SOSU The Benefit Corporation And The B Corporation Business Ethics Discussion

Objectives: (1) Explain, evaluate and distinguish benefit corporations and Certified B Corps; (2) Develop online research skills; (3) Develop written communication skills.

Instructions: For this assignment, you will research information on benefit corporations and provide a written report on benefit corporations and B Corp certification (in general) and evaluate three (3) Certified B Corps. This assignment has two parts, Part A (the benefit corporation) and Part B (the Certified B Corp).

Part A:

Begin your research on Benefit Corporation (Links to an external site.). Review the website. Then answer the following questions:

1. What is a benefit corporation?
2. Can you become a benefit corporation under Oklahoma law? (Hint: you may need to look outside this website if it is not up-to-date.)
3. Briefly, are there special reporting requirements for benefit corporations?
4. What else did you find on the website that you thought was interesting?

Part B:

Now review the Certified B Corporation (Links to an external site.).

Go to the “About B Corps” page. Review the information, including the section titled “More Questions?” at the bottom of the page.

Then answer the following:

1. What is the purpose of the Certified B Corp?
2. How is a Certified B Corp different from a benefit corporation?
3. Who certifies the B Corps?
4. How many Certified B Corps are there?
5. Are Certified B Corps mainly large corporations?

Now go to the “About Certification” page.

1. Briefly, what are the requirements for certification?
2. What fee would a company pay with less than $150,000 in annual sales?
3. Can a sole proprietor be a Certified B Corp?

Finally, research three (3) Certified B Corps. For EACH company, report on the following:

1. Provide a brief summary of what the company does.
2. Provide how long the company has been certified, location and sector.
3. What is the company’s overall impact score?
4. In which of the five (5) impact areas was the companies strongest?