Canadian business & society: ethics, responsibilities and sustainability 4th edition robert sexty -
Visit to download the full and correct content document: https://textbookfull.com/product/canadian-business-society-ethics-responsibilities-and -sustainability-4th-edition-robert-sexty/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant download maybe you interests ...
Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management Archie B. Carroll
T he Internet addresses li sted i n t he tex t were accurate at the t i me of pu bl ication. The inclusi on of a Web site does not indicate an endor sement by t he autho rs or McGraw-H ill Ryer son, an d McGraw-Hill Ryer son does not guarantee t he accuracy of t he i nforma ti on p resented at t hese s ites.
ISBN- 13: 978- 1-25-908754-7
ISBN- JO: 1-25-908754-9
1234567890 TCP 1 987
Printed and bound in Canada.
Care ha~ bee n t aken t o trace ownershi p of copyright materia l cont ained in this text; however, the publ isher will welcome any i nforma ti on t hat e nables them to r ec ti fy any reference or c redit fo r subsequ e nt editi o ns.
Portfol io and Program Manager: Karen Fozard
Group Product Manager: Kiln Brewster
Se nior Marketing Manager: Cathie Lefebvre
Product Devel ope r : Daphne Scriabin
Se nior Product Team Assoc iate: Stephanie Giles
Supervis ing Edi tor: Jessica Barnoski
Photo/Pe rmi ss i ons Editor: Alison Lloyd Baker
Copy Editor: Margaret H enderson
Pl ant Production Coordinator : Michelle Saddler
Manu factu r ing Production Coordinato r : Sheryl MacAdam
To Suzanne, who has travelled with me through five books including many edi tions-and to more than 60 countries on seven conti nents!
About the Author
Dr. Robert Sexty was a Professor of Busi ness Administration at the Facu l ty of Busi ness Administration at Memor ial University of Newfoundland for 39 years, and was awarded a Professor Emeritus title in 2008. He ho lds bachel or, masters, and doctoral degrees in Bus iness Admini stration from the University of Alberta, Queen's University, and the Uni vers ity of Col orado, respectively. Sabbatical years have been spent at the Harvard Bus iness School , Boston, and the Uni vers ity of Auckland, New Zeal and. H e was awarded one of the "200 1-2002 Leaders in Management Education Awards" sponsored by the National Post and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
At Memorial, Robert Sexty taught Business Pol icy (Strateg ic Management}, Introduction to Busi ness, and Business and Society (B usiness Ethics) courses at the undergraduate and graduate leve ls He devel oped, and has taught, the strategy and business and soc iety courses in Athabasca University's Electronic MBA Program. He has taught numerous management deve lopment seminars and workshops on many management topics, inc luding strategic management and the ethi cs of business.
Robert Sexty i s the author of Issues in Canadian Business, the fourth edition of which was publi shed i n 1998 as Canadian Business in the New Stakeholder Economy. He is al so the co-author of £rploring Strategic Manage,nent, pub li shed in 1989, and Conte111porary Manage,nent in Canada , pub lished in 1992, I 995, and 1998 A fourth book, Canadian Business and Society: Understanding the Social and Ethical Challenges, was publ ished in January 1995.
Robert Sexty is a past President of the Admi ni strati ve Sciences Assoc iation of Canada, and is a member of, and active in, many academi c and profess ional associations He consu l ts i n the area of strateg ic planni ng and management for bus iness, government, and non-profit organizations, and acts as a faci li tator i n sess ions for management groups and boards of d irectors. He ha~ served on the Boards of Directors of the Egg Farmers of Canada, East Coast Trai l Association , and Anglican H omes Inc
Bri ef Con te nts
PART I : INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
C HA PTE R 1: The Relations/zip betwee11 Business a11d Society
C HA P'l'E R 2: Ethics and Capitalism
PART I I : BUS INESS S T AKEHOLDERS AND ISSUES
C HA P'l'E R 3: ldentif)·ing Stakeholders and Issues
C HA P'l'E R 4: Stakeholder and Issue Analysis
PART Ill : ETHICAL AND SOC IAL RESPONSIBILITIES
C HA PTE R 5: Ethics of Business: The Theoretical Basis
C HA P'l'E R 6: Ethics of Business: Manageme11t and Leaders/zip
C HA P'l'E R 7: Corporate Social Responsibility: The Concept
C HA PTE R 8: Corporate Social Responsibility: In Practice
C HA PTE R 9: Measuring , Reporting, and Communicating CSR
PART I V: INFLUENCING CANADIAN BUSINESS
C HA P'l'E R 10 : Regulati11g Business ' Ethics and Respo11sibilities
C HA P'l'E R 11 : Responsible Ow11erslzip and Governance
C HA P'l'E R 12: Ethics and Respo11sibilities in the Workplace and Marketplace
C HA P'l'E R 13: Civil Society Stakeholders
PART V : THE ENVIRONMENT, G L OBALIZATI ON , AND C H ANGING CAPITALI SM
C HA PTE R 14 : The E1wiro11111e11t and Business Respo11sibilities
C HA P'l'E R 15: Globali~ation and Business Respo11sibilities
C HA PTE R 1 6: The Sociali~atio11 of Capitalism
Ethics, Responsi bi l ities, and Sustainab il ity Cases
Endnotes
G lossary
Preface
PART I : Introduction to Business and Society
C H APTE R 1: The Relations/zip bet11·een Business and Society
1.1 The Complexity o f Bus i ness and Society
1.2 Integ rity i n Business
1.3 Ma i n App roaches t o Eth ica l Th i nk ing
1.4 The Canad i an Business System
1.5 The Co rpora t i on and the Bus i ness System
1.6 Society's Perm ission fo r Bus i ness
1.7 Society's Attitudes toward Bus i ness Factors Influencing Attitudes toward Business
Social Med i a
1.8 The Peop l e Who Run Canad i an Bus i ness
Ow n ers
Boa rds of Di rect ors Manage rs
1.9 Business and Academic Integ rity
1.10 Integ ration of Bus i ness and Society
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 1.1-The Pillaging of Pensions
CASE 1.2-Detecting Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
C H APTE R 2: Ethics and Capitalism
2.1 Int roduct ion t o the Fundamenta ls of Cap ita l ism
2.2 The Ri ght of Priva t e Property
The Fu nd amenta l
Eth ical Im p l i ca ti ons
2.3 Individua l ism and Econom i c F reedom
The Fu nd amenta l
Eth ical Im p l i ca ti ons
2.4 Equa l ity o f Opportun ity
The Fu nd amenta l
Eth ical Im p l i ca ti ons
2.5 Competition
The Fu nd amenta l
Eth ical Im p l i ca ti ons
2.6 Profits
The Fundamenta l
ical Im p l i ca ti ons
Th e Fundamental
Eth ical Impl i cations
Consum e r Sov ereig nty
Th e Fundamental
Eth ical Impl i cations
T h e Ro le of Government
Th e Fundamental
Eth ical Impl i cations
Canad ian and Othe r Fo r ms o f Cap italism
T h e Ethics of Cap italism
Th e Challenges
Capita l ism as an Ethica l System
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 2.1-Campus Boycotts: Who Makes the Call?
CASE 2.2-Zapping Sales and Taxes
PART I I : Btltiness Stake holders and Is sues
C H APTE R 3: Identifying Stakeholders and Issues
3 1 The Sta keho lder Concept and Bus i n ess
3 2 Iden t ifyi ng Sta keho lders
3 .3 The D ynam ics o f Stakeho lder In flu ence
Categorizing Stakeholders
Di ffe ri ng Goa l s and Power
3 4 The Manag e r: A Sp ecial Stak e ho lde r
3 5 Arguing the Stak eholde r Conc ept
The Argume nt Aga i nst the Stakeho l de r Concept
Discussion Questions
Analysis
The Issues Mana g e m ent Pro c ess
Issue Sal i ence Analys is
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 4.1-CSR and the Closure of a Neighbourhood Supermarket
CASE 4.2-The Economics and Ethics of Textbook Pricing
PART Ill : Ethi cal and Social Responribilities
CHAPTER 5: Ethics of Business: The Theoretical Basis
5.1
Int roducing t he Ethics of Bus i n ess
5.2 Assessment o f Ethica l Impl ica t io ns in Busin ess D ecisio ns
5.3 Influ ences on Ethica l B ehaviour
Influen c es o f Ind iv i dua l s
Corp ora t e o r O rga n i za t ional Influe n ces
Econom i c Efficiency In fl uences
G ove rnmen t and t he Lega l Syst e m Infl ue nc es
So c ie t a l In flu ences
5.4
The T h e o re t ical Bas is for Ethical Conduct
Se lf -In t e res t Eth i c (Eth i ca l Eg o is m )
Pe rs o nal Vi rtu es Eth ic
Et hic of Ca ri ng
U t i litar ian Ethic
Un ive rsa l Rules Ethi c
Ind ivi du a l Ri gh t s Ethi c
Et hic of J ustice
5.5 Mora l Reasoning
Ko hl b e rg 's Stages of M oral Deve lo p men t
5.6 Ethics in Busin ess: Som e Challenges
Summary Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 5.1-Working Overtime
CASE 5.2-Ethical Responsibility on Mount Everest
CHAPTER 6: Ethics of Business: Management and Leadership
6.1 6.2
6.3
Eth ical Leade rsh ip Forms
Stateme nt o f Values
Cod es of Conduct and Codes o f Ethics
Conten t
Cr iti c is m s
6.4 Eth ics Tra in i ng
Che c k l ists a nd Tes t s
Und e rsta ndi ng Con fli c t s o f In t e res t
6.5 Eth ics Audits, Manag e rs, and Comm ittees
6.6 Eth ics Reporti ng Syst e ms and Wh istleb l owing
6 7 Eth ics- Who Is Responsi bl e?
Boa rd of Directors Res p ons ib il ity
M anagement Respons i bility
6 8 Eth ics Prog rams: App roaches
Cl ass i fi cat ion o f Programs
Comp li ance -b ased ve rsus Va lu es -based Programs
6 9
6 .10
Summary
Key Terms
Eth ics Prog rams: Eva l ua t ion and B enefits
Why Eth i ca l Lea d e rship and Programs Fa i l
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 6.1-Citizen·s Arrest: The Law and Ethics
CASE 6.2-Heidi Heise, Sub Samaritan
C H APTE R 7: Co,porate Social Responsibility: The Concept
.1
2
.3
D escri b ing Corpo rate Socia l Responsi bi l ity
The Importance of Cor porate Socia l Respons i bi l ity
The Corpo ra t e Soc ial Respons i b i l ity D e b ate
The Case f o r Invo lvemen t
The Countera rgument t o th e Case for Invo lvement
Cri t iqu i ng CSR
Socia l Resp ons ib il ity Theo ries
The Amo ra l V i ew
The Pe rsona l View
The Soc ia l V i ew
4
The Py ram id of Corporate Soc ia l Responsib il ity
Conte mporary CSR Conc e pts
Cor p o ra t e Su sta i na b il ity
Repu t at i on M anageme nt
Soc i a l Impact Manage m ent
Tri ple Bottom Line (T BL)
6 7 7
Summary
Key Terms
Vi ews on Co rporate and Bus iness C itizenship
The Ina p pro pri at e V i ew
The Lim ited, Equiva l ent, and Extended V i ews
Ap proac h to Corpora t e Cit iz ensh i p
The Bus i ness V i ew
The VBA Mod e l: An Integratio n o f CSR Conc e pts
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
CASE 7.1-Would You Like to Donate ?
CASE 7.2-The TD Grade One Book Giveaway
C H APTE R 8: Co,porate Social Responsibility: In Practice
8.1 Respo ns es to Cor porate So cia l Res pons ibility
8.2 Corporate Ph i lanthropy
D onat ions
Argume nts For and Aga i nst Co rporate Giv i ng
8 3
8 4
8 .5
8 6
8 7
Ma k ing Cor porate Giv i ng D ecis ions
Tre nds and Concerns i n Co rp orate Giving
Corpo rate Volunta r ism
Organ i zations Su pp orted and Forms o f Support
Cor p o ra t e Po l ici es Rega rding Voluntar ism
Corpo rate Sponso rsh ip
Cha rity o r M a r k eting?
Socia l Venture Ph ila nthropy
Socia l Enterprise and Soc ial Entreprene ursh i p
Sma ll Bus i n ess and CSR
8 .8 The Community Investmen t Concept
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 8.1-Responsible Alcohol Consumption
CASE 8.2-Having to Give at the Office
C HAP'l' E R 9 : Measuring , Reporting, and Co,nmunicating CSR
9 1 M eas uring and Reporting CSR
9 2 Corporate Reputat ion and CSR
9 .3
Stakeholders Expect CSR Accountab il ity
9 4 CSR and Profitab il ity
9 5 Social Aud it ing and Reporting Criter ia
9 .6 Eva l uating Canadian CSR Reporting
Questi o ni ng th e Rankings and W h at M akes a Good Re p ort
9 .7 Communicati ng CSR and Susta ina bi lity Results
9 .8 Business Schoo ls and Susta i nab i l ity Reporting
9 9 The Future o f CSR and Socia l Report ing
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 9.1-Philanthropy and Academic Freedom
CASE 9.2-Ethics of Oil
PART I V: lnjluenci11g Canadian Bus iness
C HA PTE R 10: Regulating Business· Ethics and Responsibilities
10.1 Types of Regula t ion
10 2 Gove r nm e nt Regulation of Business
10 3 Gove r nm e nt Attempts at D ealing with Corruption
10.4 Gove r nm e nt Invo lvement in Corporate Socia l Responsib il ity
10 5 The Ethics of Busin ess and Involv e m ent in Po lit ics
10 6 The Ethics of Busin ess Lobbyi ng
10.7 Eth ics and Responsi b il it ies of Taxation
Co rpo rat e Taxation
Sma ll Bus i ness Taxat i on
Ind ividua l Taxation
10 8 Co rpo rate Pub l ic Affai rs Departments
10 9 Bus iness Regulati ng Its e lf
Cases
CASE 12.1-Loblaw's Treatment of Its Suppliers
CASE 12.2-Sodium and Ethics
C HAP'l' E R 13: Civil Society Stakeholders
13 1
13 2
13 3
13 4
13 5
The Non -Gove rn men t al Organiza t ion (NGO) Stakeho l der
The Cas e For and Against NGOs
Strateg i es fo r Rela t ionsh i ps with NGOs
Partnersh i p Re lat ionships w ith NGO s
The M ed i a St akeho lde r
T he Influen c e o f Po p ula r M ed i a
13 6 The Inte ract ion B etween Busin ess and th e M ed ia
13 7 M ed ia Owne rship
13 8 The M ed i a and CSR
13 9 Policy D evelop m e nt Inst it ut ions (Th i nk Tanks)
13 10 Rel ig io us Inst itu t i ons
13 11
Summary
Key Terms
Educa t ional Institutio ns
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 13.1- A Union Strikes and a Small Business Is Challenged
CASE 13.2-SLAPPing Gre€npeace Canada
PART V: The En viro11111e11t, Globalization, and Cha11ging Capita!is,11
C HAPTE R 14: The E1ll'iro11n1e11t and B11si11ess Responsibilities
14 1 Bus i n ess , Its Sta keho lders, and th e Natu ral Environment
14.2 D efinin g the Env ironmenta l Et hic and Susta ina b le D evelo pm ent
14 3
Envi ronmenta l Conc e rns in Bus i n ess and So ciety
14 4 Government's Influe nc e
14.5 Envi ronmenta l N GO Influ ence
14 6 Ma rket -Driven Env ironmen t al i sm
14 7 Manag ing Responses to Env ironmen t al Conce rns
14.8 The "Green ing" of Busin ess Funct ions
Fi nancial M a n agemen t
M a rket ing
H uma n Res ources
Opera t io n s
14 9 M easu r ing and Reporting on Envi ronmental Sus ta i nabil ity
14.10 Disse nting V iews on the Environment
14 11 The Environment: Cor porate Oppo rt uniti es and Challenges
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 14.1- A Dog's "Eco-pawprint"
CASE 14.2-Js Dr. Seuss Misleading Children?
C HA PTE R 15 : Globali:atio11 and Business Responsibilities
Gl o b a l Bus i ness Res p ons i b i lit ies
De fi n i ng G loba l i zati on and the Imp licat ions f o r Bus i ness
Gl o b a liz at ion and In t e rnati ona l Non -governmenta l O rganizat ions (INGOs)
Institut ions of Globa l i zati on
Gl o b a liz at ion and Canad i an Bus i ness and Society
Standards of Conduct and Accountabil ity fo r Globa l Bus i ness
Specia l Cha l lenges o f Gl o b a l Bus in e ss
The Acc e ptance o f Gl o b a l Capi ta l ism
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 15.1-The Ethics of Bioprospecting
CASE 15.2-Food Retailing in India: Revolution or Evolution?
C HA PTE R 16 : The Sociali:ation of Capitalism
Socia li za t i on o f Cap ita li sm and the Fou rth Secto r
Socia li za t i on o f Cap ita li sm Th r ough Cor porate Susta i nab i li ty St rategy
Socia li za t i on o f Cap ita li sm and New Co rpor at e St ructu re s
Socia l Ente r p r i se
For- b enefi t and B Co rp orations
Socia l Ente r p r i se/ N on -profit Susta i nab i li ty M atri x
Socia li za t i on o f Cap ita li sm Concept s and Exp ress ions
Socia l Licence
Socia l In n ovati on
Socia l Im p act Invest i ng
The Sha red Economy
Ph i l a nth roca p i ta Iism
Socia l Cap ita l
Sustainab l e Cap ita l i sm
Co r porate Social Integration
Socia li za t i on o f Cap ita li sm and Bus i ness Schoo l Programs
Teach i ng Sustainab il ity in Bus i ness School s
Students and Susta i nabi lity
Conclud i ng Com m ent
Summary
Key Terms
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
Cases
CASE 16.1-Stadiums, Taxpayers, and Sports Millionaires
CASE 16.2-A University's Centre for Corporate Sustainability
Ethics, Responsibilities, and Sustainability Cases
En e rgy Dr in k s at Pra i rie Pharmacy
Gab r ie l Re sou r ces Ltd and the Ros i a Montana Saga
Corpo r at e Soc ia l Respons i b i li ty to Food Banks
Cate r p i ll ar Shuts Down Its Canad ian Locomot iv e Pl ant
500 Bi rds On a Pond
The Philosophy of the Book
Ethics is all the rage throughout society these days; the ethics of business i s no excep ti on. Today, i ntegrity is important to bus i ness performance and acceptance by soc iety. Soc iety expects busi ness' adherence to mo ral s tandards such as hones ty, fa irness, and ju stice. This book prov ides a b road overv iew of th e Canadi an business system an d society's expectat i ons of i t.
The book's title emphasizes "bus i ness and soc iety" in a ddition to t hree key words: e thic s, responsi bi l ities, and sustai nabi l ity. The ethics of bus iness refers to th e rules, standards, codes, values, or princ i ples that prov ide gu idance fo r morall y appropri ate behav i our in manage rial dec i si on-making re lati ng to the ope ra ti on of busi nesses and business's relationshi p with soc iety. B usiness is accepted by soc iety as Jong as it r ecognizes the responsi bi l ities in its operati ons and cons iders the needs and des ires of soc iety The result has been increas ing obl igati ons with bus i ness agreeing to do more. Sustainab ility rep resents a management approach that integrates economic, ethi cal, and env ironmen ta l responsibilities i nto all management systems.
The corporation-the main business insti tuti on-accept~ th e necessity fo r integ rity in business and recogni zes the accompany i ng responsi bi l ities. Throug hout the book, the term co,poration is used to r ep rese nt bus iness enterpr ises. The forma l and legal e n tity of the corporation does not supply all the goods an d se rv ices to soc iety, but it is by far the princ i pal bus i ness ins ti tution.
The e t hics and respons i bi liti es o f business in socie ty are connec ted to the concept of stakeholders, indi v idual s or organi zati ons that influence t he corporation and/or th at are i nfluenced by th e co rporation. Thi s concep t wi ll be descr ibed fully i n the book and is key to th e connecti on to o r li nkage bet,veen business and society
Fourth Edition Changes
The re have been re vis ions to all c hap ters with the most substanti al being Chapters 3, 4 , I 0, 1 1, an d 16. C hap te r 3 now cover s the identificati on of stakeho lde rs and i ssues whi le Chapter 4 covers s takehol der and issue analysis. Chapter JO has been r enamed to refl ec t a more focused di scussi on of regu lation, " Regu l ating B u si ness' E thic s and Respons i bi liti es." The emphasis is less on government regu l ation with addi tional discussion of marke t and self-regu l ation. In C hap te r 11 the d i scuss i on of ownershi p types ha~ been reduced and replaced with topics refl ec ti ng the i nfluence of owners fo r soc ial and env ironmen ta l responsi bi l ities. The chap ter's ti tle has been changed to " Respons ib le Ownership and G overnance" to indicate t he role of owne rs in soc i al respons ib ili ty. Chapter 16 has been rev ised to focus on new concepts emerg ing in bus i ness and soc iety. The new ti tle is "T he Soc i al ization of Cap ital i sm" which is the process thr ough which t he bus iness system conforms to th e expectations of soc ie ty resulti ng in desired soc ia ll y responsi ble outcomes.
New topics and the enh ancement of ex isti ng ones includ e : soc ial media (C hap te r I); income and gender i nequal i ty (Chapter 2); an i mal s as s takehol ders (Chapter 3); issue sal ie nce analys is (Chapter 4); robots and ethics (Chap ter 5); ethi cal leadershi p forms (Chapter 6); government et hical framework pol icy and ethics and taxation (Chap ter JO); management info rmation c ircul ars (Chapter 11 ); and the fourt h sector, shari ng economy, for-ben efi t and B-corporati ons, and sustai nable cap ital ism (Chapter 16). O ther changes are identi fied in the the fo ll owing overview of the book's contents
Overview of the Book 's Contents
The topics covered in the book repre sent a consensus on the current subj ec ts making up the bus iness and soc iety fie ld . B usiness and the co rporati on operate wit hin various soc ietal environments, 1 and these e nv ironments p rovide a bas is for the book's organ i zation .
• B usi n ess Environmen t -The description of th e bus i ness e nvironment is given i n C hapters I, 2, and 16. Chapter 1, "The Rel ationship between Busi ness and Soc iety," prov i des an overv iew to the book and descr ibes the concept of business and society. Othe r top ics covered in thi s chapter inc l ude an outl i ne of t he Canadian bus i ness system, th e role of the corporati on, th e stakehold ers responsible for ope ra ting corporati ons, a b rief in trodu ction to ethical thi nking , and soc iety's acceptance of busi ness. Chapter 2, " Ethics and Capita li sm," descr ibes the fundame nta ls of cap ital i sm upon whi ch the Canadi an bus iness system i s based. It is impo rtant to understand t hese fundame nta ls, a~ the e thical imp lications associated with them reappear throug hout the book. Finall y, Chapter 16, focuses on new deve lopments i n the rel ationship be tween bus iness and soc iety.
• S t a keh olde r E n vironme n t -Chapters 3, 4, 11, 12, and 13 focus on s takeholders and the ir rel ationships w ith business and the corporation. Chap ter 3, " Identify ing Stakeho lders and Issues," gives a detai led li st of a corporation's stakeholders and the rational e for the s takeholder concept. The fo ll owing chap ter, "Stakeho lder and Issue Analysis," advances the d iscussion of s takeholders by presenting approaches to the corpo ration's interrel ationships w ith s t akeholders. A l though stakeho lders are referred to throughout the textbook, some are s tu died in more de tai l. Owners and d irectors i n Chapter 11, " Responsi ble Ownershi p and G overnance"; emp loyees, consumers, competitors, and suppl iers in Chapter 12, "Ethi cs and Responsibi li ti es in the Workpl ace and Marketplace "; and non-governmen ta l organizations, media, t hink tanks, rel igi ous organizations and education institutions i n Chapter 13, "Ci vi l Soc iety Stakeholders. "
• Ethi ca l E n vi r on ment-The ethi cal env ironmen t is addressed in t,vo chapters: Chapter 5, "Ethics of B us iness: The Theoretical Bas is," and Chapter 6, " E thi cs of Busi ness: Management and Leadership." The former chapter outl i nes several theoretical ethical princ i ples that wi ll assi st in understanding and analyz ing moral di lemmas and integrity i ssues confronting bus iness and the corporation. The l att er chapter takes a pragmatic approach to outlin ing the manager ial techni ques or me thodologies of ethics programs in corporations.
• S ocial E nviron men t -S i mi lar to t he approach t aken w ith the ethical environment, the soc ial env ironment is di scussed from theoreti cal and practical perspectives. Chap ter 7, " Corporate Social Responsibi li ty: The Concept," descri bes the various theories of soc ial responsi bi l ity that can be used when anal yz ing issues and cases throughout the book. In Chap ter 8, "Corporate Soc i al R espons ibi l ity: I n Practi ce," the approaches taken by corporati ons to implement their social respons ib il ities are outl i ned.
• R egul ator y E n vi r on m en t -Busi ness an d the corporation are accoun table to stakeholders as they are influenced by them in various ways . I n effect, this is a form of regu lati on of the corporation. Chap ter 9, "Measuri ng, R eporti ng, and Communicating CS R," identifies au diti ng processes used by corporati ons in reporting how they respond to their economi c, stakeholder, ethical , and soc ial env ironments Chapter JO, "Regulati ng B us i ness' Ethics and Responsibi li ti es," identifies the range of regu lati on-from government legi sl ation and pol ic ies through to se lf-regulat i on performed by industry assoc i ations and the corporation i tself Corporate governance is, i n effec t , the regu l ation or oversi ght of t he corporati on's ac ti vi ti es prov ided by t he board of directors. Corporate governance has been reformed in recen t years, with emphas is placed on the corporati on 's e thics and respons ib il ities .
• Ecol ogical Envi r o nmen t -The natural or eco logical environment is considered in Chapter 14, " T he Env ironmen t and B us iness R espons ib il ities " Eco logy is a major issue invol ving many respons i bil iti es and thus is discussed a~ a separate chap ter.
• I n ternatio nal Envi r o nmen t -The in ternational env ironment, al so referred to as globalization, involves many ethical issues and responsibi lit ies. Chapter 15, " G lobal ization and Bus iness Responsi bi l ities," outl i nes how g l obal izati on is impacting almost every business and identifies how corporati ons are respondi ng
The business and soc iety field can be described through the primary frameworks that are identi fied and d iscussed in an article by Schwartz and Carroll as:
• Corporate soc ie ty responsibil i ty
• B us iness ethi cs
• S takeholder management
• Sustainab il ity
• Corporate c iti zenship2
The conten ts are al so consi stent with t he new domain s tatemen t for the Academy of Managemen t's Soc ial Issues i n Managemen t Di v is ion which "studies the soc ial i ssues, i nstitutions, i nteractions, and impacts of managemen t " In par ti cular, the Division addresses: individual and organ izati onal ethics; organizational an d system ic governance; and s takeholder behaviours, re lationshi ps, and systems.3
The frameworks are covered throughou t the book and, w ith the env ironments descr ibed above, prov ide a comprehensi ve and con temporary view of the ethics, respons ib il ities, and sustai nabi l ity of bu si ness.
Features and Benefits of the Book
• A u ni q u e a p p roach. Each chapter offers unique materials or extens i ve descr ipti ons of various topics as they re late to the ethics, respons ib il ities, and sus tainab il ity of busi ness. E thics refers to the fa irness and i ntegr ity w ith which business functions i n soc ie ty; responsib il ities refers to the increasing obligations that business is agreeing to undertake in soc iety; and sustai nabi l ity represen ts a management approach that integrates economi c, ethi cal, and environmental respons ib il ities into all managemen t systems.
• A buildin g a p p r oa ch. The sequence of the chap ters and the concepts cove red enable students to learn about business and soc ie ty i ncremental ly. T hu s, concepts re lat i ng to capit al ism and the economic respons ib il ities of the corporati o n are in trodu ced early, fo ll owe d by the stakeholder concept. Thi s body of knowledge is key to understandi ng th e subsequ ent chap ters. S imi larly, theoreti cal materia l is fo ll owed by manager ial practi ce i n the soc i al and ethi cal environme nts and becomes the bas is fo r u nde rstan di ng the disc u ss ions in parts IV an d V.
• A focus on C a n adian con t en t T he material i n the book empha~ izes Canadi an conten t ; it is an indigenous manuscri pt ra ther than a conversio n of an Ame rican or European text.
• Busi n es s an d managerial p ersp ecti ves. The book is wri tte n from the perspective of bus iness and man agers, as they have to cope w ith soc ia l , ethical , an d enviro n mental respons ib ili ties while a lso hav ing to meet economi c responsibi li ti es. The materi als are not intended to make judgments about bus iness behaviour , but instead to i ncr ease the understanding of businesspersons an d managers of the ir in fluence on soc iety an d of soc iety's i nfl uence on busi ness. Both good and undes irab le examp les of bu si ness behaviour are prese nted.
• Non -profi t se c t or inc l u d ed Non-profit organ i zati ons also play a role in b us iness and soc iety This sector is represented by stakeholders s uch as non-govern mental organizations, educ at i onal insti tutions, re li gious groups, an d char iti es. T hese stake ho lders are i mpor t ant in social respons ibi l ity i niti at i ves described thr ou ghout t he book but parti cu larly in Chapters 7, 8, an d 9 Mos t of C hapter 13, "Civil Society Stakeholders, " is devoted to non-profit s takehol de rs. Chap ter 16 incl u des a di scuss ion o f the interacti on between busi ness and the non-profit sector .
• A stud en t p ers pec ti ve. E ffo r ts have been made to present materi al s, v ig nett es, example inserts, and cases to w hic h stu dents can relate. S tu dents are t he future bus i ness leaders an d managers and mus t u nder stan d the dy nami c r e lati onshi p ber.veen busi ness and soc iety an d the e thics and responsibi li ties i nvolved More emphasi s has been put on the ethi cs, respons ib il ities, and su stai nabi l ity of students, i n busi ness programs, and at ed ucational i nstitu ti ons.
• " Lea rn more" b oxes . Readers who want to know more about certai n top ics are d irected to "Go to Connec t" where appl icable.
Ch apter 1
• Adam Smi th
• Corpo ra te wrongdoing in Canada
• Academi c i ntegri ty
Ch apter 2
• The righ t to i ntellec tu al proper ty
• Ine qual ity and why it is an issue for bus i ness
• B usiness fundamen ta ls an d the s to ry of T he L ittl e Red
He n
Ch apter 3
• Sai nt H omo bonus
• Assess i ng in formation about stakeholders
• Ide ntify ing and e ngaging stakeholders
Ch apter 4
• The princ iples of stakehol der managemen t
• Matr ix mapp ing
• In fluence s tr ategies
Ch apter 5
• Ayn Ran d
• Et hics cowboy style
• Your ethi cs
Ch apter 6
• G ivi ng vo ice to values
• A gui de to practic al ethics
• Bu s iness eth ics by j oi ni ng a b log
Cha p ter7
• S ustai nabi l ity
• Corporate Knights
• CS R jobs
Cha p ter 8
• M os t social ly responsi ble corporations i n Can ada
• Canadia n corpo ra te vol untee ri sm
• CS R an d small business
Cha p ter 9
• T rus ti ng bus i ness
• Evalu ating sustainab il ity reports
• CS R i n Can adian bus iness
Cha p ter 10
• Your view of govern ment regulati on
• Lobby ing government
• Canadia n taxation pol ic ies
Cha p ter 11
• What share ho lders are dem an di ng of corpo rati ons
• S hareholder democr acy
• Investmen t scams an d frauds
Chapter 12
• Pri vacy in the workp lace
• Ethical products and services
• Sustainab il ity in supply c hains
Chapter 13
• Di gita l protest move ments
• " Watc h" s ites
• Th e efforts of OpenMedia.ca to keep the Interne t affordab le
Chapter 14
• Th e "tragedy of the commons"
Encouraging Critical Thinking
• Calcu l ating your carbon foo tpri nt
• An env ironmental fo lk song
Chapter 15
• The Internati onal Prin c iples for Respons i ble Investment
• Transparency Internation al
• G lobal corporate corrupti on
Chapter 16
• Types of cap italism
• Canadian soc ial enterpr ises
• The shar ing economy
Critic al thi nking i s a hi gher-order inte ll ectual , purposefu l thought and action process It integrates inquiry, reflecti on, and de li beration to fac i l itate more th oro ugh and meaningfu l learni ng. Thi s book enab les students to accompl ish this in several ways: by introduc ing new ideas and concepts, l inking ideas to ill us trati ons, address ing issues from d i fferent perspectives, and expos ing readers to new sources of informati on. Th e concepts, theories, and i ll ustratio ns allow s tu dents to u se t he ir s kills to c l arify facts, assess information , fo rmul ate and defe nd the ir own i ntellectual pos itions, and deve lop appropriate courses of acti on. T he pedagogical approaches listed below e ncourage s tu den t criti cal t hinking The Ins tructor 's Manual provides teachers w it h additi onal material s that wi ll e nhance this process.
Pedagogy:UserApproach
• Learnin g Outcom es At the begi nni ng of eac h c hapter, numbered Learn i ng Outcomes are l is ted. These tie in with the numbered sec tion headin gs i n each chapter
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter. you will be able to:
LO 4 .1 Explai n stakeholder analys is in an organ izati on
LO 4 2 Descr i be s takeholde r management capabi li ty.
LO 4 .3 Unde rs tand s takeho lder matrix mapp ing.
LO 4 .4 D iscuss the di agnostic typo logy of organizational stakeholders.
• In-d epth exa mp les Ins tead of inserting num erous but short one- or t wo-senten ce examples i n the text, thi s book takes a differen t approach. Len gthi er boxed in se rts al low for more discussion of the examp les. The t\VO types of boxes are Everyday Ethi cs and Respons ib il ity for E thics.
• Eve r y day E thi cs boxes prov ide examp les not only of best prac ti ces, but al so of inappropri a te or questionab le practices. More than 20 new Everyday Ethics boxes have been inc l uded and a ll the remai ni ng ones updated Ins tructors are provided w ith ad di tional informati on to faci lita te classroom discussion i n the I nstructor 's Manu al and online.
The Ethics of Robots
A robot is defi ne d as an en g ineered m ach ine tha t sen se s, thi nks and acts . M ore a utono mous r obo ts a re bein g c rea ted and a c hall e nge ex is ts relati ng to how robots fa ce ethica l d eci s io ns, th a t is, ho w ca n th ey be d es ig ned t o make mo ral j udg ments . Ro bots are presentl y used in ma nufactu rin g, th e m il ita r y, and automated aircra ft, trains, a nd moto r vehicl es . From a con s um er perspec ti ve , dri ve rless cars and robo fin a nc ial ad visors are be ing des igne d . There w ill be increa s ing use o f robo ts in t he are as of research , en terta inm e nt , med ic i ne and pe rsonal c are.
• Respo ns i bili ty for E t h i cs boxes r efe r to or desc ri be indi vi dual s, organizations, practices, or concepts that affect or influence the behav iour of bus iness leader s, manage rs, or corporations. Mo st descri be the roles or influ e nc e of stake ho lders. Thirteen ne w Res pons ibi lity for Ethic s boxes have been i ncluded and the r e maining ones updated.
Best Corporate Governance Practices
Each year Th e Globe and Mail iden tifies the best corporate boards in Canad a. The cri ter ia used in assess i ng the Boards of D irectors i nc l uded:
• Board Compos itio n-the pe rcent of i ndependent directors , board di versity, i n particu lar, the number of women, and the approach to eval uation of directo rs.
• O p e n i n g vi gnettes. All v ig ne ttes are ori g inal and based on Canadian mater ial s and examp les. Each chapter begins w ith a real -world situation that i ntroduces the c hap ter conten t . A ll require an i ndi v idual to r espo nd to an issue or d il e mma.
Fi ve ne w v ignettes are i ncluded in this edition and seve ral others have been r ev ised.
What would you do if... ?
George Lafon t a i ne ha d a lways been an e nt h us i as t i c Vo lkswa g en (VW) custome r. As a young m an , he drove a Beet le, th en as he g o t ol d e r h e purc h ased a Go lf, t hen a Jetta, a nd m o st rece nt ly a Passat. It was t i me f or George t o pu rchase a new car, but he was hes ita t i ng a t buyi n g anoth er Vo l kswage n He had heard s o me d i st urb i n g news abo ut VW's use o f software man i p ul ation d evices to avo i d regula t e d emissions standa rd s. At first it was be l ieve d t o b e a n iso late d i nc iden t , the result of a few rogue em p loyees. But , invest igati ons by t h e me di a a nd o the rs f ou nd t h at th is was not the case. In fact , so m e bel ieved that un eth i ca l b ehaviours were com m on i n the a uto i n du stry.
• " Your A d vi ce t o " b oxes T hese boxes have been p laced before e ach chapter summary and re la te back to the chap ter ' s opening v ignett e.
Your advic e t o Georg e ..
G e org e l ike ly f eel s t ha t h e has bee n le t down b y th e co rp ora t i on an d h e l ik ely h as doub t s a b out CS R
T h e i ssu e i s w het h e r or no t VW 's rep uta t i on has been damag e d so s e v e rel y t hat he may not t rust th e co rporat ion . H e has n o t bee n p e rsona l ly harm ed financ i a lly, but t he e nvi ronm e nt is suffe ri ng be ca u se of VW's d e lib erate un e t hica l behavi ou r T h e cha lle ng e fo r G e o rg e is how h e can ass e ss and b el i ev e th e CSR cl aims of VW an d f o r tha t matte r, th e c la i ms o f any automo bile co rp o rati on. Unfort unately, som e corpo rat ions be com e so f ocus e d on a goa l, i n t his cas e t o become t h e wor ld's la rg e st car manufactu re r, tha t t he y a re w i lli ng to ignore th ei r own CSR po l ic ie s.
• End-of -ch a p ter cases. Ca~es r e levant to th e c hapter content can be found in the end-of-chap ter material . The cases are o f two types: ( I ) desc ri pti ve of an i ssue in bus iness and soc iety to w hich manageme nt must respond and can be u sed as a bas i s for di scussi on ; an d (2) dec i sio n making in th at the s tu de nt faces a dilemma th at mus t be a ddressed. Fourteen new cases are i ncluded in this edi tion , and many o thers have been altered and upda ted.
Cases
8.1 RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL CONSUMP TI ON
Twe lve producers of beer , wi ne and spiri ts h ave fo rmed an indu stry assoc iat io n, Producers' C ommitmen ts, dedic ated to t he reduc tion of harmful drinkin g. The fi ve key areas to be addressed are: r educ in g underage drinking; strengthening a nd expan din g marketi ng codes of practi ce; provi ding co nsum er in fo rmatio n and responsib le product i nnovati on; reduc ing dri nking and driv ing; an d enl isting th e s upport of retai lers to reduce harmfu l drinking. They also s upport th e World Health O rgan i zat ion's (W H O ) G lobal Strategy to Reduce Ha n nful Use of A l cohol. 1\vo members of th e assoc iation are D iageo pie and Molson C oors.
• " Learn more" boxes. Boxed fea tures d irecti ng r eaders w ho want to know more a bout ce rta in chap ter topics to " Go to Con nect" are i ncluded w here app lic able.
Iii connect
Want to l earn more abou t what shareho l ders are demanding of corporat i ons ?
• Cri t i ca l T h inking and D iscussion Q u estions Ever y c hapter e nds w ith a se t of questi ons that chall enge th e s tu de nts to apply the concepts th ey have learned in each c hapter. Some qu estio ns requ ire students to think o n the ir own to unders tand and eval uate concepts and, in some instances, to apply th em appropri ately. Oth er questi ons are des ig ned to gene rate d i sc uss io n an d the articulation o f d i ffe ren t po ints of view
Critical T hinking and Discussion Q uestions
I. Is the work ethic concept re levant in today's workplace?
2. Why shou ld emp loyees be loyal to the corporati o n? How does the cor porati o n express its loyalty to employees?
3. What does the corporation gai n from wo rkplace diversity?
4. To what extent does the consumer sovereignty concept apply in today's marketplace?
5. Are consumers adequately protec ted i n the marke tp lace?
6. What are t he pros a nd cons when competition r esu l ts i n the failure of a bus iness?
• E t h i cs, Respo nsi bilities, a n d S u sta i na bili t y C a s es Longer cases are inclu ded t hat all ow for more in-depth discussion of issues and di lemmas rel ating to the ethics, respons ib il ities and sustai nabi l ity of bus iness. The cases are of two types: (I) descrip ti ve of an issue in busi ness and soc ie ty to whi ch managemen t must respond and can be used as a basis for d i scussion of the i ssue; and (2) dec is ion making in that the stu dent faces a dilemma that mus t be addressed. T,vo new cases are prov ided.
Energy Drinks at Prairi e Pharmacy1
Victor Lukas ik has jus t taken over the operation of the fam i ly drug s tore, Pr airie Pharmacy. The pharmacy was s tarted by his grandfather and carried on by his father, who now is semi- retired working as a re li ef or part-time pharmacist. The pharmacy was located in a Western Can ada comm unity of about 5,200 tha t was also served by a large retai l drugstore chain. Despite the competition, Prairie Phar macy conti nued to p rosper because the loyalty of long-time custome rs and its personalized service. The phar macy had started as a prescription filling outlet and sold a few over the counte r mediations. Over the years, the pharmacy had g rown and now sold a large variety of over- the-counte r medicat ions, snack food, candies and soft drinks, cosmetics, gree t ing cards, magazi nes, and personal care products. It had a Canada Post franchise o ut let.
The book's con tents have been devel oped and designed to make the study of Canadian bus i ness and soc iety a ttractive and chall eng ing. The capital i st busi ness sys tem ex ists in Canada and the ethics, respons i bi li ti es, and sustainabil ity of bus i ness must be s tudied in thi s con tex t E thi cal chal lenges do ex ist, and corporations shou ld be held accountable for the responsibilities they have to Canadians . Increas ingly, Canadian business is moving toward corporate sus ta i nability strateg ies. It i s hoped thi s book w i ll i ncrease stu dents' u nders tandi ng of Canadi an bu si ness and soc iety.
MARKET LEADING TECHNOLOGY
• connect
Lea rn w ithout Limits
McGraw- Hi ll Connect® is an award-winn i ng di g ital teachi ng and learning p latform tha t g ives stu dents t he means to better connect w it h their coursework, w ith the ir i nstruc tors, an d w ith the important concepts tha t they wi ll need to know for success now and i n the future. With Connect, i nstruc tors can take advantage of McGraw- H ill Education ' s trusted con tent to seam less ly del iver assignments, qu izzes and tests onl ine. McGraw- H ill Connect is the on ly learning p latform that conti nual ly adapts to each studen t, del i vering precise ly what t hey need, when they need it , so c lass t i me is more engaging an d effective. Connec t makes teaching an d learn i ng personal , easy, and proven.
C o nn e c t Key F ea tu r es:
S mar tBook®
As the first an d on ly adapti ve reading experience, Smar tBook is chang ing the way students read and learn. SmartBook creates a personalized readi ng experience by highl ighting the mos t i mportan t concepts a student needs to learn at t hat moment in ti me. As a s tudent engages with SmartBook, the reading experi ence continuous ly adapts by highligh ti ng content based on what each student knows an d doesn't know. This ensures that he or she is focused on the conten t needed to c l ose spec ific knowledge gaps, while it simultaneou s ly promotes l ong-term learning.
Co nn ect Insi ght ®
Connec t I nsight is Connect's new one-of-a-kind visual analytics dashboard-now avai l ab le for both instructors and students-that prov ides at-a-g lance i nformation regarding student performance, which is immedi ately actionable. By presenting assignment, assessment, and top ical performance results together with a time metric that is easily vis ible for aggregate or indiv idual results, Connect Ins ight g i ves the user the ability to take a just-in-time approach to teaching and learni ng, which was never before avai l ab le Connect I nsight presents data t hat empowers s tudents and helps ins tructors improve c lass performance in a way that is effic ien t and effec ti ve.
S impl e A ss ignment M ana gem ent
W ith Connect, creating ass ignment~ is eas ier than ever, so i nstructors can spen d more time teaching and less time manag ing.
• Assign SmartBook learn i ng modu les.
• Instructors can edi t existing questions and create t he ir own questions.
• Draw from a var iety of text specific questions, resources, and test bank materi al to assign onl ine.
• S treamline lesson p l anning, student progress reporti ng, and ass ignment grading to make c l assroom management more effic ien t than ever.
S mar t G radi ng
When it comes to study ing, time is precious. Connect helps stu dents learn more effic ien tly by prov idi ng fee dback and practice material when they need it , where they need it.
• Automatically score assignments, g iv ing students immediate feedback on the ir work and compari sons with correct answers.
• Access and review each response; manually change grades or leave comments for sn1dents to rev iew.
• Track i ndi v idual student performance-by ques ti on, assignment or in re lation to the class overall-w ith detai led grade reports.
• Reinforce c l assroom concepts with practice tests and instant qu i zzes.
I ntegrate grade reports eas ily with Learning Management Systems including Blackboard, D2L, and Moodie.
Ins tructor Li brary
The Connect I nstructor Library is a repository for additi onal resources to i mprove s tudent engagement i n and out of the c l ass. It provides all the cri tical resources i nstruc tors need to build the ir course.
• Access I nstructor resources.
• View ass ignments and resources created for pa~t sections.
• Post your own resources for students to use.
I NSTRUCTOR RESOURCES
• Ins tructor 's Manual : Includes comments on each chapter's openi ng v ignette, material by secti on with the objective for each secti on, additional notes/materia ls/suggestions for ins tructors, responses to discuss ion questi ons, analysis of cases, ad di tional resources such as references to case s tudies relevant for each chapter, v ideo resources, an d ass ignments/ questi ons.
The IM al so provides addi ti onal informati on on the E very day E thi cs and Resp ons ibili ty for E thi cs boxes. The boxes are cons idered a key aspect of the text. Rather t han give hundreds of one-l ine examp les, the examples/illustrations in the
boxes g i ve more detai led i nformati on, and are cons tr ucted so that ins tr u ctors can use them for di scussi on purposes or ass ignments. Features found throughout the boxes include:
• Discuss ion questions
• Additional information
• Suggested assignments for s tuden ts
• Updated information
• Internet l inks an d re lated s ites
• Compu teri zed Test Bank: Our ground-up, comprehens i ve Computerized Test Bank is flex ible and easy-to-use. Ins tructors can create tes ts from book-specific items , i ncluding a wide range of qu es ti on types (true/fal se, mu l tiple-cho ice, essay questions), and add their own questi ons. Mu ltip le versions of the test can be created , and any test can be expor ted for use with WebCT, B lackBoard, or any o ther course managemen t system.
• Po,verPointT~1 Prese ntati on Slid es : These v isuall y stimula ting s lides prov ide an overview using ill ustrations, defin iti ons, and examp les, focusing on the primary concepts in each chapter.
eB ook
Connec t re invents the textbook learn i ng experi ence for t he modern student. Every Connect subject area i s seaml ess ly in tegrated with Connect e Books, which are designed to keep s tuden ts focused on the concepts key to their success.
• Provide students with a Connect eBook, all ow ing for anyti me, anywhere access to the textbook.
• Merge medi a, animati on, and assessmen ts w ith the text 's narrative to engage students and i mprove learn i ng and retenti on.
• Pi npo int an d connec t key concepts in a snap using the powerful eBook search engine.
• Manage no tes, high l ights, and bookmarks in one p lace for s i mple, comprehens ive rev iew.
SUPERIOR LEARNING SOLUTIONS AND SUPPORT
The McGraw- Hi ll Education team is ready to help ins tructors assess and i ntegrate any of our products, technol ogy, and serv ices in to your course for optimal teachi ng an d learn i ng performance. Whether it's helping your s tuden ts improve their grades, or pu tt i ng your entire course online, the McGraw- Hi ll Education team is here to hel p you do it. Con tact your Learn i ng Sol utions Consu l tant today to learn how to maximi ze all of McGraw- Hill Education's resources.
The Relationship between Business and Society
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, you will be able to :
LO 1.1
LO 1.2
LO 1.3
LO 1.4
LO 1.5
LO 1 6
LO 1.7
LO 1.8
LO 1.9
LO 1.10
Describe the complexity of the interrel ationships bet\veen business and society
Define the terminol ogy relati ng to the in tegri ty of business.
Differentiate bet\veen the three mai n approaches to ethi cal thinking.
Provide a brief description of the Canadi an bus i ness system
Exp lai n the role of the corporation as the mai n economi c i nstituti on in the business system.
Recogni ze t hat bus iness operates w ith the consent of soc iety.
Summar ize fac tors that influence soc iety's a tt itudes toward business that lead to criticisms o f the sys tem
Identify the three stakeho lders mai nly responsible for the opera tion of Canadi an businesses.
Understand the relati onshi p between bus i ness and academi c in tegri ty.
Describe the i ntegrati on of bus iness and soc iety.
What would you do if... ?
Ange l a Cleg g was in the second month o f he r bus iness program She was e njoying the courses and in teracti ng with he r stu de nt colleagues. She was having a good t ime and fe lt that she had made a correct d ecis ion t o e nte r th e program
When Ange l a announced that she was t aking b usiness, many of he r friends questioned the wisdom o f her choice by p oint i ng ou t various b usiness misdeeds. They sa id th at th e financia l crisis i n 2008 - 09, and t he economic down turn that followed, was caused by t he g reed and mismanagemen t of b ankers, p articu l ar ly in th e United Sta t es and Europe. H er friends pointed out th at insult had b een added to injury when ta xp ayers, through their govern m ents, had to ba il ou t some banks and automobi l e com p an ies. Seve ra l other e x am pl es prese nte d to her in volved financial advise rs who destroyed p eo pl e's l ife savi ngs with fraudu len t Ponzi schemes; massive reca lls of au t omo bi les, especia ll y Toyot as and VWs; e nv i ronm e ntal damag e of the A lberta o i l sands; excess ive executive compensati on schemes; and nume rous p l an t c losu res throwing th ousands out o f work. Last ly, h e r fri e nds said th e re are no ethics in b us in ess and that " bu siness eth ics" is an oxymoron.
Th ese a rguments did not discou rage Ange la. She was aware of eth i cs in bus iness and society and o f social respo nsibil ity from th e exte nsive coverage th ey were rece iving in the med i a. The med i a fre qu ent ly carri ed st or ies a b out b usiness eth ics and social res p onsibility. M any corp orations even t ook ou t advertisements in newspape rs, including Ange la's campus newspape r, descr i bing t h e con t ri butions th ey we re making t o the commun ity. A lso, Ange la had p art icipated in the Junior Ach i eveme nt p rog ram in high schoo l and e njoyed d eve lop ing and opera t ing a small ventu re.
During a student society meeti ng, Angela heard a b out an interesting proposa l - "T h e First Year Pl edge o f Social Just ice, Economic Strength, and Environm e ntal Responsi bi lity":
I pledge that during my years in higher education I will explore and take into account the social, economic, and environmental cons e qu ences of my b ehaviour and that of my institution. I will learn about issues of environmentalism, social justice, and economic strength, and will try to promote a sustainable and just society both at my institution and in the wider world.
Th e pl edge was deve loped in the United States but seemed ap p lica bl e to Canadian b usiness stu dents. The pu rpose of th e pl edge was to inc rease awa reness of social respo nsib i lity among studen t s through teach in g and by encouraging t hem to undertake socia l i n it iatives whi l e in schoo l. Exampl es g iven o f such init i atives in cluded counsell i ng e ntreprene urs on e thi cs, o rg anizing recycl ing p roject s on campus, assist in g Abo ri g i nal bu siness e nterpr is es, and d evelo ping financ ia l l iteracy programs for t eens and senio rs. It was argued t hat a business p rog ram would b e g iven added m ea n i ng through p articipat ing in these init iatives rathe r than m e re ly re lying on t he comp l et i on o f courses.
Ange l a had some qu estions a b out t he p ledge pro p osa l. Would it ma ke any diffe re nc e? In pa rt icu lar, wou ld her friends v i ew her goals to succeed i n bus iness any d iffe rent ly? Wou ld anyone recogn iz e or res p ect the pl edge? What would b e expecte d of h e r?
What is you r advice to Ange la?
Sources: North Carolina CamptL, CompacL Digest. April 2009. hltp://org elon.edu/nccc/news/ResourcesApril09.hunl: and Combining First-Year Engagement and Civic Engagement." Inside Higher Ed. January 28. 2008. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/0l/28/engage.
Eth ic al imp lic ations are present in all face ts of l ife, and bu s iness and soc ie ty i s no excepti on. Fo r this re a so n, s tudents of bus iness sh ou ld learn about e thic s in t he re lati on shi p be tween bus in ess and s oc iety. Thi s chapter g i ves so me backg round o n the setti ng fo r u nde rs tanding th e comp lex ity of th e re lati ons hi p T he factors infl ue nc ing morali ty in Canadi an bus i ness are id e nti fi ed. The ro le o f t he corpor ation i s outli ne d , as it is th e pr inc ip al ins ti tuti on in th e bu s iness syst e m along w ith t he three main stake ho lde rs in th e g overnance and manage ment of the corpor ation--owners, boards of director s, and manager s S ociety has expectati ons of bu s iness, and var iou s factors in fl uen ce socie ty 's att itu des toward b us iness The poss ib le co nnecti on betwee n academi c i nte gr ity an d t he et hi cs of bu si ness is al so d i sc ussed.
LO 1.1 The Complexity of Business and Society
Canadi an business and society is a fasc inating topic. It invo lves studying the history and background of the Canadian bus iness system i n additi on to examin i ng the contemporary issues confronting bus iness. It i s very important to ob tain all the viewpo ints that contri bute, or shou ld contr ibu te, to what bus iness' role w ill be in soc iety. Canadi an society compri ses many institutions and groups that i nteract, includi ng governments, l abour unions, minori ty groups, environmental ists, consumers, the commun icati ons media, business organizati ons, and a variety of in terest groups or non-governmental organi zati ons. All have an impo rtant ro le to p lay, and all, in some way, influence busi ness dec is ion making . T his book emphasizes several things about the Canadi an business system, w ith certain goal s in particu lar:
I To i ncrease awareness of the system by describing Canadi an capi tali sm, the stakehol ders invo lved, and socie ty's attitudes toward busi ness;
2 . To identify business' response to its role in society by examining who owns and runs business corporati ons, how bus i ness has incorporated ethics and respons ib il ities into its ope rati ons, an d how busi ness manages its ro le;
3 . To learn how bus iness corporations have responded to many challenges in their env ironment; and
4 To address the above from t he perspec ti ve of the manager or owner of a corporation to emphasize the dynamic nature of t he env ironment in which they manage.
Rather than focus ing on what is r ight or wrong beyond any doub t, the emphas is in thi s tex t is on the appropri ate analysis of problems and issues usi ng info r mation from a variety of sources, including the confl icti ng and maybe erroneous perceptions of var ious parties as to the motives, str ategies, and tac ti cs of o thers. S i nce we are deal i ng with so many i ndividuals and organizations, perceptions of business vary-from the very negative attitudes held by some pol itical parties and non-governmental organizati ons to the very positi ve attitudes he ld by bu si ness-oriented groups
The issues that arise a~ a resu lt of these differing perceptions and poi nts of view are not eas ily resolved. Sol utions are not al ways strai ghtforwar d or s imple, and tend to be less than opti mum for all i nvolved. Trade-offs are a factor, and what is an app ropriate solution for one group i s not a~ appropr iate fo r another. An opti mum solution is s ti ll sought, but it is certain ly real ized that each group in society wi ll not benefit to the max i mum.
A shift has occurred in what soc iety be lieves bus iness respons ib il ities should be, and at the same t i me many corporati ons are recognizi ng that they must respond to thi s bel ief if they are to surv ive and continue to be profitable. As a resu l t , corporations are consideri ng the fo ll owing i n their re lationship to soc iety:
• Bus iness corporations shou ld meet human ity's needs without harming future generations.
• Social respons ibi li ty or corpo rate sustainab il ity reports publ i shed shou ld move beyond the pu bl ic re lati ons exerc i ses they may have been in the past .
• Increasing numbers o f stakeho lde rs are demandi ng corporati ons account for more than economi c respons ibi l ities.
• Progress i ve and innovative responses to soc i al , ethical , and env ironmental respons ib il ities consti tute a val uable intang ib le asset.
• Executi ves mus t have the skills and competenc ies to manage these additi onal responsibi li ties successfully.
• Responses to these respons ibi l ities w ill determine the co rporations t hat wi ll surv i ve. 1
One attempt at measuri ng the respons iveness of co rporations is the Corporate Knights Magazine's an nual ranking of the bes t corporati ons in Canada descri bed in Everyday Ethics 1.1.
Canada's Best Corpo rate Cit izens
Annu ally, Corporate Knights Magaz ine identi fies t he 50 best corporate citi zens in Canada. In 20 15, th e five top-ranking co rporati ons we re T im Hortons, Vancouver C ity Sav ings Credi t Uni on, Mountain Equi pmen t Co-op, Teck Resources L imi ted, and Telus Cor p.
Corporati ons are eval uated on twelve key performance indicators cover ing resource , empl oyee and financ ial managemen t .
• Energy consumption
• D irect/indirect GHG emi ssions
• Water w ithdrawal
• Waste produced
• T axes paid
• Percentage of women on board of directors and in management positions
• Executi ve compensation tied to clean capital ism
• CEO compensation as a mu ltiple of average worker wages
• Employee safety performance
• Innovation capac ity measured by R & D expenditure
• Employee turnover
• Pension fund status
Source : Fo r indi cator d e tails refe r to "20 15 Bes t 50 Metho do l ogy." Corpomie Knights S ummer 20 15. accessed January 2. 20 16 htt p ://www.corpo ra tekn igh ts .com/magazines/20I5 , best-50-issue/2015 , best , 50-metho d o logy- 14306256 .
Most busi ness academi cs and practitioners woul d agree tha t th e bus iness sys tem is progressing i n the right d irection. H owever, o the r stakehold ers woul d suggest that business is chang ing too s lowly or not at a ll The next section , " I ntegrity i n Busi ness," di scusses the appropri ateness o f t he business rel ationship to soc iety.
LO 1.2 Integr ity in Business
I n the busi ness env ironment, in tegri ty refers to th e appropri ateness of a corporation's behav i our and its adherence to moral gu idel ines acceptable to soc iety s uch a~ honesty, fairne ss, and j ustice. Integrity is th e same as acti ng ethically, but wi thout t he negati ve connotati on, the moral iz ing ton e, or th e sense of nai ve te. According to De George, "Ac ting w ith in tegrity means both ac ti ng in accordance with one's hi ghes t sel f-accep ted norms of behaviour and i mposing on onesel f t he norms demanded by e thic s and moral ity."2 Managing w it h i ntegri ty means that bus iness leaders behave in a manner consis tent wi th th e ir own highest val ues and norms of behaviour, which are se lf- i mposed but at t he same time not arbitrary or self-ser ving. D e George stat es behaviour need not be perfect either: "T he imperative to act w ith integrity cannot insist on moral perfection. It can and does demand taking ethical considerati ons seri ously. " 3 Throughou t thi s book, how bus iness enterpr ises accompl ish i ntegri ty is di scussed and evaluated.
Some fundamenta l points are to be made abou t i ntegri ty i n bus i ness Ethics ex ist throughout soc iety and are not unique to bus i ness. When r eferri ng to business ethics, what is meant is the ethics that apply to business. It does not mean there is a spec ial kind of e t hics peculiar to busi ness and not appl icable e l sewhere i n li fe. Thus, the phra~e " e thic s of bus i ness" i s used in thi s book unl ess r eferri ng to another work or spokesperson.
Key terminol og ies relating to integrity in bus iness are l isted in T able 1. 1. Many defin iti ons for these terms exis t ; the table provides th e bas ics to assis t in unders tanding the ir usage prior to readi ng abou t them in more detai l in the chapters identified within square brackets.
I n t his book, some a~sumptions are made about the i ntegri ty of bus iness:
• E t hics app ly to busi ness in the same manner as they do i n any other i nstituti on in soc iety, for examp le pub lic admini strati on, pol itics, re lig iou s organi zati ons, the professions, and the legal , healt h, and educati onal systems. There are no ethi cs unique to bus iness; it is only the issues and sett i ngs that are di fferent.
• The appropriateness of behav i our is examin ed i n t erm s of the ethical imp lications of address i ng issues or decis ions and o f the dis tribution of harms and benefits to the relevant stakeho lders.
• Integrity results i n th e resp onsib l e corp ora tio n, a business undertaking that responds to soc ial , ethical, and env ironmental responsi bi l ities i n additi on to its economic ob ligations Everyday Ethics 1.2 ill ustrat es how Canadian Nati onal Rai l way Company descri bes its efforts as a respons ib le corporati on.
TABLE 1 1 Key Te r mino logy Relati ng to Integ rity in B usi ness
Et hic s of b u siness : The r u l es, st andards, codes, o r p rinci p l es that p rov ide guidanc e fo r mora ll y a p p ro p r i ate behav iou r in manag e ri a l d ecision making re lating t o the o p e ra tion of the b us iness ente rpri se's and bus iness' rela t ionsh ip w it h soc ie ty [ Cha pte rs 5 and 6 ] It is b roadly defined t o include corpo rate social responsi bi l ity (C SR), co rpora t e sust ainability (C S) , t ri ple b ottom l ine , co rpora t e cit i zensh i p, co rp orat e gove r nanc e, accoun t ability, and envi ronm e nta l stewardship. [Cha pte rs 7, 8 , 9, 11, 14]
St ak ehold e r: An i ndivid ua l or group who can in fl u ence and/ or i s i nflu enced by t he ach ieve m ent of an o rgan i za tio n's p urp ose. [Chapters 3 and 4]
Corp ora t e socia l res po nsi bi lity (CSR ): The way a cor p orat ion ach i eves a ba l ance among its econo m ic, social, and e nv i ronm e ntal responsi bi l it ies i n its ope rations so as t o address stakeholde r expecta t i ons. [C hap ter 7]
Corp ora t e s ust a in a b ili ty (C S) : Corpo rat e activities d e monst rat i ng t h e inclusion o f social and e nvi ronm enta l as we l l as eco nom ic responsi b ili ties in bus i ness ope rations as they i mpact all stakeholders t o e nsu re the lo ng -te rm surv ival of th e cor p orat ion. The term sustainability was first used in t he context o f e nvi ronm e ntal sustainab ili ty, b ut corpo rate susta i nab i l ity has th e wider mean i ng and includes eco no m ic, ethical, and socia l res pons i bi l it ies as we l l. The d iffe rence from CSR is tha t th e respons i b il it ies are complet e ly i nt egrate d to t h e structu re , po l ic ies , and o p erati ons of the corp oration. [ Chapt e rs 7, 16]
Tri ple bottom li ne : The t ri pl e E botto m line (3 E) is the eva l ua t ion of a corpora t ion's pe rformanc e accord ing to a summary of t he econo mic , social or eth ical , and environmen ta l value t h e corpo rati on adds or d est roys A var i ation is th e t r i ple -P bottom line (3P), wh ich is an eva luati on of the corpora t ion's perfo rmanc e accord ing to peo p le, p l anet, and p rofits. [Cha pte r 7]
Corp ora t e ci tiz e n sh ip : A corporation d e monstrat i ng tha t it t akes into account its ro l e in and complete i m pact on society and the env ironmen t as well as its eco nom ic i nfluence. [Cha pte r 7]
De live ri ng Responsibly at Canad ian Nationa l Railway Company (CN)
CN ' s 2014 Sustai nabi l ity Report used the theme of "Deli vering Responsibly" as a key dimension for what the company stands for T his dimension is involved in wha t it does every day: "mov i ng customer goods safely and effic ientl y, ensuri ng env ironmental stewardship, a ttracting and devel op ing the best rai lroaders, adher ing to the hi ghest ethical standards and building safer, stronger communi ties. "
CN's sustainabi l ity strategy covers:
"Governance: We are commi tted to the highest standards of ethical bus iness con d uct.
Environment: We condu ct our operations in a manner that protects the natural environment.
People: We are focused on prov idi ng a safe, supportive work environment th at valu es diversity, respect, integri ty and pride
Safety: We are committed to safeguardi ng employees, asse ts, customers and the communi ties in which we operate at all times.
Community: We contribute to commun111es through our impac t on economic devel opment, outreach 1n communities and communi ty i nvestment programs, including the numerous safety i niti atives that we suppor t ."
Source : '·Delivering Goods Safely and Responsibly." Canadian Nationa l Railway Company. accessed Apri l 28. 20 16. https://www cn ca/en/delivering · responsibly Used with Permission ofCN
These ass umptions do not mean that business is not involved in w ron gdoing or in inappropr iate behav iour, as wi ll be pointed out throu ghout the book. The responses to th e issues created rel ating to the ethics of bus in ess and soc iety are usual ly co mplex, with i mpl ication s for many stake hold ers. Sometim es th e acti ons, so luti ons, or outcomes are unsatisfactory to soc iety, in which ca~e bus i ness may be required to change its behav i our or may vo luntaril y change its behav iour.
I n order to assess th e integrity of bus iness and corporations, a br ief overview of so me approaches to ethical thinkin g are presented.
LO 1.3 M ain Approac h es to Eth ical T hinking
Not everyo ne unde rs tands o r interprets ethi cs in the s ame way, and thus di sagr eement exists as to th e appropriate behaviour by bus iness in soc iety. Many dec is ions invo lvi ng eth ics are made automatically without thinking, based on indi v idual val ue st andards and judgments and not ethi cal pri nc iples. Unfortunate ly, automatic decisions cannot be r e lied upon. D ifferent countries, cultures, and re l ig ion s may define ri gh t and w ron g d i fferently. More comp lexi ty resu lts in s i tuation s w here no option i s c learly ri gh t, g iv ing r i se to di lemm as w he re effort is required to so rt out ri g ht ve rsus wrong. For some di lemm as, th e choice m ight be between w hat some wo uld consider two wrongs. Sometim es, because of th e challenges prese nted, it is preferable to have different views of w ha t is ri ght or w rong.
Throug hout history, ethi c ists have described var ious theor ies and pri nc iples to help unde rstan d the et hi cs of decision making. The difficu l ty is that numerous theor ies exist and some even have multiple interpreta ti ons. This sec ti on describes the three domi nant approaches to normati ve theories of e thics: deonto logical , teleo log ical , and virtue eth ics.
I n deon tol ogical ethi cs , or rule-based th eories of ethic s, actions are ethical if don e for th e sake of what is good without regard for the consequences of the act. Decis ion s are based upon duty and adherence to uni ve rsal princ ip les. In other words, indi viduals have a duty to do the r ight thi ng eve n if the co nsequ en ces of another acti on are preferable. It i s most important to act in a way in w hich one woul d l ike to see others act in th e s ame or s imilar circumstances. A variati on of deonto logy is broadened to the soc ietal le ve l , w her e indi v idual s are born wi th natural ri g hts possessed equall y. But it is di fficult to determine the ri g hts to possess. Another vari ation is based on the princip les of justi ce used to meet a "veil of i gnorance " test. That is to say, a ru le is just i f everyone agrees to it i s made ignorant of the ir positi on in soc iety, thereby e li minating personal bias and guaranteeing fairness. A uni versal ru le would r es ul t that could be u sed in s imi lar c ircumstances and treati ng everyo ne w ith respec t.
Te l eol ogical e thi cs , or consequenti al theorie s of e th ics, focus on the outcomes or res ults of actions. A well-known variation is uti li tariani sm, w hi ch is based on utility or usefu l ness. T he approach looks to th e e nd res ults and i ndi v iduals make dec i s ions based on the co nsequ en ces of the action. Th e dec i sion is bel ie ved to be good if the e nd resu l t is good . A decision is to result in the gr eatest good or happiness for the gr eatest number, and all ows for bad consequences or harms. Thi s approach is u sed every day by indi v iduals and in bus iness to view the rel a ti ve outcomes; that is, th e di strib ution of harm s and benefit~. Thu s, moral character depends upon the practical ma tter re latin g to th e extent to w hich acti ons benefit or harm those involved.
The third approach is vi rtue e thi cs, which e mphas izes th e character or identity of the i ndi v idua l and focu ses upon being rather than doing. Moral ity is based on the de ve lopm e nt of good character traits or virtues and ass um es that a good person wi ll perform eth ically. Th er e are do zens of desirable traits; ni ne we re li sted by Ari stot le-w i sdom, prudence, ju stice, fortitude, courage, l iberal ity, mag ni fic e nce, magnan i mity, and temperance . V irtue ethics acknowledges that a bsolute rules are unl ikely to app ly in all si tuation s Dozen s of poss ible virtues exist, and th e appro ach does not focus on w hi ch sorts of actions are morally permi tted and w hi ch ones are not. An i llus trati on is provided by responses to the question, " What v irtues make a good bus inessperson or leader ?" Poss ible an swers inc l ude foresight, courage, co mmi tment, compassion, respectfulness, and honesty. Table 1.2 compares the three approaches, all of w hich are app licable to th e e thic s of bus iness as any other facet of l ife and soc iety In Chapter 5 , these and other approaches to assess ing ethi cal implications wi ll be described.
Thi s brie f i ntroduction to theoretical approaches to understanding ethics c an be used to assess th e behaviour of Canadian bus in ess, corporations, and managers. Ethical dilemmas often ex i st w here the choice is bet\veen w hat those involved consider two right responses--or , put in the ne gati ve, two wrong respo nses. Diffe re nt approaches can resu l t in two responses where benefits are bestowed on some s take holders and harms to others. Thu s, no matter w hich choice is made, some stake ho lders wi ll cons ider it "wrong."
Another random document with no related content on Scribd:
Miss Trent's car arrived at three o'clock on the following Monday afternoon. Noel was dressed in his best white sailor suit, and was immensely pleased to go off on his own. He sat back against the cushions of the car with such a proud self-satisfied look that his mother and Diana, who stood at the gate waving good-bye, both laughed together
"He does think a lot of himself to-day!" said Diana.
"He's such a baby!" said her mother, almost apologetically
"Miss Constance calls him the Cherub," said Diana. "I don't think he's a cherub when he screams and kicks for nothing."
"But he's getting better, isn't he? I don't hear so many rumpuses now."
"I think he's better since he saw Inez in one of her rages," said Diana gravely. "Oh, Mums, mayn't we have her to tea again?"
"The holidays will soon be here," her mother said, "then you can have her here every day if you like. We must get up some picnics. I should like that poor boy Ted to have a little fun."
"The week after next," sighed Diana; "it seems a long time. But let us talk about the picnics, Mums. I've never been to one, except when we had tea on the beach at Brighton."
Mrs. Inglefield began to describe a picnic in a shady wood where the dinner things could be washed up in a brook, and the tea boiled in a kettle over a real gipsy fire. Diana was enchanted at the sound of it; she had been feeling rather envious of Noel's treat, but now she forgot all about him, and only thought of the joys that were coming to them in the holidays.
Meanwhile Noel was being carried swiftly along through the country lanes, and it seemed that the end of his drive came almost too soon, for he was enjoying it so much. Ladywell Cottage stood in a garden of its own, well back from the road. It was a low thatched house with quaint gables and windows. The door had a deep porch to it in which there were seats; beehives lined a little path that led across the lawn to some apple trees. The hall door stood open, and as Noel came up a little shyly, wondering if he had better go in or ring the bell, he heard Miss Trent calling to him:
"Is that the Cherub? I heard the car. Come along in."
He took off his hat and stepped across the daintily furnished hall into a very pretty little sitting-room, where upon a chintz-covered couch by the open window lay his hostess.
She held out both hands to him.
"Come along. I have been such a dull dog to-day, and I want to be amused! Sit down on that small chair, and let me look at you. Now talk. You talk and I'll listen."
Noel felt absolutely dumb. What could he say?
"Well," she said, looking at him with a little laugh, "I'm sure you have never lost your tongue. And you do know such a lot that I don't. I want to be taught as well as amused."
"Grown-up people aren't taught," said Noel, looking at her in his stolid kind of way
"Oh, aren't they, my little cherub! I'm learning every day of my life."
"I'm not a cherub," said Noel. "I'm a boy."
"Do you know what cherub means? In the Hebrew tongue, it means fullness of knowledge, and the cherubims have it. I think you know a lot that I don't know. I shan't tell you to be quiet about God. I like to hear you talk about Him."
"Reely?"
Noel couldn't quite make out this new friend, but his tongue was loosening.
"Chris says you can think about God, but boys don't talk about Him unless they're with their mothers alone; then they can."
"I wish I were your mother," said Miss Trent, looking at him with a sparkle in her eyes. "Can't you imagine I am?"
"Couldn't!" said Noel briefly
Then after a moment's pause he said:
"Do you ever have the Devil in your house?"
Miss Trent checked her inclination to laugh. The small boy she saw was in dead earnest and could not stand ridicule.
"I hope I don't," she said gravely, "but I'm not sure. What does he come into houses for?"
"To get into your heart," Noel responded in a most cheerful tone. "He comes into mine ever so many times a day. Mums says if you're a good soldier you can keep him out, but he's too strong for me, unless I get behind Jesus Christ and fight him like that. We know a girl who doesn't know about fighting him. She lets him do what he likes with her."
"A great many people do that," said Miss Trent. "Go on, Cherub, tell me more."
"I don't make fren's with the Devil often," Noel went on gravely, "but when Chris gets me down on the ground and sits on me, I don't care nuffin about being good and pleasing God; I only wiss I could kill him, and of course Satan likes me to wiss that, for you know what I am then?"
"What?" asked Miss Trent, looking as if she were enjoying herself.
"A murderer!" said Noel, shaking his head solemnly. "And that's what Julia makes Inez feel. I b'lieve if nobody in'erfered with me I should be a quite good boy always."
"But as long as people are in the world, they will interfere with us, Cherub. I have suffered in that way, too."
"Have you ever had anyone sit upon your chest and twist your nose?"
"I've had a good many people sitting upon me, and trying to twist my poor will to suit them," said Miss Trent with a funny little laugh.
"Diana says I tell tales," said Noel. "She and Chris say that's an awful fing to do. So please forget I said Chris sat upon me. They've been learning me a lot of fings since I came to live with them. But I like them better than I did. Did you have any bruvvers and sisters when you were a little girl?"
"Only one brother," said Miss Trent. "I think he and I were better friends when we were small than we are now. He tries to manage me."
"Yes, that's what Chris and Diana do to me. I reely got on better wivout them, but Mums seems to like them very well. Does your bruvver insist on taking your hand when you can get on quite well alone, and then anover time run on and leave you ever so far behind?"
She nodded.
"Ah, Cherub! You and I understand each other very well. That's just what my brother does. He won't believe I can get on quite well alone, and as for going on and leaving me far behind, he and his books are always doing that. We quarrelled so badly one day that I ran away and left him, and that's why I'm down here, and I shall keep away till he is repentant."
"My dear child!"
It was little old Miss Trent who spoke. She had come quietly into the room, and had overheard her niece's speech.
"Well, isn't it true, Aunt Prissy?"
Miss Trent smiled and shook her head.
"I sometimes thank God that he is your brother only and not a husband."
"A husband! Horrors! Fancy living with a husband like Vincent!"
Then Miss Trent held out her hand to Noel, and drew him gently to her
"I have an old-fashioned box of Chinese puzzles in my work-table over there: would you like to play with them? Tea will be coming in directly."
Noel was delighted with the little ivory box that was shown him. He sat on the window-seat, and was perfectly happy with it whilst the maid laid the table for tea. Then suddenly glancing out of the window he saw a man beginning to mow the lawn in front of the house. And when he saw him he sprang to his feet.
"There's God's man!" he exclaimed.
Constance Trent looked out of the window and smiled.
"Yes, I found out yesterday that he was out of work, and as I want some gardening done, he has come round to do it. Would you like to go and speak to him?"
Noel was out of the room and in the garden like a shot.
Running up to the man, he said:
"Good afternoon, God's man! I saw you frough the window. Do you like cutting grass?"
The man smiled.
"I like a job, little master. Why do you call me God's man?"
"Because you are. I prayed for a man, and God sent you."
"The Almighty God has no dealin's with me. Not for many a long year."
"But He did send you. I know He did, and you came along the lane just in proper time."
The man shook his head.
"I'm worse than nought in God's sight. Haven't been to church for nigh on twenty year—not since I buried my poor old mother."
"I s'pect God wants you back there, that's why He took hold of you yesterday and made you walk up the lane just when we wanted you. I'm having tea with the lady all by myself. I came in her car. There was only me in it."
"To think o' that, now!"
The man rested his mower and looked at Noel with a good-natured smile.
"Well, little master, if you brought me along that lane yesterday, you did me a good turn, for it give me five shilling and this job. I've a wife ill, and little enough to live on. Work is not to be had in these parts."
"I didn't bring you, God brought you!"
And then Noel was called indoors to tea.
Such a nice tea! A big currant cake, some sweet preserves, little iced biscuits, and hot sweet teacakes. Noel sat up on his best behaviour, and Constance and her aunt chatted and laughed with him until he felt thoroughly at home.
After tea Miss Trent took him round the garden and picked some beautiful ripe red cherries to take home to his mother. He had another talk with Constance before he left, and she said to him:
"Look here, little cherub, you seem to be on very friendly terms with God. Couldn't you ask Him to make my foot quite well? I want to get about. I wasn't made for lying still."
"I'll ask Him in my prayers to-night," Noel said promptly
"And do you think He'll make my foot well to-morrow?"
Noel looked thoughtful.
"When I had the measles in India, Mums said God didn't want to take them away till I'd learnt to lie still and be a good boy—"
"Ah, perhaps I have got to lie here and be a good girl!"
"But you're a grown-up lady. Grown-up people always feel good, don't they?"
"I won't try to undeceive you, little cherub. You're a darling! I must see more of you. I hope I shan't be tempted to steal you away from your mother."
"You couldn't do that," said Noel as he lifted up his face to be kissed. "Nobody, not wild chariots and horses, could tear me away from Mums!"
Then he said good-bye. The car was there to take him home again. Miss Trent took him down the garden path and he waved to Constance, who was at the window looking after him.
"You must come again," she called out to him. "If I don't get well by next week, you must come to tea with me again!"
And Noel called out in reply:
"I will! I will! I'll come as often as you ask me."
He was very excited when he got home, telling his mother and Diana all about his visit, and rather troublesome with Nurse. She said his head was turned by the notice taken of him, and when he had defied her by coming to his supper with very dirty hands, and then screamed with anger when she dragged him off to the bathroom, Diana said very gravely:
"If Miss Trent saw you at home, she wouldn't say you were a cherub!"
"Why?" Noel demanded.
"Because cherubs never have dirty hands, and never scream like you!"
"Are cherubs angels?"
"Kind of angels. Little fat boys who look out of the clouds. I've seen them in pictures."
Noel was back in the nursery now eating his bread-and-milk. He turned his hands over and looked at them thoughtfully
"It's weeding. I took up some grass weeds round my Chris'mas tree. What is the earth like in heaven?"
"I don't know, but it isn't dirty, I suppose. Everybody is always clean and good there."
"I don't think I'm a cherub," said Noel; "but if Miss Trent likes to call me it, I shall pretend I am."
"Then you'll have to try to be like one," said Diana.
Noel said no more, but when Nurse undressed him that evening and spoke to him sharply, he said rather plaintively:
"I wish I was a real cherub, then I shouldn't be managed."
"You're no more like a cherub than the black cat is!" said Nurse shortly. "Now get into bed, and try to be a good boy to-morrow. That's all that you need trouble your head about."
And Noel laid his head on his pillow and went fast asleep, to dream that Miss Trent and he were sailing through the sky on a fat soft white cloud, and then that they tumbled into a pond and "God's man" fished them out with his garden rake!
He went to tea with Miss Trent once more in the following week and enjoyed himself even more than before, for her foot was better and they had tea in the garden, and he played with a terrier puppy which had been given to Miss Trent the previous day
The days were sunny and warm, and lessons were really a trial when everything out of doors was so delicious. But as every day passed, the holidays came nearer, and at last the eventful Wednesday came when Chris came home from school and Miss Morgan said good-bye to the children for six long weeks.
Then Mrs. Inglefield had her first picnic. And Inez and Ted both came to it. Ted was carried on a stretcher and laid on a light four-wheeled little carriage that the village carpenter had made for him. And Mr Wargrave drew it gently along the roads, till they came to the wood where Mrs. Inglefield meant to have her picnic. He and Miss Constance Trent were both invited to the picnic. Miss Constance limped a little, but her foot was very nearly well.
Mrs. Inglefield took them all to the very spot in the woods where she had always picnicked as a little girl. There was a stream running by, and a smooth grassy place under some old beech trees. Diana was so lost in admiration of the scenery that she stood gazing round in silent awe. Inez laughed at her
"What's the matter? Don't you feel inclined to dance like the fairies?"
"No; I only want to look and look," said Diana. "It's like the woods in the pantomimes, only you can't get inside them there, and now we're really in this."
Miss Constance overheard this. She turned to Diana and impulsively laid her hand on her shoulder
"Don't you let anyone quench your love of beauty, dear," she said. "Fill your soul up with it whenever you get a chance, for you'll have the memory of it when you're an old woman. They've tried to quench me in London, but I've run away from them."
Diana looked at her gratefully
"You understand?" she said. "You see, we've come away from London, too, and we're so glad we have. For there's nothing like this in the whole of London, not even in Buckingham Palace!"
"Indeed there isn't," Miss Constance responded.
Then the children ran off together. There were trees to climb, and rabbits' holes to explore, and flowers and berries to pick. The older people unpacked the luncheon baskets, and Ted lay on a rug looking up at the sky and green trees, with deep contentment in his heart.
Before long they were all sitting in a circle under the beech trees, enjoying cold veal pie and sandwiches, salad and cold chicken, followed by fruit tarts and cream. Chris and Diana had never enjoyed themselves so much before. The country was newer to them than to the others. Noel took everything that came to him in a matter-of-fact way. Inez was a little shy of the grown-up people.
After the lunch was over Chris and Diana helped their mother to wash up the dishes in the stream. Inez and Noel wandered off together
Miss Constance sat down by Ted's side and talked to him. Mr. Wargrave helped Mrs. Inglefield in packing up the remains of the lunch.
Inez and Noel suddenly frightened a rabbit out of his hole, and then gave chase to it. Noel longed to catch it. They ran and ran along the narrow green paths that led through the wood.
When they were tired out they turned back. But they had lost their bearings, and were really wandering away from the picnic party, instead of towards them.
"I'm afraid we're lost," said Inez, suddenly stopping still.
She did not look afraid, her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"I've often wished to lose myself," she said, "but I've never managed it. Every one meets with adventures when they're lost."
"But I don't like being lost," said Noel, puckering up his face. "I don't like it at all."
"It's jolly! Come on, it's no good standing still. We shall get out of this old wood if we walk long enough."
Noel trotted after her with an anxious face.
"We'd better ask God to find us the way back," he said at last.
"Oh, no, we won't do that. This is fun!"
"It isn't fun," said Noel crossly
Then Inez took hold of his hand.
"Come on, I think I know the way. Look at the light through the trees over there. We're at the edge of the wood now."
But they were not, and after wandering on and on, Noel began to cry
"I'm tarred. I'm going to ask God to find us."
"Oh, you're always talking about God!" said Inez impatiently. "God is in heaven, millions and billions of miles away from us. He won't hear you. You only think He does."
Then she dashed on in front and called to him excitedly:
"Come on, here's a fence and a field. We're out of the wood."
Noel scrambled after her. They climbed the fence. The country was strange to them. There was a river, and across the field an old disused mill-house.
Once out of the wood Noel recovered his spirits, and when Inez proposed that they should go across the field and see if anyone lived in the old house, he agreed to accompany her
"And then we'll go back to the uvvers!" he said.
"There's generally someone living in ruined houses," said Inez. "In story-books it's gipsies or smugglers or misers. We'll go and see."
But when they came to the old house, it was quite deserted. The roof had partly fallen in; there was no glass in the windows.
Inez and Noel scrambled in at an old window and explored the house. Then they found a shut door which with difficulty Inez opened. This led into a small room with a window high above their reach. There was an old box in the corner turned upside down. By its side was a heap of ashes. Evidently a tramp had taken refuge there at some time. A gust of wind suddenly swept through the house, and the door which the children had left open, banged violently. As it shut upon them the vibration brought a torrent of mortar and stones down from the roof.
Noel was frightened and ran to open the door. He could not move it, and when Inez came to his help she found that it had jammed in some way, which made it impossible for her to open it.
"Oh, Noel," she screamed, "we're shut up here! We shall never be able to get out, and we shall be starved to death!" CHAPTER X
Their Picnic
Noel stared at Inez as if he could not believe her words. Then he kicked and banged at the door with all his might. But the door would not move an inch.
"Now we've got our adventure, and I hate it," said Inez. "Nobody knows we're here, and nobody will find us; it's away from the road, and we may stay here for days and days, and months after they'll find our skillingtons."
Noel began to cry, then he suddenly wiped his eyes.
"We're forgetting God!" he said. "God always takes care of me. Doesn't He take care of you?"
"I don't belong to Him," said Inez slowly. "You can pray to Him if you want to."
"But you must pray, too," said Noel.
"I don't know how to."
Noel knelt down in a corner and put his two hands together: "Please, God, send somebody to open the door. Send an angel if there's nobody else. We must get out. Please be very quick. For Jesus' sake. Amen."
Then he got up and waited. Inez climbed upon the box and tried to reach the window, but it was too high above her.
She banged at the door and screamed at the top of her voice.
Nobody came.
"God will send somebody!" said Noel confidently.
"I don't believe God hears us," said Inez. "You told me the Devil lives in my house. Perhaps he has come with us here, and means to keep us here."
"It's only when we're naughty that the Devil is near," said Noel. "I haven't had him near me to-day. I've been a good boy all along."
"I haven't been good," said Inez. "I fought with Julia when she was combing my hair. She pulls it on purpose, so I hit her with the hairbrush; and when we were running after the rabbit in the wood, I meant to run away and give the others the trouble of looking for us. I like giving people trouble. That's wicked, you know. As long as it doesn't get dark, I don't mind, but if it gets dark here, I dare say the Devil will come and frighten us, and then what shall we do?"
"God won't let him!" said Noel stoutly.
Nothing would shake his faith.
Inez began to admire him for it.
"I wish I belonged to God like you do," she said. "Do you think He'd love me if I did?"
"O' course He would."
"How do you do it? But then I couldn't possibly be good, so it's no use talking about it, and I like being in tempers with Julia. It frightens her."
"I s'pect God is punis'ing you for being in tempers, and I've come into it too because I'm with you."
Noel's eyes were big with awe. He remembered the story of Jonah well, how Jonah was punished, and why
And then, sitting on the box in the sunlight, he began to tell Inez the story. She listened, for she had heard few Bible stories, and Noel told it graphically, waving his hands about and describing the storm with gusto.
They forgot they were shut into an empty room; the sun streamed through the window upon their heads, the coolness and shade was refreshing after their hot scramble through the wood.
Inez was impressed, as Noel had meant her to be.
"Do you think God sent the wind to bang the door?" she asked Noel. "And all because of me?"
"We'll ask Him to forgive you," said Noel cheerfully, "and then if you're sorry, He will. And God will easily open the door. God can do everyfing, you know." Inez was so subdued that she knelt down with Noel, and putting her hands together and shutting her eyes very tightly, she said nervously and quickly:
"O God, I'm very sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'll try to be good. Please listen to us and forgive me. Amen."
Then they tried the door again, and they called and called, but there was no answer, and nobody came.
The time seemed endless. They wondered if the others were sitting down to tea. Noel began to cry a little.
"I do want to get out of this horrid room—I want Mums! I want my tea."
And then he began to say over and over again in a whispering tone, "Please, God, help us! Please, God, help us!"
"I'm sure God will send somebody. He sent a man very quick to Miss Constance when she tumbled out of her car." His tone was brave, and he wiped his tears away
Inez had found a thick short stick and began battering at the door and calling out for help.
Suddenly, to their great delight, they heard a man's voice outside:
"Hallo! What's up? Who's here?"
"Open the door! It's us! We're shut in!"
Inez's voice was shrill and frantic.
Noel stood up smiling seraphically
"It's another of God's men!" he said. "He's comed at last!"
The man outside came nearer them; then he seized hold of the door handle and tried to move it, and then he called out cheerily:
"Why, you're bricked in! There's nearly a ton of mortar and stones keeping you fast. Wait a bit, till I clear it away."
It seemed a very long time to the children before the doorway was cleared, but they were frightened no longer. And it was a happy moment when the door moved, opened, and they confronted a strange gentleman in fishing garb.
"Well, upon my word!" he ejaculated as he looked the children up and down. "How on earth did you get shut in there?"
They told him.
Noel, with shining eyes, concluded:
"And you're one of God's men, aren't you? He sent you. We asked Him to. I told Inez I was perfully sure God would send somebody."
The young man laughed.
"I have been fishing down the river and had just got to this old mill-house when I heard your cries. It's lucky I came this way; it was just a chance I didn't go up the other way!"
"God sent you!" said Noel stolidly
"Did He now? How do you know that, little chap?"
"Oh, Noel believes God hears everything he says to Him," said Inez, "and I'm beginning to believe it, too. I'm going to start proper prayers when I get home. Not the silly things I was taught to say when I was a baby. I gave those up long ago."
"And where do you young people hail from?" asked their rescuer
"We lost our way in the wood. We're all having a picnic there. Do take us back."
"But I don't know my way about. I'm only a stray loafer, staying at the Hall."
"But you can help us to find the uvvers," said Noel; "Mums will be so glad to see us. We've been lost for years!"
The young man laughed again, but he walked with them across the field towards the wood, and then in the distance they caught sight of the vicar. He gave a loud shout when he saw them, and when they came up to him he said:
"Oh, you truants! We've been scouring the wood for you. Come along. Why, Captain Melton, are you the one who has found them?"
"He's God's man!" said Noel eagerly: "the second God's man I've seen lately. God sent him to us."
Mr. Wargrave took hold of Noel's hand and smiled at him understandingly. Captain Melton gave his explanation of the children's plight, and then Mr. Wargrave begged him to join their party
"We shall all be having tea. I know you and Miss Trent are old friends, and I believe you have met Mrs. Inglefield before—this little chap's mother."
So Captain Melton walked on, and before very long they came to the clearing under the trees where only poor Ted lay alone in his glory All the others were hunting for the wanderers. Mr. Wargrave sounded a hunting-horn which he had brought with him.
"I always find this so useful in village excursions and treats," he said. "They'll soon return when they hear my horn."
And very soon they did. Mrs. Inglefield was the first to arrive, and very relieved she was to find her youngest child safe and sound. Then came Miss Trent, and Chris and Diana followed close behind them. Inez and Noel told their story, and everybody said what a lucky thing it was that Captain Melton had been fishing near the mill.
"We should never have dreamt of looking there," said Mrs. Inglefield, "and the children might have been there all night!"
Both she and Miss Constance were pleased to see Captain Melton, and they all very soon sat down to tea. A fire had already been made and the kettle was boiling upon it.
Diana seated herself close beside Inez.
"I wish I'd been with you," she said; "I should like to have been shut up in that old house. It's like a story-book. Didn't you look about till you could find an underground passage? There might be one to cross the river underneath, like they have in London."
"No, it was too miserable to think of underground passages," said Inez. "We spent our time in saying prayers to God. At least, Noel did. What a good boy he is!"
Diana looked doubtful.
"He thinks he is," she said, "but Chris and I think he's too cocky!"
"Well, I think I shall try and get God to love me, if He will. He answers Noel's prayers, so He'll answer mine."
"Noel talks too much," Diana said.
"I like the way he talks."
Inez stood up for Noel. His real trust in God had made a deep impression on her
When the picnic was over, and she was walking across the fields, she had a few quiet words with Mrs. Inglefield.
"You aren't angry with me because I got lost with Noel, are you?" she asked.
"No, dear, you could not help it, but I'm very thankful you were found."
"Well, I've tried to be good all day, but I did run away from you because I thought it would be fun for you all to be looking for us. But it wasn't fun when we were shut up in that room. Mrs. Inglefield, God always hears Noel's prayers. Will he hear mine?"
"Always, darling. God is never far away from you, and He has told you that He wants you to tell Him all your troubles."
"How has He told me?"
"In the Bible."
"Would He let me join myself on to Him? I don't quite know how to do it, but Noel loves Him and God loves Noel. I should like to be like that. How can I do it?"
"Dear Inez, God has loved you all your life. He sent His Son Jesus Christ down here to tell everybody so, and Jesus died for you. He died for your sins, so that God could forgive you, and that heaven's gates might be opened for you. Kneel down and ask your Saviour to come into your little heart. He will make you happy and good. Give yourself to Him, and trust Him. He will do all the rest."
"Would He be able to turn me from a wicked girl into a good girl?" asked Inez.
"Indeed He will, though it may not be done all at once. He will love to do it. That is a prayer that will most certainly be answered."
"I wish I lived with you," said poor Inez with a little sigh.
There was no opportunity for further talk. The turning came for Inez to part with her friends, but as she ran home her heart was singing inside her
"I'll do it, and then I'll have somebody who really loves me, and I'll try to love Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul!"
Meanwhile Miss Constance and Captain Melton walked together with Noel between them.
"I'm grateful to you, Harry, for rescuing my cherub. He comes to cheer me up when I'm in the blues. And I'm grateful to him for producing you. I was getting very dull in the country here. Will you take me out fishing with you to-morrow?"
"How many fish would I get if I did?" asked Captain Melton with a smile.
"You could come and fiss with Chris and me," put in Noel. "We go to the bridge across the stream at the back of our house, and we catch sticky bats."
"Thank you, Cherub, but two's company and three is none."
"P'r'aps," Noel said, turning to the Captain—"p'r'aps, God's man, you'd like to come and see my Chris'mas tree?"
"My dear fellow," said the Captain, "I don't like that nickname you've given me. Choose another!"
"Oh," said Miss Constance, laughing, "you are number two! Remember—"
Then her face softened and she spoke gravely and in almost a whisper, "You were an answer to prayer—"
"Yes," said Noel cheerfully, "that's just what he was. God sent him because we wanted to be let out."
"It's the first time in my life that I've been told that I'm a messenger from God," said Captain Melton.
"Well, it needn't be the last," said Miss Constance. And then they were silent, for they had reached the spot where Miss Constance's car was waiting for her
Captain Melton was going part of the way with her, so Noel said good-bye to them and ran on to join his mother, who had just parted with Inez.
Chris and Diana were accompanying Ted home.
"Oh, Mums," said Noel, putting his hand in hers, "I wiss I understood grown-ups. They talk so funny, and laugh when I'm grave."
"They don't understand you as your mother does," said Mrs. Inglefield, giving his hand a little squeeze.
"I fink I like you best," said Noel, looking up at her with grave considerate eyes.
"I'm glad to hear that. Did you enjoy your picnic?"
"Little bits of it, but a wood is like the jungle in India. It tears your legs and trips you up, and scratches you all over."
But this was not Chris's and Diana's verdict when they got home.
"It has been perfectly lovely, Mums."
"Yes, only spoilt by Noel and Inez at the last."
"Hush! We won't think of that. We'll remember the sunshine and the trees and flowers, and all the pleasant sights we saw."
"I shall never forget it," said Diana in her rapt tone. This was only the first of the holiday treats. Mrs. Inglefield gave herself up to her children. She took them one day in a car to the top of a moor a long way off, Inez accompanying them.
And then suddenly one day everything seemed to come to an end.
The postman brought bad news. Granny was very ill in London, and Mrs. Inglefield said she must go to her immediately. Unfortunately Nurse had gone away for her holiday. Mrs. Tubbs was quite equal to the occasion. She said that she and Cassy would look after the children and that Mrs. Inglefield need not have an anxious thought.
Mrs. Inglefield went to her room to pack, and called Chris to her
"My boy, you are the eldest, and I want you to help me. I don't like leaving you with Nurse away, but I hope she will soon be returning. And in any case, whether she is here or not, I want you to be my deputy while I am away. Do you know what a deputy is?"
"I leave you in charge of Diana and Noel. Diana is dreamy, and wants to be roused sometimes. Noel is very small and still ignorant of English ways. I don't want accidents to happen to any of you through mischief or carelessness. I should like to think that everything will go on just the same as if I am here. Will you do your best to let it be so?"
"I will, Mums!"
Chris spoke solemnly. He was pleased at his mother's confidence in him. He vowed that she should not be disappointed in him.
Then he asked her:
"And what about Inez? Is she to come here when you're away?"
"I don't think you could prevent it," said Mrs. Inglefield, smiling. "She's a poor lonely little girl. If you get into any trouble, Chris, you have Mr. Wargrave close at hand."
"Oh," said Chris quickly, "we shall manage quite well alone, Mums! And if I hear from George Burke that he's in this part, may I ask him to tea?"
"Yes, dear, certainly. I may not be long away: I hope not."
George Burke was Chris's great chum at school. He was devoted to him, and was looking forward to seeing him in the holidays, as he was going to stay at an uncle's, about ten miles away
Then Mrs. Inglefield had some last words with the other two children.
To Diana she said:
"Di, darling, you are so quick and clever with your pen. Will you write me a little scrap every day to tell me what you're all doing? Don't post every day. Every three days will be often enough, but write me a little diary. I shall love to read it, for I shall be thinking of you all so much!"
Diana was transported with delight. Nothing could have pleased her better
Then Noel was addressed:
"Noel dearest, you'll promise me to be a good boy till I come back? And do what Chris tells you?"
Noel's face fell.
"S'posing Chris tells me to put my hand into a bonfire, must I do it? S'posing he tells me to be hurt?"
"Oh, Chris wouldn't be unkind, darling!"
"But he is. He told me to take hold of the stinging-nettle, and it stung me just like a snake."
"Mums, I only told him to do what Nurse said could be done. If you pinch it tightly, it doesn't sting. But he was frightened of it!"
"I don't like to be—er—managed," said Noel, shutting up his lips in obstinate fashion.
"I won't manage you," Chris cried, seeing an anxious look come into his mother's eyes. "We're all going to be most awfully good when Mums is away, just to make her feel easy about us."
"Yes, I'll be good," assented Noel, "if you're good, Chris."
And so Mrs. Inglefield had to leave it. She was very hurried in her departure, and when a taxi came to take her to the station, there were tears in Diana's and Noel's eyes. Chris stood with white face and clenched hands. He was a schoolboy and had learnt to control his feelings, but when his mother's car was out of sight, he felt as if the sunshine had gone out of his sky
CHAPTER XI
Without a Mother
For the first few days things went well. The three children were on their best behaviour. One day was spent at the Rectory, and Inez joined them there. Ted was out in the garden. He was as busy as ever, and had just completed a beautiful little set of furniture which he had enamelled white. A toyshop in the neighbouring town had promised to buy it from him. He was delighted to think that he could earn a little money.
"I wish—I wish I had clever fingers like you," said Chris. "Mums' birthday will be here very soon. I should like to make something for her."
"I could show you how to cut out a wooden photo frame for her and then you could stick cones and moss on it and varnish it over. Would you like to try? You'll have plenty of time these holidays. Come over in the mornings and I'll show you how to do it."
"That would be ripping!" said Chris.
Then his face fell.
"I shan't be able to be too much away from the others: not till Nurse comes back. Noel is always up to mischief when he's left alone."
"Why, I thought Noel was the good boy of the family!"
"He doesn't mean to be naughty, but he thinks of such strange things to do. Yesterday he got some paint from the attic and painted a lot of the garden hose. He made himself in a filthy mess, and the gardener is furious!"
"Well, get Diana to look after him for an hour to-morrow and come over here. Come about ten o'clock."
So this was settled. When Noel heard of it, he said:
"I don't want Diana to look after me. I'm going to be busy in the garden."
"So am I," said Diana; "we'll garden together. I want to tie up my rose, the branches tumble about in the wind."
"And I'm going to hose my Chris'mas tree. He loves a shower bath."
But the next day was rainy, and Mrs. Tubbs told them they must stay in the house. Chris was allowed to go to the Rectory. Diana and Noel had the nursery to themselves. Diana got out her story and began to write. Noel played with his bricks for some time, then tiring of it stole out of the room. Diana was too engrossed in her story to notice his disappearance.
He went downstairs and wandered into the drawing-room, and from there into his mother's boudoir.
"What can I do?" he muttered to himself. "I must get my hands busy, or Satan will find mischief for me, that's what Nurse always says." He began opening the drawers of his mother's writing bureau. In her anxious haste she had left them unlocked. Then he found himself turning over the contents,
though he had an uneasy feeling that he was doing wrong. In the first one which he opened there were letters and old papers, a box of sealing-wax and some old pens and pencils. The next was in a very untidy state. "I'll tidy all Mums' drawers," he said to himself: "that will be very kind and good of me."
So with some trouble, he emptied out the whole contents of three drawers upon the carpet, and when they were in one confused heap, he began to sort things out and put back as he thought they ought to be. It was a long business, and several accidents happened. A bottle of gum emptied itself upon the carpet. The cork was not secure. Some ink out of a small bottle marked "marking ink" also spilt itself amongst the papers. Then Noel was tempted to light a match and seal some of the empty envelopes. He had seen his mother do it, but it was a difficult business. The match burnt his fingers, he dropped it hurriedly, and it immediately set fire to some of the loose papers.
This frightened him: he rushed out of the room to the back lobby where the garden hose was kept. Unfortunately it had been left by the gardener attached to the water pipe there. Triumphantly Noel turned on the tap, seized the end of the hose and ran back to the boudoir, where he turned it full on the heap of rubbish on the carpet. The water did more harm than the fire, for that had fortunately died down, but the room was flooded with water, and Noel began to feel very uncomfortable. He put the hose back, leaving pools of water following in his wake; and then hearing Chris come in, he began to bundle things back into the drawers as fast as he could. Chris discovered him before his task was finished, and his wrath was great.
"You wicked little beast! You've ruined Mums' room! What have you been doing? You deserve a good thrashing, and I've a great mind to give it to you!"
He seized hold of Noel by the neck of his jersey and marched him upstairs. Noel shrieked and kicked.
"You're as bad as Inez!" said Chris. "There isn't much to choose between the two of you!"
Noel was subdued and silent at once.
When Mrs. Tubbs and Cassy and Diana surrounded them, Noel lapsed into injured tears:
"I was tidying Mums' drawers. I'm not a wicked boy," he sobbed.
"You just look at the room, Mrs. Tubbs! There are great black sticky pools on the carpet; and the chairs and sofa and all the ornaments are streaming wet! I don't know what he's been doing, but he ought to be jolly well punished. I don't know what Mums will say when she comes back!"
"I'll write and tell her all about it at once," said Diana in tones of satisfaction.
Chris looked at her
"That's rather tell-taley!" he remarked.
"I don't care. Mums said I was to write and tell her everything."
Noel began to cry lustily now. And then Chris, still holding him firmly, backed him into a big hanging cupboard outside the nursery door. Locking the door upon him, he said:
"You'll stay there till dinner-time to punish you."
Mrs. Tubbs and Cassy had gone to the boudoir to repair the mischief done there. Noel kicked and screamed till he was tired out.
Chris felt worried. He looked at Diana writing away as if her life depended upon it.
"I'm afraid Mums will say that you ought to have looked after Noel better. I s'pose I oughtn't to have gone away, but you did promise you'd see after him."
"Yes, but I was writing my story, and I forgot him."
"Don't make him out too bad, Diana. Tell Mums he was trying to tidy her drawers for her. He didn't mean to be wicked. I think I'll let him out. He's quiet now."
But when Noel was liberated, he rushed downstairs and out into the road without his cap. The rain had stopped. He was so angry that Chris had dared to lock him up in a cupboard that he hardly knew what he was doing. And then suddenly he met the man who had been doing some gardening for Miss Constance.
"Oh, God's man, they've been so unkind to me!"
Noel stopped and gripping hold of the man's coat held him prisoner whilst he poured out his story to him.
"And there's nobody to be kind to me, not one. Diana is writing to Mums to tell her I'm a wicked boy, and Chris called me a beast, and I hate him!"
"Oh, 'ere, little master! This won't do! No, it won't! Why, I were tellin' my wife of you, 'ow pious you were for such a little 'un. Why, your name for me sticks in my throat at times and keeps me from the 'Golden Dog,' which I do frequent more'n is good for me!"
Noel stopped crying. He began to smile.
"I b'lieve God sent you to meet me to be kind to me, did He?"
"Well, I shouldn't wonder. Cheer up! You be too big a boy to cry! I reckon you just meant to have a tidy-up. Accidents will happen."
"But Mums will hear about me, and she'll think I spoilt her room on purpose."
"Not her. And couldn't you write a letter yourself and say you didn't mean to do it?"
"Why, so I could!" said Noel. "Could you help me to write it?"
"I bain't much on a scholar, but my wife, she be a fine writer! You come on home with me, and we'll get 'er to set her pen to work for 'ee."
Noel slipped his hand inside the big horny one of his friend and trotted home with him quite contentedly. His cottage was up a lane at the end of the village. Mrs. Thorn, his wife, was just dishing a very nice dish of stewed rabbit; the little kitchen, though small and bare, was beautifully clean. In a chair up at the table sat a little white-faced, dark-haired boy about a year younger than Noel. His name was Bertie.
Mrs. Thorn listened with a pleasant smile to Noel's story. She asked him to sit down and have a bit of food with them, and promised to help him write his letter afterwards.
"I've heard of you, dear," she said. "I love the name you give my husband. And 'twas you who sowed some flowers 'mongst the graves in the churchyard. I lost my mother five months ago, and one day I found some sweet-peas growing on her grave. The vicar—he told me who had done it. I did feel pleased and proud."
"I wish I'd a grave in God's garden," said Noel eagerly. "I'd have flowers all over it. I've a garden of my own with a big Chris'mas tree in it. He's growing bigger and bigger, and at Chris'mas I'm going to have a party. Would your little boy like to come to it?"
"Indeed he would. Poor Bertie isn't strong. He can't go to school. He suffers from asthma."
Before the meal was over Noel was chattering away quite happily. And when it was done, Mrs. Thorn cleared away the dishes into the back kitchen, and her husband said he would wash them up whilst the letter was being written. Noel and Mrs. Thorn had a good deal of talk together over it. And finally this was what Mrs. Thorn wrote at his dictation, Noel signing the letter himself in big capital letters:
"MY DARLING MUMS,—"
"I never meant to make a mess, I truly didn't. I had nothing to do, I pulled out your drawers to tidy, and things spilt themselves, and Dinah is making me out wicked in her letter, and Chris locked me in the cupboard, and I have nobody to be my friend. And I wish you were home, darling Mums, and now God's man has given me some nice dinner, and Mrs. Thorn is writing this. I like her, and Bertie is coming to my Chris'mas tree. Good-bye, Mums, and please love me like God does, and I do try to be His good boy."
"NOEL."
When this letter was written, Tom Thorn asked Noel if he had not better go home.
"I want to post my letter," he said, "but I've no stamp."
"They'll give you one at the post office. We haven't one in the house," said Mrs. Thorn, "or I would give it to you."
Noel put his hand in his pocket rather grandly
"I have two pennies of my own. I'll go to the post office and buy one. Good-bye, God's man, and I like Bertie and Mrs. Thorn. I'll ask you all—every one—to my Chris'mas tree."
He ran off down the street to the village, and Mrs. Thorn looked after him and smiled:
"Quite the little man, isn't he? I wish our Bertie was as spry!"
Bertie looked at his mother
"He's bigger nor me. I'd like well to see his Chris'mas tree."
Meanwhile, at home they were very anxious about Noel. Chris went down the garden to look for him and then into the church and churchyard. Mrs. Tubbs was worried.
"You shouldn't have been so high-handed, Master Chris. What shall we do if any harm has come to him? Even Nurse never locks him into a cupboard."
Chris was consumed with remorse. Diana did not comfort him.
"He may have tumbled into the pond at the bottom of our field and been drowned, or perhaps a motor has run over him and they've taken him to a hospital."
"He's done it to annoy us," said Chris crossly. "I wish Mums was home!"
When dinner-time came Noel was still absent.
Mrs. Tubbs made the two children have their dinner
"And afterwards, I'll put on my bonnet, and go down to the village myself. Somebody is sure to have seen him."
And then about two o'clock Noel appeared with a broad smile all over his face.
To all the questions and exclamations, he made answer:
"I runned away because everybody was unkind, and I've written a big letter to Mums and tolded her what you dooed to me, and I got a stamp and posted it, and it's going in the train to Mums as fast as it can!"
Chris and Diana looked at each other in a puzzled kind of way. They knew how badly Noel wrote, and what a time it took him to form his letters.
"You're not speaking true!" said Diana severely
"Let him alone!" said Mrs. Tubbs. "I'm sure I wish Nurse was back! I've been worried to death this morning. Come and have your dinner, Master Noel, and be a good boy."
"I've had some nice dinner," said Noel triumphantly, "but I'll have some more."
In a few minutes Chris had got his story out of him. Nothing would shake Noel's self-satisfaction until Diana took him to see the carpet in Mrs. Inglefield's boudoir. Mrs. Tubbs had done her best with it, but there were black ink stains and discoloration.
When Noel saw it his face lengthened.
"I'm truly sorry," he said. "I fink I'll save up my pennies to buy Mums a new carpet. I should like to give her it on her birfday."
Chris and Diana scoffed at him.
"A carpet costs pounds and pounds and pounds!"
But they said no more to him, and for the rest of the day they got on peaceably together
The next morning brought Chris a letter from his chum, George Burke. He was at his uncle's, and he invited Chris to spend a whole day with him and sleep a night there.
Chris danced round the table with delight at the thought of it, and then remembered that he had been left in charge.
"George wants me to go to-morrow, Dinah; he says he'll meet me at the station if I come by the first train after breakfast."
"All right," said Diana, "you go. Inez is coming to spend the whole day to-morrow. We shall be all right."
Chris's face was very grave.
He knew what a pickle Inez was. How could he go away and leave them! Noel was utterly irresponsible. His mother had left him in charge. Diana was too dreamy to look after them. The events of yesterday had taught him the necessity of keeping Noel under his eye.
But George told him that visitors were expected, and that he must come the next day or he could not have a room. And it was no use asking George over now, for he seemed to have so much on hand.
And then poor Chris walked up and down the garden path in agony of longing and indecision. It did seem hard to refuse; he had been so looking forward to seeing George again. If only Nurse would hurry back! Surely Mums would not expect him to lose this treat! He mightn't get the chance again. What was he to do?
In the bottom of his heart he knew what he ought to do.
"I am Mother's deputy. She made me it, and I promised her I would look after the others while Nurse was away. It's no good. I can't go. I must write by this post and tell George so."
And after saying this firmly to himself Chris ran back to the house. His mother had left a packet of postcards to be sent to her if Diana did not want to write more. He took one of these and wrote:
"DEAR GEORGE,—Awfully sorry. Can't come. Mother away. Am in charge till she comes back. Very disappointed. Good luck to you!"
"CHRIS."
Then, lest he should be tempted to reconsider the matter, he ran off to the post office and posted his card.
He was rather cross and irritable for the rest of the day; and when Diana begged him to make plans for to-morrow so that Inez might enjoy herself, he said:
"Oh, I'm tired of Inez! I don't want to play with girls all day long!"
"No one asked you to," snapped Diana. "You've got so grand since you went to school that nobody is good enough for you. Why don't you go off to this boy George? We don't want you. I can look after Noel and Inez as well as you."
"Can you? Did you look after Noel yesterday when I was out?"
"Oh, well, that was my story. But I shan't write stories to-morrow Don't be cross, Chris. Don't you think we might have our dinner out on the lawn under the trees? It would be like a picnic. And I've got a lovely idea for afterwards. We'll dress up and act History. Miss Morgan said she used to at school. We'll do the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and Rosamond swallowing the poison."
Chris did not look thrilled. His disappointment was too acute.
"I'd rather have a paper-chase," he said.
"Very well," said Diana good-naturedly, "we will, and we can begin tearing up the paper to-day. Noel can help us at that."
Chris tried to forget George's invitation, and for the rest of the day, he busied himself in various employments. He knew he was feeling disappointed and cross, but he endeavoured to be cheerful.
