Corporate image and sustainability rest greatly on the manner in which they respond and manage allegations of legal, social and ethical misbehavior. The reputation of an organization is a primary feature of its ability to operate and function successfully in a global context. When accused of ethical impropriety, it is not uncommon for an organization to errect a stance of denial, excuses, and justifications. The typical reactions of corporate entities seek to “…defend their actions and image” (Eweje & Wu, 2010, p. 379).
Unethical behavior and the irresponsible responses given by businesses operating in international settings generate a backlash of negative publicity, and public outcry from patrons, citizens, interest groups and
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Noca-Cola Case Study
Noca-Cola, an international soft drink company based in the U.S. has strategically located manufacturing plants in many developing countries around the world. One such plant is located in Colombia. According to sources, the general population are satisfied with the increased number of local jobs and improvements to the county’s economic status. Conversely, the indigenous populations of Colombia recently initiated an informal claim purposing that Noca Cola’s Colombian based plant is situated on indigenous territory. In response, Noca Cola avows that the Colombian government granted permission to place the plant in indigenous territory, due to its potential benefit to the county’s economy. That being said, the Colombian government has a demonstrated record of ignoring the needs and rights of its indigenous groups, in exchange for royalties.
Strategic Plan
In light of the emerging conflict, Noca Cola offered jobs to the indigenous population. Still the relationship between the parties continues to be overwrought with dispute and relational strain. The Noca Cola dilemma highlights a scenario where having an awareness of social issues and laws does not represent a sufficient course of socially responsible action. “A corporation is not being socially responsible if
When talking about sustainability numerous people associate it with just protecting the environment. Sustainability is far more than going green, but it is a principle that many companies have adopted and have worked persistently to improve over the last several years. Sustainability is defined as the ability to continue a behavior indeterminately, but it also includes improving human life overall. Sustainable development is broken down into three pillars: economic, social, and environmental (Harich & Bangerter, 2014). Economics is the study of how people use resources, which correlates to the goal of sustainable development by using resources to their full potential (Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N., 2011, p. 60). Economic sustainable development allows companies to give their customers what they want without overusing mutual resources. Social development combines the social world with the physical realm to provide a good quality of life (Benoit, 2010, p. 7). Social sustainability focuses on the well-being of people and their communities. Environmental development, the most recognizable, includes protecting the environment by reducing pollution, recycling, switching of electronic devices when not in use, etc. All three of these pillars make up what is known as sustainable development. In this paper, I researched a company and their involvement in sustainability and how it applies to the
In order to operate ethically in a global marketplace, corporations like Exxon Mobil need to define the conduct that they expect from their officers, executives, managers and employees. Without a defined code of conduct, employees feel forced to use their personal mores to determine what actions they should take in ethically ambiguous situations. Like children on a playground, employees need to know where the fences are so that they can work effectively.
Volkswagen is one of the largest automakers in the world and it has a global reputation as a high-quality German auto brand. Social responsibility is included in VW’s corporate culture and it seems that Volkswagen made some advances in Corporate Social Responsibility because the corporation was ranked 11th 2015 in the Global CSR Rep Track 100, which listed companies by reputation (Reputation Institute, 2015).However, the company has been threatened by an emission scandal which broke in September 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disclosed that Volkswagen had installed defeat devices on diesel cars which were sold in the US. These devices equipped on VW cars cheated regulators in such a way that it could detect
In today’s 21st century, it takes good ethics for every company to strive competitively to maintain as the best top competitor in their industries; and has its provocations of smart goal as to how successfully they anticipate their business to function, when it comes to finances, attracting and recruiting employees, begin an admirable corporation to citizens, and while showing customers and employees love, courteous, and appreciation. Companies forestall unethical behavior of bad reputation to uphold the organization values. These atrocious speculations can permanently cause decreased revenues and will degrade the company name, sometimes irreparably damaged.
Microsoft is the global leader in computer software, and well recognized in the field of corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. However, since 1990 the computing giant has been plagued by allegations of antitrust violations and monopolistic, non-competitive business practices. By answering the three questions posed in Part 5, Case 7 of Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases; this review will address how such a legal and ethical dichotomy is possible, and how the issues relate to one another in terms of corporate reputation.
Finally, I believe is important for companies to follow ethical standards that could assist them to make responsible decisions. The ISO 26000 standards is a document that addresses responsible practices related to organizational governance, human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues and community involvement and development (Ajeti, S. R., 2016, para. 2-4). for example, When Chevron faces difficult situations, they try to resolve them by answering four questions: (1) is it legal? (2) Is it consistent with the company policy, including human rights policy? (3) is it consistent with the chevron’s core values? (4) if it were made public, would be I be comfortable? (Chevron, 2015, p.
The act identifies and assigns accountability to those who knowingly falsify documents and it clearly states the consequences for acting outside the defined standard, relating to corporate governance. Using case studies we will review how the passing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is helping to standardized a code of conduct and how it has increased the awareness of corporate responsibility. First, we will review the definitions of corporate governance, business ethics and corporate responsibility. Next, we will examine the effectiveness of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, through a case study and identify possible challenges the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may face, as public demand for social responsibility increases. Finally, we will review proactive recommendations for provisions to key titles of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These provisions will accommodate the growing public demand for ethical and social responsibility.
What significant communication and ethical issues surround corporations facing strong public opposition to their activities? Discuss drawing on the BAGAG, WRATD and Cash for Comment case studies (one or more) and at least one major theory studied in this unit. |
Business ethics since the beginning of this decade has been slowly eroding; if we are to believe what we see and hear in the media. Several times a day, one can view some derogatory piece of information concerning a business. However, it must also be considered that these companies are contributing to that stigma. There have been a variety of companies and individuals who have figured prominently in the media concerning their unethical behavior.
We will look at the Enron Corporation and discuss its application of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or in actuality its irresponsible behavior as related to social responsibility. We will revisit what CSR is and discuss Enron’s philosophy regarding its use and function within the corporation. We will discuss the consequences of Enron’s irresponsible behavior and the far reaching effects it had on society.
Enron was named the most admired company for six years in a row, and it was widely considered one of the best companies to work for by Fortune magazine. Enron shocked the world, and it's stockholders when it was revealed at the end of 2001 that the company’s “reported financial condition was sustained substantially by institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud”. (Enron, 2011, para. 1) Enron maximized it’s long-run profits for itself, but not within the limits of the law. Enron disregarded it’s social responsibility to it’s stackholders when the company only strive for it’s maximized profits, and didn’t strive
Unfortunately, human society is no stranger to suppressing, exploiting, and disregarding indigenous peoples rights and interests. This problem becomes even more apparent when the indigenous peoples’ interests come into conflict with those of capitalism. Although many of these Latin American countries’ main source of income is what comes from naturals resources, these nations cannot keep ignoring what their capitalistic greed is doing to not only the indigenous communities but to their environments as well.
The case study that was analyzed is, “Unauthorized Disclosure: Hewlett-Packard’s secret Surveillance of Directors and Journalists,” by Anne T. Lawrence, Randal D. Harris, and Sally Baack. The ethical issues presented through the case deal with Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). HP is a major international company in the computer and technology market. The company describes itself as a “technology solutions provider to consumers, business and institutions globally.” Their credo is called “HP way”, which focuses on points such as trust and respect for individuals, high level of achievement and contribution, business conduct with uncompromising integrity, objectives through teamwork, and encouragement of flexibility and innovation (Newman). The problems faced by HP’s board of directors were a lack of accountability with HP’s credo. If the “HP way” was followed by them, these ethical issues would be avoided. It also promotes a bad example by the high-level of management of this globally powerful organization.
It is 2017. In an era of globalisation with a worldwide population totalling over 7 billion, colossal multinational companies have become entrenched in prevailing society, with their daily operations impacting the lives of millions of people. This has made the role of ethics and ethical business practice crucial to the goals of sustainable development and the preservation of social order. The ExxonMobil climate change controversy will examine a case where complex ethical decisions were made, with the potential for staggering ramifications on a global scale. This case study highlights the vital importance of stringent adherence to business ethics by transitional businesses but also the ambiguity that comes with ethical interpretation.
Clearly shown within this paper there are many factors that determine the sustainability of an organization through public relations however, this point will seek to outline how credibility within PR can reflect an organization. Public relations emphasizes its importance through credibility which can be displayed through the management of relationships and reputation. Credibility can be established through a variety of methods within an organization, one method is through Corporate Social Responsibility. This can be identified as “business practices involving initiatives that benefit society” (Carney & Lymer, 2015). Corporate Social Responsibility can may have to do with an organization being aware of the environment, therefore going