity‟ as well as „generating profits‟.

to maximise (tối đa hoá) = to increase something, such as profits, as much as

possible. So, for instance we might „maximise our chances of passing

enterprises, companies, businesses, corporations and firms (công ty, doanh

nghiệp) = are all used in this essay as different words which have almost the same
meaning.

degradation (sự huỷ hoại) = this describes a process in which something becomes
worse or is damaged. The term „environmental degradation‟ is a common word
combination to describe what happens when land, rivers or the sea become polluted or
damaged in some way.

revenue (nguồn thu) = the money that the government receives from taxes and it
can then spend this revenue on whatever priorities it has.

priority (tiên quyết, ưu tiên) = a priority is something which you think is more
important than other things and should therefore receive attention first. So, for
companies, making money is the priority, it is the most important thing.

global warming (sự nóng lên toàn cầu) = is the increase in temperature of the
atmosphere of the Earth, and factories contribute to this by releasing some gases into the
atmosphere.

stemming from (bắt nguồn từ) = this means to be the result of something. In the
essay, global warming stems from [or is the result of] factory emissions.

emissions (khí thải) = these are simply gases that are sent out into the atmosphere
– in this case by factories. We can also talk about car emissions and again cars send out
gases into the air, increasing pollution.

irresponsible (vô trách nhiệm)

disposal (xả (rác thải)) = is the act of throwing something away or „getting rid of‟
something. We often refer to „waste disposal‟.

waste (rác thải) = is another word for rubbish or „garbage‟ in American, English.
 install (lắp đặt) = to install something is to fix it into a position where it can be
used. So, a system to deal with waste and to make it safe can be installed, or „put into
position in order to be used‟.

to discharge (xả (rác) ra sông ngòi) = to make something go into the sea or a
river. It is usually something which is waste, or not needed, for example as a result of
industrial production.

philanthropic actions (hoạt động từ thiện, nhân đạo) = are actions that help poor
people, especially by giving them money.

charitable donations (quyên góp từ thiện) = money given to organizations which

help poor people or people in need of help.

fundamental principles (nguyên tắc căn bản) = are the basic ideas on which a
company carries out its business, in this essay this is the idea that the function of the
company is to make profits.
The two pie charts below show the online shopping sales for retail sectors in
Canada in 2005 and 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

The charts compare four retail sectors in Canada in terms of the proportion of their
internet sales in two years, 2005 and 2010.

Overall, the proportion of online sales for each of the four sectors changed significantly
from 2005 to 2010. While the figures for food and beverages and also video games
increased, the figures for the other two sectors fell.

In 2005, the proportion of online sales of food and beverages was 22%, but this rose to
32% in 2010. The percentage for internet sales of video games also went up, by 5% from
the 2005 figure of 18%.

In contrast, the percentages of the online sales of the other sectors decreased. The most
dramatic fall was in the home furnishings retail sector. While this figure was 25% of the
total online sales of these four sectors in 2005, it fell to just 15% in 2010. There was also
a decrease in the electronics and appliances sector, which saw a fall from 35% in 2005 to
30% in 2010.