Warby Parker's Ethical Behavior

Warby Parker target customers are people with a concern for style and a high quality eyewear that is at the same time affordable. Similarly, by adding a social component, the company appeals to customers that are motivated to help others and the environment. Warby Parker is well aware that some customers, especially nowadays, prefer to shop online from the comfort of their home. That is why Warby Parker implemented its convenient home try-on program designed especially for this kind of customers. Meanwhile, Warby Parker keeps gaining access to customers uncomfortable with purchasing eyewear online by taking advantage of the power of physical storefronts to promote brand awareness.

Martha Stewart is an American Home decorator Icon surrounded by accusations of Inside trading, Obstruction of justice, False statements and Conspiracy. Her trial and investigation lasted for two years ending with her being found guilty of charges and convicted to spend time in jail, home arrest and probation. In this work I will expose Martha Stewart’s behavior and why her actions were considered outlaw, unethical and unprofessional. I will also explain which ethical behavior she used and how that affects her image, financial status, social position, fame and followers.

to make sure they are an ethical company and donating the free eyewear to the people they were intended

The CEO and all senior financial officers also have an additional code of ethics. They are responsible for full, accurate, and timely disclosure in reports required to be filed by the SEC. Each member is also required to report any material untrue fact that comes to their attention or any deficiency in the design/operation of internal controls. Each member must report any violation of their code of ethics or any violation of other laws, rules, or regulations (Walmart 9). This additional codes of ethics is important because it holds all of the executives accountable for their actions. This should aid in preventing fraudulent reporting by management because this code can be cited when looking at disciplinary action.

Established as the older company of the two, Lowe’s ranks forty-second as a Fortune 500 company. Established in 1946 as a small hardware business, Lowe’s has grown into a 40,000 product, global market enterprise that consist of 1,710 stores nationwide expanding into the countries of Canada, Mexico and Australia (Lowe's Internal, 2010) Home Depot, founded in 1978, is the fastest growing retailer in the United States. Ranked twenty-ninth as a Fortune 500 company, Home Depot continues to remain the number one do-it-yourself retail store in America. These two companies may sell products of the same nature, but comparing their Code of Ethics is their way of setting themselves apart. (Home Depot Internal, 2009)

The ethics of businesses are under more scrutiny than ever before (Bones, 2014). Ethics can be considered as following a code of behaviour agreeable with the context of society and can also be defined as the application of moral and ethical considerations in a business environment (Hurn, 2008). Sport businesses have been targeted a lot more in recent years due to the conditions they place their workers in has become more apparent to the outside world. Nike are one of the world’s leading sports brands but have been faced with many allegations in recent years (Daily Mail, 2011) in regards to the conditions they put their workers in and their ethics and morals have been questioned. This report will critically evaluate the impact ethics has on the business operations of Nike and then analyse the reasons for why ethics impact the sport organisation. Finally, recommendations will be made to improve Nike’s business ethics.

One of Lululemon’s ethical issues that it is currently practiced is that Lululemon encourages employees to ease drop on its customers to gain more knowledge on the current complaints/defects with its products. This practice was introduced to the company because Lululemon is known for wanting to avoid collecting large amounts of customer data through large data techniques. Rather, the company aims to have a close and open relationship with its customers. Lululemon would rather connect with its customers while they are shopping in the store or in its company offered yoga lessons after the store closes rather than collecting data. The company was founded on the mission of “creating components for people to live longer, healthier, fun lives” this philosophy led to Lululemon seven core values: quality, product, integrity, balance, entrepreneurship, fun, and greatness. In this case, the implicated values that have arisen are integrity, quality, and greatness. As a company, Lululemon values greatness as a key value in how the company functions, they do this by always striving to have the best quality products and to be the greatest company. However, another key value is integrity which it encourages its employees to have the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The implication of having employees ease drop on its customers in order to gain feedback on the company’s product violates its value of integrity.

The job of a journalist has always been highly scrutinized. For years, the question of what and how a journalist should deliver information has been analyzed. However, despite the many theories, it has always been a clear consensus that journalists have an obligation to truth above all. However, there are many cases where a journalist may not know how far to go in order to deliver that truth. Of course, a journalist must always operate within legal limits, however, again some cases have blurred lines. A case that demonstrates these blurred lines between the legal and illegal, as well as the need to deliver truth, is a case between the Rolling Stone and their use of illegal music links.

Nike was established in 1972 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. These two men were visionaries. The goal for Nike was to carry on Bowerman’s legacy of innovative thinking by helping every athlete reach their goal or by creating lucrative business opportunities that would set the company apart from any competition. This included providing quality work environments for all who were employed by Nike.

The problem to be investigated is the application of business ethics. In the business world, ethics are extremely important. Ethics are prime elements that help a business to grow and to become more productive. It is by applying proper business ethics that a business can operate in a moral or ethical business environment and managed to conduct all activities in a manner that maximizes profits while not compromising all other non-economic concerns(Schwab, 1996). Businesses have over the years failed to nurture business ethics in order to fulfill shareholders' interests and to have a culture that is oriented towards profit maximization and high performance(Jennings, 2012; Sims & Felton, 2006). This has led business to have gray areas in their activities. Gray areas are those situations or problems that do not fit exactly into any ethical analysis. These are the activities which may be represented to be immoral as a result of lying and false representations on the part of the business.

Analyze the manner in which Zappos’ leadership has fostered a culture of ethicalness in the company. Suggest two (2) actions that other companies can take in order to mimic this culture.

If Wal-Mart has such little regard for their own employees, it would make it difficult for a company to have minimal regard to where their merchandise is coming from. On the documentary, The High Price of Low Cost, informs of the countries and Wal-Mart’s effects on these countries, including its presence for manufacturing in China. The workers work in conditions of extreme temperatures from morning until dawn and provided boarding, which is shared with several others and lined with bunk beds. The board and utilities are deducted from their wages even if the workers choose not to stay on the facilities the board is still deducted from their pay. These workers that are looking for employment to make a better future for their families are

Warby Parker is a company that focuses on designing, manufacturing, and selling inexpensive glasses to consumers. The creation of the company is partly due to the eyewear industry being controlled largely by one company, Luxottica. Luxottica sold eyewear products at an inflated price and the creators of Warby Parker thought that there should be a much less expensive alternative while still offering quality eyewear products to customers. Warby Parker was created as an alternative to Luxottica’s high prices. Many people around the world are in need of functional glasses, and a lot of those people do not have the money to be able to afford overpriced glasses. Warby Parker was established in 2010 and has been enjoying an expanding consumer base since that time.

Wal-Mart, the big giant, the place where a lot of people usually do their shopping for the low prices and the variety of products were founded by Sam Walton. Walton was an entrepreneur with an innovative vision started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. In fact, Wal-Mart is considered to be the biggest company in the U.S. and it has stores worldwide. According to PBS, “Wal-Mart employs more people than any other company in the United States outside of the Federal government, yet the majority of its employees with children live below the poverty line.”(www.pbs.org) In addition, Wal-Mart likes to portray itself as a seller of U.S. manufactured goods

The topic of this paper is business ethics within Gap Inc., a multinational retail – clothing company. The foundation of its corporate ethical approach is summarized in the Code of Conduct . This paper outlines the ethical problems Gap Inc. faced in the last years and more important, the solutions they found in order to remain a successful company. It shows how large companies deal with common issues like child labour and sweatshops.