College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

“Social Contract Theory states that morality consists in the set of rules, governing how people are to treat one another, that rational people will agree to accept, for their mutual benefit, on the condition that others follow those rules as well” (Dunn). The social contract theory should be the foundation for all social change projects. Our social change project is one that focuses on this definition in order to make an impact on our community. By thinking globally and socially we have acted locally in order to implement this change. This course and specifically this assignment allowed us an opportunity to take business ethics into consideration by setting goals to meet the needs of the civic and commercial welfare of the community.

The idea for our social change project was formulated after contemplation of issues affecting our global and local community. We strived to complete a project different from the norm but within achievable standards and limitations. Mariam Sarwary proposed that we focus on the newly arrived Afghan refugee families who have fled Afghanistan due to political persecution. These families consist of widows and their children who have lost their husband and fathers due to political instability that have led to over two decades of civil war. Unfortunately, these Afghans are not receiving the support that is vital to this goal. The events of September 11th have not only wounded Afghans in the U.S. but it has also affected these people who are hoping to survive in a progressive society like that of America. These Afghan families did not receive aid in their country or in the U.S.

After discussion on these concerns we finalized on our project’s concentration to six Afghan families in order to make a change in their lives. The goal of our social change project was to provide these families with a warm welcome to the United States so that they may begin their efforts in collaborating with American society’s culture and practice.

With the Holidays approaching we originally decided on creating Thanksgiving Welcome Baskets. The baskets were planned not only to feed these families but also to introduce them to American traditions and customs. Although the goal of our project did not change, however, the direction was modified after we attended a program sponsored by the Muslim Student Association. The presentation enlightened us on Eid, the main Islamic Holiday that celebrates the end of the Holy month of Ramadan. A very important aspect of Eid is the charity, which all the Muslims are expected to extend to the needy. As a group we realized that we should not force them to assimilate but rather integrate their culture into American society, which allows them to retain their authentic identity. This decision prompted us to alter our original idea of Thanksgiving baskets to Eid Baskets.

An ethical and social justification for this project is one that lies in the foundation of Social Contract Theory. As discussed during lecture a corporation or an organization should take social responsibility. Throughout this social change project we acted as an organization that took responsibility to meet the needs of our local community. With this concern for social ethics we were able to have a clear vision of normative theory that describes how things ought to be. By establishing what is and what ought to be we were able to understand the needs of the Afghan families who required our assistance during this difficult time of transition.

While completing this project we encountered many obstacles, which ultimately determined our success. One main deterrence that we faced was the lack of financial support that we received from organizations, specifically from grocery retail stores. After constant communication and attempts to receive donations we were rejected by a number of grocery stores among them, Vons, Albertsons, Ralph’s, Costco, and Henry’s. These companies were not able to assist us due to prior commitments to established non-profit organizations. Most retailers were not willing to cooperate without tax ID number for tax write-off purposes. Several stores were over budgeted and had already dedicated funds to organizations aimed to benefit Back-to-School, Thanksgiving, and Christmas programs.

Our success within this project was that we got MSA involved with our project and received an invitation to attend their program on Thursday, November 7th, 2002.

At this event we had the opportunity to have a successful fundraiser in which we raised $175.00. We were also able to obtain a Gift Certificate from Food-for-Less for $25.00.

With these funds we were able to successfully purchase the necessary items included in the Eid Baskets, which included pastries, gifts for children, and sweets. Another success was that we accomplished our goal of providing these Afghan families the warm welcome that will better enable them to face the new challenges and progress into American society.

David Humes writes, “You cannot derive on ought from an is.” This eloquent quote best exemplifies our project by pointing out that just because these deprived and disadvantaged refugees are in a state of need, does not mean that they belong in that state of hardship. By completing this project not only did we change the lives of these Afghan refugees, we were enlightened ourselves.