MAN: Hello, could you please help me? I ordered this birthday cake and picked it up this morning. But when I opened it just now to put it on the table, I discovered that it says, “Happy 10th Birthday, David”! It’s supposed to say, “Happy 10th Birthday, Matthew”!

WOMAN: No problem, we can just order another one.

MAN: No, that won’t do! My son’s party starts in an hour. I’m afraid I need a cake now.

WOMAN: Okay, still not a problem. I can scrape the frosting off the top and re-decorate it. You’ll never notice the difference.

MAN: Are you sure? Okay . . .

WOMAN: I can do it right now. Can you come back in fifteen minutes? MAN: Okay, thanks, I’ll just go pick up a few extra things for the party. I’ll be back in twenty.

’WOMAN: Hello, how did the birthday party go?

MAN: It was a disaster. I ordered a cherry cake. The cake was chocolate. Matthew is allergic to chocolate.

WOMAN: Oh, I’m so sorry. There must have been a mix-up not only with the decoration, but with the cake itself. I’ll see to it that you get a full refund.

MAN: I’m afraid that won’t be good enough. Matthew saw the cake and I had to take it away from him. He was so upset!

WOMAN: Oh dear, I really am sorry. Let me contact the manager.

MAN: Please do that. Nuts and bee stings aren’t the only things people are allergic to!’

WOMAN: Hello, your conversation with our manager was satisfactory?

MAN: Yes, thanks. He told me that he would be implementing new procedures in the bakery department so that kind of mistake would never happen again.

WOMAN: Yes, we have a list of ingredients that are possible problems, and we are instructed to ask the customer not once, but twice, about allergies. We are also supposed to tell the customer whether any of the ingredients on the list are in the products ordered.

MAN: Well, that’s good news. I don’t want what happened to Matthew to happen to anyone else.

WOMAN: Nor do I, and I apologize again. We have been careful about nuts, but I’ve never even heard of an allergy to chocolate.

MAN: Well, every day there seems to be something new that kids are allergic to, so I think it’s best to stay on top of it.

WOMAN: I agree. I hope the manager also gave you a discount on future orders. I do hope you will order your next birthday cake from us

MAN: Well, actually, that’s why I’m here . . .

MAN: Good morning, Rebecca.

WOMAN: Morning Jason. Do you want to grab a coffee down the hall?

MAN: Sure. Let’s go. How was your weekend?

WOMAN: It wasn’t bad. There was a huge sale at Metrotown, so I did some shopping. How about you? How was your weekend?

MAN: It was awesome! You’ll never guess what happened.

WOMAN: You didn’t catch another prize salmon, did you? That was an amazing first attempt!

MAN: No, I didn’t go out on the water. My buddy and I went for a hike out at Golden Ears Park, and we came face to face with a huge black bear! I mean, he was massive. Actually, pardon me, I should say ‘she,’ as there were two cubs with her.

WOMAN: Oh my goodness! What did you do? You didn’t run, I hope! MAN: No. It just so happened that I had a bag of peanut butter sandwiches in my hand. So, I threw the bag of sandwiches as far as I could, past the bears. I guess they smelled the peanut butter and went to investigate. We were so lucky. Those sandwiches must have smelled better than we did, because the bears ripped open the bag and started eating them

. WOMAN: And you stuck around to watch them?

MAN: Not a chance! We took off and headed for the car. I’ve never moved so fast in my life! Luckily, we had hiked uphill, so the sprint back down to the car wasn’t too bad. We jumped in, locked the doors and tore out of there so fast. Next time I go hiking, I’m bringing one of those cans of air that works as a horn. I heard that noise is the best way to get rid of a bear.

WOMAN: You are one lucky guy. How come that kind of thing never happens to me?

MAN: Well, you don’t see many bears at the mall

! WOMAN: Very funny. I’m going camping at Harrison next weekend. Maybe I’ll have a wildlife encounter to tell you about next Monday.

MAN: Just be careful!

MAN: Hello Ellen, come on in. What did you want to see me about?

WOMAN: Thank you, Bob, and thanks for meeting with me. I’m going to be working at a children’s camp this summer, and part of my job will involve teaching them things like games, songs, dances . . . that sort of thing. I was hoping you could give me some tips.

MAN: That sounds fun! Well, let me see . . . First and foremost, make it fun. Children like to play. We all do. Learning something requires a lot of practice, and the more fun it is, the more likely they’ll spend the time they need practicing.

WOMAN: Yes, there’s a certain method . . . I can’t remember the name right now . . . a certain method of teaching music that uses that basic principle. And it’s very successful. More successful than many traditional methods. Maybe that’s why.

MAN: At the same time, you must recognize that practice involves repetition. Many children will want to do something once or twice and be done with it, but that won’t be enough. More importantly, each repetition must be done correctly. Otherwise, they’ll be practicing how to do it wrong.

WOMAN: How can I make sure they are practicing correctly? I can’t go home with them, I can’t watch them practice all the time.

MAN: No, but if possible, involve their parents. They can watch them at home. That’s another tip I highly recommend.

WOMAN: Okay, thanks, anything else? I was wondering about attention span techniques. Children have very short attention spans.

MAN: They do indeed. So, keep the lessons and practice times short. Two minutes of attention is better than 10 minutes of distraction. Five 2-minute sessions is better than one 10-minute session.

WOMAN: Got it. I’ll remember that. I’ll make a big sign in my head! What about when they don’t get it? Some children are more competent than others.

MAN: Be patient. Do not punish, do not even reprimand. That’s the quickest way to lose them. If they want to learn what you’re teaching, eventually they’ll come around

. WOMAN: And if they don’t want to learn what I’m teaching, it’s probably just as well. Not everyone has to learn everything!

MAN: Exactly. Hmmm, I can’t think of anything else at the moment . .

. WOMAN: All right then, I’ll let you get on with your day, and I want to thank you again for your tips.

Sharon Smith, Head Librarian at Rickman Public Library, has reported that the library’s grant from the government will not be renewed for the coming year. Consequently, the library will start charging patrons for computer time, the amount not yet decided upon. Furthermore, she reports, although patrons may continue to make special requests for books not available at the library, there will be a five-dollar fee for books available elsewhere in the region. The fee for books outside the region will increase from five dollars to ten dollars. Lastly, residents will have to pay a small annual membership fee. Up to now, only non-residents have had to pay for membership privileges.

Smith said that they regret doing this, but they’re just trying to keep the library open. Today she learned that the province is providing grants for recreation instead of libraries. While conceding that recreation is important, Smith was upset that the government is funding costly football leagues instead of the cheaper soccer games. She explained that not only are the equipment expenses less for soccer, but it’s also more inclusive because there are girls’ teams and boys’ teams, and leagues for all ages.

The sole responsibility of a corporation, according to economist Milton Friedman, is to make money. A corporation exists to serve its shareholders—that is, any entity which owns any part of the company—whose goal is to increase the value of their investment in that company. As long as the decisions made by a company’s executives further this aim, a corporation is fulfilling its duty.

Profits aside, if a company’s actions harm its employees, customers, the community, or the environment, surely this must be problematic. In recent decades, more people have realized that these affected groups, known as stakeholders, deserve consideration in corporate decision making. In contrast to Friedman’s shareholder view, the stakeholder view contends that corporations have an obligation to integrate social and environmental concerns into their business model. For example, corporations should contribute to community development, pay respectable wages, or donate to worthy causes.

For Milton Friedman, however, addressing social issues is the responsibility of the government, not corporations. Asking companies to spend revenue on social welfare is akin to imposing taxation on shareholders. Friedman makes it clear that corporations are not public servants and so are not responsible to the public. What’s more, a corporation, as an artificial construct, does not have moral or social responsibilities in the same sense as people. For Friedman, the sole social responsibility of a corporation is to maximize profits while obeying the law.

Ethicist Margaret White says Friedman is right in one sense. While it would undoubtedly be kind for a rich company to give money to a community struggling economically, we can no more require a company to hand out donations than we can require a person to give money to someone on the street who asks for change. Charity should not be mandated.

White points out that in many cases, however, corporations are inextricably linked to social or environmental problems. Many companies, for example, find legal loopholes to irresponsibly dispose of their waste. Though they manage to skirt the law, companies, just like people, should be held morally responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Interestingly, whether companies agree or disagree with White, it’s now in their interest to adopt a socially responsible position. With the rise of ethics-influenced consumerism, shoppers are demanding that products be produced with the concerns of labourers, animals, and the environment in mind. Sadly, as a by-product, this has also given rise to a form of “greenwashing” in advertising, where companies market themselves with an environmentally friendly image for the sole interest of increasing sales.