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Macdonald's Standards Of Business Conduct Analysis

Decent Essays

An Analysis of the Utilitarian ism of the MacDonald’s “Standards of Business Conduct”

Introduction:

This ethical analysis will define the utilitarianism of the MacDonald’s “Standards of Business Conduct.” The premise of the “greater good” of society is the primary foundation of MacDonald’s standards ethical practices in the workplace, which defines the collectivism of John Stuart Mill’s utilitarian philosophy. More so, MacDonald’s also believes that individual franchise owners can also act outside of the institution, yet by abiding by the best interests of the overarching corporate headquarters. MacDonald’s believes in the dual role of acting for the greater good of the company, yet they also encourage individual sovereignty for individual …show more content…

For instance, Mill states the importance of the institutional aspects of the “Greatest Happiness Principle”, which sets the foundation for corporate unity in the utilitarian perspective: “The creed, which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness” (Mill, 2010, p.7). This larger view of collectivism in society is similar to the way that MacDonald’s seeks a selfless loyalty to serving the company: “We act for the long-term benefit of McDonald’s, never for personal gain or to favor family or friends.” (MacDonald’s, 2015, p.23). In this manner, the utilitarian ethics demands that the greater good of the company be the priority, instead of individual employees acting on their …show more content…

After all, the individual franchise owners have far more leeway with the issue of corporate authority and accountability within the franchise codes of conduct. MacDonald’s does offer some important aspects of diversity and human rights, but the oversimplified focus on corporate loyalty actually places the company before family or friends (p.23). Ethically, MacDonald’s takes the utilitarian vision too far by inverting the stability of family life, which could appear to cause a negative reaction by employees that may feel that the company does not care about their family lives. I would modify this code as part of a corporate social responsibility clause for employees and managers to show that MacDonald’s does merely care bout its own corporate interests, and not the family unit. This is one policy that I would change to bring about greater employee and manager loyalty into a broader system of social inclusion in corporate

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