Ethical and Socially Responsive Business

Cheesecake Factory is one of the most popular fast food chains operating in the US and attracting a large number of customers (Kowitt, 2013). However, at the moment, the company faces considerable problems with its ethical and social responsibility in regard to its customers because the company is notorious for its unhealthy food rich in saturated fats and high calories. This is why the company needs to change its policies and focus on ethical and social responsibility that will require changing the company’s policy and business.

            In this regard, the company may undertake various steps, among which educational programs to teach customers about the healthy nutrition is one of the effective steps that can decrease the negative impact of the unhealthy nutrition on community members. Educational programs will teach community members what the healthy nutrition is and how important such nutrition is for their health and quality of life. Community members will learn what they should it to stay healthy and what products to avoid. Such educational programs can change the food culture of local communities and make them healthier that will have the positive effect not only on the nutrition of local communities but also on the public health and quality of life.

            Also the company may and should change its menu to decrease the exposure of customers to unhealthy food like its Bistro Shrimp Pasta (Peckham, 2013). At the moment, the company exposes its customers to great risks by offering them unhealthy and simply dangerous products. Such products will annihilate any efforts of the company to improve the nutrition and food culture of local communities. Moreover, if the company implements educational programs, than the change of the menu will be just necessary because the company will lose customers, who grow concerned about what they eat. The healthy products offered by the company will help customers to make right choices. In this regard, the company does not need to change its menu completely. Instead, the company may leave some popular products just to leave customers a choice whether to buy healthy or unhealthy food. The company may just provide information on the number of calories in its products and this information should be visible and comprehensible for customers. Such step would prevent customers from the regular consumption of unhealthy food, while they may shift to healthy products offered by Cheesecake Factory.

            Finally, the company should contribute to local communities by engaging community members in common projects that promote the healthy lifestyle within the community, like sport events. Cheesecake Factory may sponsor sport events for local community members that will encourage the local population to lead the active lifestyle and, thus, minimize negative effects of poor or unhealthy nutrition. The sponsorship will contribute not only to the promotion of the healthy and active lifestyle but also will help to engage people from local communities in physical activities (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor, 2008). Such policy will contribute to the overall improvement of the public health in communities, where Cheesecake Factory operates.

            Thus, at the moment, Cheesecake Factory faces the problem of the unhealthy food being sold to customers but the company needs to change its policy and marketing to become ethically and socially responsible in regard to its customers and local community members. In this regard, the company may undertake three steps. First, the company should promote the healthy nutrition through educational programs for local community members. Second, the company should change its menu and information about the calorie value of its products. Third, the company should sponsor sport activities to promote the healthy and active lifestyle of local community members.