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QUESTION 17
Title:
business ethics
After the completion of weeks 1-5 and reading of the required chapters, students are required to complete a set of questions (below) based on personal moral ideas and beliefs using peer-reviewed articles to supplement interpretation and reasoning. (Total: 1000 words). Students are required to use at least 3 references when attempting to answer the questions.
Students are required to answer all 4 questions below to satisfy the requirements of this assessment task.
- In your own words identify and briefly describe two major ethical issues from the article titled “Enron Ethics (Or: Culture Matters more than Codes) (Sims and Brinkmann, 2003), and indicating why these issues are ‘major’ in your eyes. (250 words)
Enron article
- Aristotle's Virtue Ethics: Watch the following YouTube video and answer the following question
https://youtu.be/ruPdUxkqqoA
How might we enact and develop virtuous traits? How does this theory compare to consequentialist and non-consequentialist theories? (250 words)
- In its CSR statement the food manufacturer Kellogg’s states the following:
Kellogg Company has a rich history of corporate social responsibility, a history that has grown and evolved to meet the complexities of today’s business world and the challenges of a global society. Our founder, W.K. Kellogg, sought to ‘invest my money in people’. That legacy continues to guide our company and our people. Social responsibility is a way of life at Kellogg. It means investing in and enriching our communities. It means encouraging employee volunteerism. But it means much more. Our commitment to being a good corporate citizen also includes:
- Protecting our environment.
- Selling nutritious products and advocating healthy lifestyles.
- Acting with integrity and adhering to the highest ethical standards.
- Promoting diversity in our work force and partnering with diverse suppliers.
- Ensuring a safe, healthy workplace”.
(http://www.kelloggcompany.com/en_US/corporate-responsibility.html)
In 2001, the Food Commission, a British campaign group, tested 18 breakfast bars and found that they all had higher levels of sugar than nutritionists recommend for a healthy breakfast and 10 had higher fat levels. Among one of the worst tested was Kellogg’s Coco Pops bar (BBC News, 23 October 2001, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1613141.stm). Australian consumer magazine Choice reports that Kellogg’s LCM bars should not be recommended as a regular lunch-box food since they have little dietary fibre and contain a harmful level of saturated fat (http://www.choice.com.au/media-and-news/consumer-news/news/childrens%20snack%20bars%20unhealthy.aspx).
Do you think that Kellogg’s CSR statement is sincere, or is the company merely trying to convince stakeholders that it is a socially responsible company? Assess Kellogg’s CSR statement using Kantian theory. (250 words)
4 Fair trade can sometimes be grounded in the assumption that it helps to address slave labour and give fair returns to farmers. What other perspectives on fair trade could be considered? Do corporations have a responsibility to the global community? (250 words)
https://youtu.be/9mgPEP8HAss
| Subject | Business | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Business Ethics
- Enron Ethics
The article Enron Ethics by Sims & Brinkman (2003), gives a detailed analysis of Enron Corporation’s culture and how the culture impacted on the ethics of its employees. Nevertheless, the troubles and the downfall of Enron Corporation as described in the article give two major ethical issues: values for respect and integrity and the need for effective communication. According to Sims & Brinkmann, Enron executives never demonstrated the virtues of respect or integrity to their colleagues. Instead, the company cultivated a culture of ‘rank and yank’ where a large percentage of employees who were thought to be underperforming got fired. Such a culture undermined the dignity of the employees. Sims and Brinkmann observe that other companies treat poor performing employees by finding for them alternative places within the organization where they can perform better. The value for respect and integrity is a major ethical concern since its absence directly contributed to the collapse of Enron as the working environment became unbearable for a majority of the employees.
Communication is similarly a significant ethical concern. Even though it was embedded in Enron’s code of ethics, the activities of the company’s top management demonstrated otherwise. For instance, Sherron Watkins as quoted by U.S. Congressional Hearings reveals that even though they were confronted with numerous questions, he was never comfortable sharing his concerns with either Skilling or Fastow. This is a major concern since once there is no adequate sharing of ides, an organization can hardly grow.
References
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Sims, R. R., & Brinkmann, J. (2003). Enron ethics (or: culture matters more than codes). Journal of Business ethics, 45(3), 243-256. |