2 Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business
Introduction
Learning Outcomes
After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer these questions:
What philosophies and concepts shape personal ethical standards?
How can organizations encourage ethical business behavior?
What is corporate social responsibility?
How do businesses meet their social responsibilities to various stakeholders?
What are the trends in ethics and corporate social responsibility?
Exploring Business Careers
Playing with a Purpose at Hasbro
Hasbro is a global play and entertainment company that takes corporate social responsibility (CSR) very seriously. Founded nearly a century ago in Rhode Island, Hasbro integrates its CSR efforts throughout the organization with the goal of helping to make the world a better place for children of all ages.
In 2017, the company achieved the number one spot in the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” rankings, published annually by Corporate Responsibility magazine. Hasbro is no stranger to this achievement; over the past five years, Hasbro has consistently been in the top five spots on this prestigious list—and that is no accident.
With more than 5,000 employees, Hasbro relies heavily on its strategic brand blueprint to guide its efforts in CSR, innovation, philanthropy, and product development. With a business portfolio that includes such well-known brands as Nerf, Play-Doh, Transformers, Monopoly, and The Game of Life, the company focuses its CSR efforts on four key areas: product safety, environmental sustainability, human rights and ethical sourcing, and community.
According to the company, product safety is its highest priority. Hasbro uses a five-step quality assurance process that starts with design and then moves to engineering, manufacturing, and packaging. Another key part of product safety at Hasbro is incorporating continuous feedback from both consumers and retailers and insisting that these high standards and quality processes apply to all third-party factories worldwide that manufacture its products.
Hasbro is also committed to finding new ways to reduce its environmental footprint. Over the past several years, the company has reduced energy consumption, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced water consumption and waste production in its production facilities. In addition, Hasbro has totally eliminated the use of wire ties in all of its product packaging, saving more than 34,000 miles of wire ties—more than enough to wrap around the earth’s circumference.
Human rights and ethical sourcing remain key ingredients of Hasbro’s CSR success. Treating people fairly is a core company value, as is working diligently to make great strides in diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organization. Company personnel work closely with third-party factories to ensure that the human rights of all workers in the Hasbro global supply chain are recognized and upheld.
Philanthropy, corporate giving, and employee volunteering are key components of the Hasbro community. Through its various charitable programs, Hasbro made close to $15 million in financial contributions and product donations in 2016, which reached close to an estimated 4 million children around the globe. Several years ago the company started an annual Global Day of Joy as a way of engaging its employees worldwide in community service. In a recent year, more than 93 percent of Hasbro’s employees participated in service projects in more than 40 countries.
Hasbro is in the business of storytelling, and its CSR efforts tell the story of an ethical, responsible organization whose mission is to create the world’s best play experiences. Its ability to be accountable for its actions and to help make the world a better place one experience at a time continues to make it a highly successful company.
Sources: Brian Goldner, “Who Are You Really?—Brian Goldner, President & CEO for Hasbro, Inc.,” http://insights.ethisphere.com, accessed June 29, 2017; “CSR Fact Sheet,” https://csr.hasbro.com, accessed June 23, 2017; “The World’s Biggest Public Companies: Hasbro,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com, accessed June 23, 2017; “2016 Global Philanthropy & Social Impact,” https://csr.hasbro.com, accessed June 23, 2017; Elizabeth Gurdus, “Hasbro CEO Reveals the Magic Behind the Toymaker’s Earnings Beat,” CNBC, http://www.cnbc.com, April 24, 2017; Jade Burke, “Hasbro Reaches Top Spot in CSR Listing,” Toy News, http://www.toynews-online.biz, April 21, 2017; Kathrin Belliveau, “CSR at Hasbro: What It Means to Play with Purpose,” LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com, April 20, 2017.
Every day, managers and business owners make business decisions based on what they believe to be right and wrong. Through their actions, they demonstrate to their employees what is and is not acceptable behavior and shape the moral standard of the organization. As you will see in this module, personal and professional ethics are important cornerstones of an organization and shape its ultimate contributions to society in the form of corporate social responsibility. First, let’s consider how individual business ethics are formed.
2.1 Understanding Business Ethics
Learning Outcomes
What philosophies and concepts shape personal ethical standards?
Ethics is a set of moral standards for judging whether something is right or wrong. The first step in understanding business ethics is learning to recognize an ethical issue. An ethical issue is a situation where someone must choose between a set of actions that may be ethical or unethical. For example, Martin Shkreli, former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of a drug used for newborns and HIV patients by more than 5000 percent, defending the price increase as a “great business decision.”1 Few people would call that ethical behavior. But consider the actions of the stranded, hungry people in New Orleans who lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They broke into flooded stores, taking food and bottled water without paying for them. Was this unethical behavior? Or what about the small Texas plastics manufacturer that employed over 100 people and specialized in the Latin American market? The president was distraught because he knew the firm would be bankrupt by the end of the year if it didn’t receive more contracts. He knew that he was losing business because he refused to pay bribes. Bribes were part of the culture in his major markets. Closing the firm would put many people out of work. Should he start paying bribes in order to stay in business? Would this be unethical? Let’s look at the next section to obtain some guidance on recognizing unethical situations.
Recognizing Unethical Business Activities
Researchers from Brigham Young University tell us that all unethical business activities will fall into one of the following categories:
Taking things that don’t belong to you. The unauthorized use of someone else’s property or taking property under false pretenses is taking something that does not belong to you. Even the smallest offense, such as using the postage meter at your office for mailing personal letters or exaggerating your travel expenses, belongs in this category of ethical violations.
Saying things you know are not true. Often, when trying for a promotion and advancement, fellow employees discredit their coworkers. Falsely assigning blame or inaccurately reporting conversations is lying. Although “This is the way the game is played around here” is a common justification, saying things that are untrue is an ethical violation.
Giving or allowing false impressions. The salesperson who permits a potential customer to believe that cardboard boxes will hold the customer’s tomatoes for long-distance shipping when the salesperson knows the boxes are not strong enough has given a false impression. A car dealer who fails to disclose that a car has been in an accident is misleading potential customers.
Buying influence or engaging in a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest occurs when the official responsibilities of an employee or government official are influenced by the potential for personal gain. Suppose a company awards a construction contract to a firm owned by the father of the state attorney general while the state attorney general’s office is investigating that company. If this construction award has the potential to shape the outcome of the investigation, a conflict of interest has occurred.
Hiding or divulging information. Failing to disclose the results of medical studies that indicate your firm’s new drug has significant side effects is the ethical violation of hiding information that the product could be harmful to purchasers. Taking your firm’s product development or trade secrets to a new place of employment constitutes the ethical violation of divulging proprietary information.
Taking unfair advantage. Many current consumer protection laws were passed because so many businesses took unfair advantage of people who were not educated or were unable to discern the nuances of complex contracts. Credit disclosure requirements, truth-in-lending provisions, and new regulations on auto leasing all resulted because businesses misled consumers who could not easily follow the jargon of long, complex agreements.
Committing improper personal behavior. Although the ethical aspects of an employee’s right to privacy are still debated, it has become increasingly clear that personal conduct outside the job can influence performance and company reputation. Thus, a company driver must abstain from substance abuse because of safety issues. Even the traditional company holiday party and summer picnic have come under scrutiny due to the possibility that employees at and following these events might harm others through alcohol-related accidents.
Abusing power and mistreating individuals. Suppose a manager sexually harasses an employee or subjects employees to humiliating corrections or reprimands in the presence of customers. In some cases, laws protect employees. Many situations, however, are simply interpersonal abuse that constitutes an ethical violation.
Permitting organizational abuse. Many U.S. firms with operations overseas, such as Apple, Nike, and Levi Strauss, have faced issues of organizational abuse. The unfair treatment of workers in international operations appears in the form of child labor, demeaning wages, and excessive work hours. Although a business cannot change the culture of another country, it can perpetuate—or stop—abuse through its operations there.
Violating rules. Many organizations use rules and processes to maintain internal controls or respect the authority of managers. Although these rules may seem burdensome to employees trying to serve customers, a violation may be considered an unethical act.
Condoning unethical actions. What if you witnessed a fellow employee embezzling company funds by forging her signature on a check? Would you report the violation? A winking tolerance of others’ unethical behavior is itself unethical.2
After recognizing that a situation is unethical, the next question is what do you do? The action that a person takes is partially based upon his or her ethical philosophy. The environment in which we live and work also plays a role in our behavior. This section describes personal philosophies and legal factors that influence the choices we make when confronting an ethical dilemma.
Justice—The Question of Fairness
Another factor influencing individual business ethics is justice, or what is fair according to prevailing standards of society. We all expect life to be reasonably fair. You expect your exams to be fair, the grading to be fair, and your wages to be fair, based on the type of work being done.
Today we take justice to mean an equitable distribution of the burdens and rewards that society has to offer. The distributive process varies from society to society. Those in a democratic society believe in the “equal pay for equal work” doctrine, in which individuals are rewarded based on the value the free market places on their services. Because the market places different values on different occupations, the rewards, such as wages, are not necessarily equal. Nevertheless, many regard the rewards as just. A politician who argued that a supermarket clerk should receive the same pay as a physician, for example, would not receive many votes from the American people. At the other extreme, communist theorists have argued that justice would be served by a society in which burdens and rewards were distributed to individuals according to their abilities and their needs, respectively.
Utilitarianism—Seeking the Best for the Majority
One of the philosophies that may influence choices between right and wrong is utilitarianism, which focuses on the consequences of an action taken by a person or organization. The notion that people should act so as to generate the greatest good for the greatest number is derived from utilitarianism. When an action affects the majority adversely, it is morally wrong. One problem with this philosophy is that it is nearly impossible to accurately determine how a decision will affect a large number of people.
Another problem is that utilitarianism always involves both winners and losers. If sales are slowing and a manager decides to fire five people rather than putting everyone on a 30-hour workweek, the 20 people who keep their full-time jobs are winners, but the other five are losers.
A final criticism of utilitarianism is that some “costs,” although small relative to the potential good, are so negative that some segments of society find them unacceptable. Reportedly, the backs of animals a year are deliberately broken so that scientists can conduct spinal cord research that could someday lead to a cure for spinal cord injuries. To a number of people, however, the “costs” are simply too horrible for this type of research to continue.
Following Our Obligations and Duties
The philosophy that says people should meet their obligations and duties when analyzing an ethical dilemma is called deontology. This means that a person will follow his or her obligations to another individual or society because upholding one’s duty is what is considered ethically correct. For instance, people who follow this philosophy will always keep their promises to a friend and will follow the law. They will produce very consistent decisions, because they will be based on the individual’s set duties. Note that this theory is not necessarily concerned with the welfare of others. Say, for example, a technician for Orkin Pest Control has decided that it’s his ethical duty (and is very practical) to always be on time to meetings with homeowners. Today he is running late. How is he supposed to drive? Is the technician supposed to speed, breaking his duty to society to uphold the law, or is he supposed to arrive at the client’s home late, breaking his duty to be on time? This scenario of conflicting obligations does not lead us to a clear ethically correct resolution, nor does it protect the welfare of others from the technician’s decision.
Individual Rights
In our society, individuals and groups have certain rights that exist under certain conditions regardless of any external circumstances. These rights serve as guides when making individual ethical decisions. The term human rights implies that certain rights—to life, to freedom, to the pursuit of happiness—are bestowed at birth and cannot be arbitrarily taken away. Denying the rights of an individual or group is considered to be unethical and illegal in most, though not all, parts of the world. Certain rights are guaranteed by the government and its laws, and these are considered legal rights. The U.S. Constitution and its amendments, as well as state and federal statutes, define the rights of American citizens. Those rights can be disregarded only in extreme circumstances, such as during wartime. Legal rights include the freedom of religion, speech, and assembly; protection from improper arrest and searches and seizures; and proper access to counsel, confrontation of witnesses, and cross-examination in criminal prosecutions. Also held to be fundamental is the right to privacy in many matters. Legal rights are to be applied without regard to race, color, creed, gender, or ability.
Concept Check
How are individual business ethics formed?
What is utilitarianism?
How can you recognize unethical activities?
2.2How Organizations Influence Ethical Conduct
Learning Outcomes
How can organizations encourage ethical business behavior?
People choose between right and wrong based on their personal code of ethics. They are also influenced by the ethical environment created by their employers. Consider the following headlines:
Investment advisor Bernard Madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison for swindling clients out of more than $65 billion.
Former United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek leaves the company after a federal investigation into whether United tried to influence officials at the Port Authority of New York.
Renaud Laplanche, the founder of Lending Club, loses his job because of faulty practices and conflicts of interest at the online peer-to-peer lender.
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf fired after company employees opened more than 2 million fake accounts to meet aggressive sales targets.3
As these actual stories illustrate, poor business ethics can create a very negative image for a company, can be expensive for the firm and/or the executives involved, and can result in bankruptcy and jail time for the offenders. Organizations can reduce the potential for these types of liability claims by educating their employees about ethical standards, by leading through example, and through various informal and formal programs.
Leading by Example
Employees often follow the examples set by their managers. That is, leaders and managers establish patterns of behavior that determine what’s acceptable and what’s not within the organization. While Ben Cohen was president of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, he followed a policy that no one could earn a salary more than seven times that of the lowest-paid worker. He wanted all employees to feel that they were equal. At the time he resigned, company sales were $140 million, and the lowest-paid worker earned $19,000 per year. Ben Cohen’s salary was $133,000, based on the “seven times” rule. A typical top executive of a $140 million company might have earned 10 times Cohen’s salary. Ben Cohen’s actions helped shape the ethical values of Ben & Jerry’s.
Offering Ethics Training Programs
In addition to providing a system to resolve ethical dilemmas, organizations also provide formal training to develop an awareness of questionable business activities and practice appropriate responses. Many companies have some type of ethics training program. The ones that are most effective, like those created by Levi Strauss, American Express, and Campbell Soup Company, begin with techniques for solving ethical dilemmas such as those discussed earlier. Next, employees are presented with a series of situations and asked to come up with the “best” ethical solution. One of these ethical dilemmas is shown in Table 2.1. According to a recent survey by the Ethics Resource Center, more than 80 percent of U.S. companies provide some sort of ethics training for employees, which may include online activities, videos, and even games.4
An Ethical Dilemma Used for Employee Training
Bill Gannon was a middle manager of a large manufacturer of lighting fixtures in Newark, New Jersey. Bill had moved up the company ladder rather quickly and seemed destined for upper management in a few years. Bill’s boss, Dana Johnson, had been pressuring them about the semiannual reviews concerning Robert Talbot, one of Bill’s employees. Dana, it seemed, would not accept any negative comments on Robert’s evaluation forms. Bill had found out that a previous manager who had given Robert a bad evaluation was no longer with the company. As Bill reviewed Robert’s performance for the forthcoming evaluation period, they found many areas of subpar performance. Moreover, a major client had called recently complaining that Robert had filled a large order improperly and then had been rude to the client when she called to complain.
Discussion Questions
What ethical issues does the situation raise?
What courses of action could Bill take? Describe the ethics of each course.
Should Bill confront Dana? Dana’s boss?
What would you do in this situation? What are the ethical implications?
Table 2.1
Establishing a Formal Code of Ethics
Most large companies and thousands of smaller ones have created, printed, and distributed codes of ethics. In general, a code of ethics provides employees with the knowledge of what their firm expects in terms of their responsibilities and behavior toward fellow employees, customers, and suppliers. Some ethical codes offer a lengthy and detailed set of guidelines for employees. Others are not really codes at all but rather summary statements of goals, policies, and priorities. Some companies have their codes framed and hung on office walls, included as a key component of employee handbooks, and/or posted on their corporate websites.
Do codes of ethics make employees behave in a more ethical manner? Some people believe that they do. Others think that they are little more than public relations gimmicks. If senior management abides by the code of ethics and regularly emphasizes the code to employees, then it will likely have a positive influence on behavior.
The “100 Best Corporate Citizens” as ranked by Corporate Responsibility magazine are selected based on seven categories, including employee relations, human rights, corporate governance (including code of ethics), philanthropy and community support, financial performance, environment, and climate change.5 The top corporate citizens in 2017 were:
Hasbro, Inc.
Intel Corp.
Microsoft Corp.
Altria Group, Inc.
Campbell Soup Company
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Accenture
Hormel Foods Corp.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Ecolab, Inc.
Customer Satisfaction and Quality Exercise
Campbell’s Adds CSR to Its Recipe
The Campbell Soup Company is no longer just about traditional cans of processed soup. Under the guidance of its management team, particularly its former CEO Denise Morrison (Morrison retired from Campbell’s in July of 2018), Campbell’s has undergone a transformation that includes a strong emphasis on organics and fresh food—and a large serving of corporate citizenship.
Named one of the Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility magazine in 2017, Campbell’s is working to make sustainability and transparency part of its business DNA, and this culture shift has had an important influence on the company’s business strategies.
Morrison, who took over as CEO in 2011, is a firm believer in the company’s central vision: real food that matters for life’s moments. “We can make a profit and make a difference, and we are doing both through our business . . . in a way that’s authentic, that’s transparent, and that truly matters,” she explains.
Under Morrison’s watch, the company recently acquired several fresh food and organic companies, including Bolthouse Farms, one of the largest suppliers of fresh carrots in the United States, and Garden Fresh Gourmet, which produces a top line of fresh salsa and hummus. Tracking the strong change in consumer preference for healthier food, Campbell’s also recently acquired Plum Organics, a line of organic baby food products, which should help solidify the company’s reputation for fresh ingredients with millennials and their families.
The company’s transformation from a processed food giant to a major competitor in the fresh food business has also had a positive influence on the company’s bottom line. Campbell’s shareholders have to be pleased with the 20 percent increase in the company’s stock price over the past two years, as the markets, competitors, and consumers take notice of the company’s strong commitment to sustainability.
Inherent in the company’s reinvention is the strong emphasis on corporate citizenship—doing good and giving back seem to be top priorities for Campbell’s. In addition to acquiring sustainable and fresh food companies, Campbell’s has also made a conscious decision to support the communities where their employees live and work. For example, the company launched a healthy communities initiative in Camden, New Jersey, where Campbell’s is headquartered—an urban city that has seen its share of economic and social challenges in the past. In partnership with several local organizations, this initiative has helped fund community gardens, food pantries, nutrition education, and cooking classes that help build healthy communities. The Camden experience has been so successful that the company has expanded the program to other cities where it operates, including Detroit, Michigan, and Norwalk, Connecticut.
The company’s ongoing commitment to fresh food, community involvement, and corporate social responsibility has helped change the narrative when it comes to being a sustainable and ethical organization.
Questions for Discussion
How do Campbell Soup Company’s recent business acquisitions help support its CSR strategies?
Provide examples of how the company’s transformation from a processed food giant to a purveyor of fresh ingredients can help attract a new group of customers.
Sources: “Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Are Good for Business,” https://www.campbellsoupcompany.com, accessed June 27, 2017; “Campbell Soup Wants to Make You a Personal Eating Plan (video),” Fortune, http://fortune.com, May 2, 2017; Don Seiffert, “Campbell Soup CEO Makes 3 Predictions about the Future of Food,” Boston Business Journal, http://www.bizjournals.com, April 13, 2017; Aaron Hurst, “How Denise Morrison Took Processed Food Icon Campbell’s on a Fresh Food Buying Spree,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com, March 2, 2017; Abigail Stevenson, “Campbell Soup CEO: Stunning Disruption in the Ecosystem of Food,” CNBC, http://www.cnbc.com, July 21, 2016.
Making the Right Decision
In many situations, there may be no simple right or wrong answers. Yet there are several questions you can ask yourself, and a couple of self-tests you can do, to help you make the right ethical decision. First, ask yourself, “Are there any legal restrictions or violations that will result from the action?” If so, take a different course of action. If not, ask yourself, “Does it violate my company’s code of ethics?” If so, again find a different path to follow. Third, ask, “Does this meet the guidelines of my own ethical philosophy?” If the answer is “yes,” then your decision must still pass two important tests.
The Feelings Test
You must now ask, “How does it make me feel?” This enables you to examine your comfort level with a particular decision. Many people find that, after reaching a decision on an issue, they still experience discomfort that may manifest itself in a loss of sleep or appetite. Those feelings of conscience can serve as a future guide in resolving ethical dilemmas.
The Newspaper or Social Media Test
The final test involves the front page of the newspaper or social media posts. The question to be asked is how an objective reporter would describe your decision in a front-page newspaper story, an online media site, or a social media platform such as Twitter or Facebook. Some managers rephrase the test for their employees: How will the headline read if I make this decision, or what will be the reaction of my social media followers? This test is helpful in spotting and resolving potential conflicts of interest.
Concept Check
What is the role of top management in organizational ethics?
What is a code of ethics?
2.3 Managing a Socially Responsible Business
Learning Outcomes
What is corporate social responsibility?
Acting in an ethical manner is one of the four components of the pyramid of corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is the concern of businesses for the welfare of society as a whole. It consists of obligations beyond those required by law or union contract. This definition makes two important points. First, CSR is voluntary. Beneficial action required by law, such as cleaning up factories that are polluting air and water, is not voluntary. Second, the obligations of corporate social responsibility are broad. They extend beyond investors in the company to include workers, suppliers, consumers, communities, and society at large.
Exhibit 2.4 portrays economic responsibility as the foundation for the other three responsibilities. At the same time that a business pursues profits (economic responsibility), however, it is expected to obey the law (legal responsibility); to do what is right, just, and fair (ethical responsibility); and to be a good corporate citizen (philanthropic responsibility). These four components are distinct but together constitute the whole. Still, if the company doesn’t make a profit, then the other three responsibilities won’t matter.
Many companies continue to work hard to make the world a better place to live. Recent data suggests that Fortune 500 companies spend more than $15 billion annually on CSR activities. Consider the following examples:
Starbucks has donated more than one million meals to local communities via its FoodShare program and alliance with Feeding America, giving 100 percent of leftover food from their seven thousand U.S. company-owned stores.
Salesforce encourages its employees to volunteer in community activities and pays them for doing so, up to 56 paid hours every year. For employees who participate in seven days of volunteerism in one year, Salesforce also gives them a $1,000 grant to donate to the employee’s nonprofit of choice.
Employees who work for Deloitte, a global audit, consulting, and financial services organization, can get paid for up to 48 hours of volunteer work each year. In a recent year, more than 27,000 Deloitte professionals contributed more than 353,000 volunteer hours to their communities around the world.6
Understanding Social Responsibility
Peter Drucker, the late globally respected management expert, said that we should look first at what an organization does to society and second at what it can do for society. This idea suggests that social responsibility has two basic dimensions: legality and responsibility.
Illegal and Irresponsible Behavior
The idea of corporate social responsibility is so widespread today that it is hard to conceive of a company continually acting in illegal and irresponsible ways. Nevertheless, such actions do sometimes occur, which can create financial ruin for organizations, extreme financial hardships for many former employees, and general struggles for the communities in which they operate. Unfortunately, top executives still walk away with millions. Some, however, will ultimately pay large fines and spend time in prison for their actions. Federal, state, and local laws determine whether an activity is legal or not. The laws that regulate business are discussed later in this module.
Irresponsible but Legal Behavior
Sometimes companies act irresponsibly, yet their actions are legal. For example, the Minnesota-based company that makes MyPillow was recently fined $1 million by the state of California for making unsubstantiated claims that the “most comfortable pillow you’ll ever own” could help alleviate medical conditions such as snoring, fibromyalgia, migraines, and other disorders. The company’s CEO countered that the claims were actually made by customers; these testimonials were posted on the company’s website but later removed. In addition to the fine, the company faced several class-action lawsuits, and the Better Business Bureau has revoked MyPillow’s accreditation.7
Catching the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Badger Company Founder Walks the Walk
As a carpenter, Bill Whyte was always looking for a solution to his dry, cracked hands, especially in the harsh New Hampshire winters. After trying many commercial lotions that didn’t really work, Whyte experimented with olive oil and beeswax to come up with a soothing balm to help heal rough hands. Mixing up the concoction at home, Whyte came up with a product that seemed to work and was made from natural ingredients.
Originally called Bear Paw, the lotion became known as Badger Balm after a friend found a competing product already named Bear Paw. Whyte set up a production line at home to fill the tins. Soon he was pounding the pavement in the town of Gilsum, trying to sell the new product to hardware stores, lumber yards, and health food stores.
Fast-forward a little more than 20 years from his early days of experimentation, and Whyte (affectionately known as the “head badger”) runs W.S. Badger Company with the same goals and passions he started with back in the mid-1990s. The company uses only organic plant extracts, exotic oils, beeswax, and minerals to make the most effective products to soothe, heal, and protect the body. And the natural ingredients come from all over the world—for example, organic extra virgin olive oil from Spain, organic rose essential oil from Bulgaria, and bergamot oil from southern Italy.
Badger’s homey culture is no accident. In fact, in the early days, Whyte made soup every Friday for the small staff. Today, Whyte and family members, including his wife Kathy, chief operating officer; daughter Rebecca, head of sustainability and innovation; and daughter Emily, head of sales and marketing, all embrace the ethical and social principles of this family business that have made the company a success.
To reinforce the commitment to being socially responsible and demonstrating transparency, W.S. Badger Company became a Certified Benefit Corporation, or B Corp for short. This certification requires companies to meet rigorous standards for transparency, accountability, and social and environmental performance. (Benefit Corporations are discussed in more detail later in this module.)
Becoming a B Corp has helped the company organize how it operates. For example, pay for the highest-paid full-time employee is capped at five times that of the lowest paid, which is now $15 an hour (more than double New Hampshire’s minimum wage); a portion of company profits flows to employees via profit sharing, and all employees participate in a bonus plan; and new parents are encouraged to bring their babies to work, a program that has helped foster a new style of teamwork for the entire organization, as well as increase employee morale. In addition, Badger donates 10 percent of its pre-tax profits annually to nonprofit organizations that focus on the health and welfare of children, matches employee contributions to charitable causes (up to $100 per employee), and donates an additional $50 to a nonprofit chosen by each employee on their birthday.
Badger staff, which now number more than 100, enjoy a living wage, great benefits, and a socially responsible work environment thanks to a visionary who found an eco-friendly way to soothe his rough hands and created an ethical business as part of his journey.
Questions for Discussion
How does Badger’s approach to social responsibility help attract and retain employees?
Does the company’s certification as a Benefit Corporation provide Badger with a competitive advantage? Explain your reasoning.
Sources: “Badger’s History & Legend,” “Babies at Work Policy,” and “2016 Annual Impact Report,” https://www.badgerbalm.com, accessed June 27, 2017; “About Badger,” https://www.bcorporation.net, accessed June 27, 2017; “Badger ‘Still In’ on Climate Action, Asks New Hampshire Businesses, State Officials, and Local Leaders to Join Forces in Honoring Paris Agreement,” http://www.prweb.com, June 22, 2017; Amy Feldman, “Badger Balm Creator Once Dismissed Being a B Corp as ‘Just Marketing.’ Now He’s a True Believer,” Forbes, http://www.forbes.com, May 9, 2017.
Legal and Responsible Behavior
The vast majority of business activities fall into the category of behavior that is both legal and responsible. Most companies act legally, and most try to be socially responsible. Research shows that consumers, especially those under 30, are likely to buy brands that have excellent ethical track records and community involvement. Outdoor specialty retailer REI, for example, recently announced that it gave back nearly 70 percent of its profits to the outdoor community. A member cooperative, the company invested a record $9.3 million in its nonprofit partners in 2016.8
Concept Check
What are the four components of social responsibility?
Give an example of legal but irresponsible behavior.
2.4Responsibilities to Stakeholders
Learning Objectives
How do businesses meet their social responsibilities to various stakeholders?
What makes a company be admired or perceived as socially responsible? Such a company meets its obligations to its stakeholders. Stakeholders are the individuals or groups to whom a business has a responsibility. The stakeholders of a business are its employees, its customers, the general public, and its investors.
Responsibility to Employees
An organization’s first responsibility is to provide a job to employees. Keeping people employed and letting them have time to enjoy the fruits of their labor is the finest thing business can do for society. Beyond this fundamental responsibility, employers must provide a clean, safe working environment that is free from all forms of discrimination. Companies should also strive to provide job security whenever possible.
Enlightened firms are also empowering employees to make decisions on their own and suggest solutions to company problems. Empowerment contributes to an employee’s self-worth, which, in turn, increases productivity and reduces absenteeism.
Each year, in collaboration with Great Place to Work®, Fortune conducts an extensive employee survey of the best places to work in the United States. For 2017, the top companies included Google, Wegmans Food Markets, Edward Jones, Genentech, Salesforce, Acuity, and Quicken Loans. Some companies offer unusual benefits to their employees. For example, biotech company Genentech offers employee compensation for taking alternative methods of transportation to work at its South San Francisco campus. Employees can earn $12 per day for walking or biking to work, and those who drive a carpool or vanpool can earn $8 and $16, respectively. In addition, the company offers free commuter bus service for all employees via 27 routes around the Bay Area.9
Responsibility to Customers
To be successful in today’s business environment, a company must satisfy its customers. A firm must deliver what it promises, as well as be honest and forthright in everyday interactions with customers, suppliers, and others. Recent research suggests that many consumers, particularly millennials, prefer to do business with companies and brands that communicate socially responsible messages, utilize sustainable manufacturing processes, and practice ethical business standards.10
Responsibility to Society
A business must also be responsible to society. A business provides a community with jobs, goods, and services. It also pays taxes that go to support schools, hospitals, and better roads. Some companies have taken an additional step to demonstrate their commitment to stakeholders and society as a whole by becoming Certified Benefit Corporations, or B Corps for short. Verified by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization, B Corps meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability and strive to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems via an impact assessment that rates each company on a possible score of 200 points. To become certified as a Benefit Corporation, companies need to reach a score of at least 80 and must be recertified every two years. There are more than 2,000 companies worldwide that have been certified as B Corps, including Method, W.S. Badger Company, Fishpeople Seafood, LEAP Organics, New Belgium Brewing Company, Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot Creamery Co-op, Comet Skateboards, Etsy, Patagonia, Plum Organics, and Warby Parker.11
Environmental Protection
Business is also responsible for protecting and improving the world’s fragile environment. The world’s forests are being destroyed fast. Every second, an area the size of a football field is laid bare. Plant and animal species are becoming extinct at the rate of 17 per hour. A continent-size hole is opening up in the earth’s protective ozone shield. Each year we throw out 80 percent more refuse than we did in 1960; as a result, more than half of the nation’s landfills are filled to capacity.
To slow the erosion of the world’s natural resources, many companies have become more environmentally responsible. For example, Toyota now uses renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and water power for electricity to run its facilities. When its new $1 billion North American headquarters opened in Plano, Texas, in May 2017, Toyota said the 2.1 million square-foot campus would eventually be powered by 100% clean energy, helping the auto giant move closer to its goal of eliminating carbon emissions in all of its operations.12
Ethics in Practice Exercise
This Fish Story Has a Tasting Ending
Duncan Berry has always been an environmentalist at heart. Brought up on the Oregon coast, he was a sea captain at an early age, spending nearly two decades on the ocean before going on to become a successful entrepreneur in the organic cotton industry. After selling the textile business at the age of 50, he retired back to the Oregon coast to work on a state initiative to preserve marine habitats.
He quickly discovered that the state’s commercial fishing industry had gone into major disrepair since his seafaring adventure years earlier. Berry learned the majority of seafood consumed in the United States was being imported from other countries and more than 90 percent of U.S. seafood was being exported. In addition, great harm was being done to the ocean because it was being overfished.
Although several groups were already working to improve the commercial fishing industry, he observed that one key group was not part of the discussion: consumers. Berry decided a key component of change had to be involving consumers in the process. He spent more than a year meeting with everyone involved in the Oregon fishing industry—from fishermen to processors, distributors, truck drivers, chefs, and consumers—to gain perspective on why the industry was failing. His “aha” moment occurred when he realized the majority of fish is consumed in restaurants because consumers think preparing fish at home is too difficult and time-consuming. That’s when he co-founded Fishpeople Seafood.
Started in 2012, Fishpeople has a mission of changing the way people think about seafood by being transparent about where the seafood comes from, how it is processed, and how it is handled. Berry believes the company’s transparency helps consumers understand how the process translates into sustainable food that tastes good and is good for you. The company makes shelf-stable, ready-to-eat restaurant-quality seafood in the form of soups, meal kits, and fresh and frozen filets, complete with farm-to-table ingredients. On every package, there is a code consumers can enter on the company’s website that will tell them everything about the seafood’s origin, down to the fisherman who caught it. Fishpeople also operates a processing plant in Toledo, Oregon, where workers are paid a livable wage and receive health insurance—benefits typically unheard of in the fishing industry.
Fishpeople’s products are available in more than 5,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart, Whole Foods, Costco, Kroger, and other grocery stores and markets. Recently the company announced a merger with Ilwaco Landing Fishermen, which will help further the two groups’ shared vision of supporting local fishermen and providing sustainable seafood to consumers.
Questions for Discussion
How does Fishpeople’s transparency contribute to the company’s success?
What responsibility, if any, does Fishpeople have to the local fishing industry?
Sources: Company website, https://fishpeopleseafood.com, accessed June 27, 2017; J. David Santen, Jr., “Adding Value to Oregon Seafood,” Built Oregon, http://builtoregon.com, accessed June 27, 2017; Elizabeth Crawford, “Fishpeople Wants to Fix the ‘Fundamentally Broken’ Seafood Industry with Increased Transparency,” Food Navigator, http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com, May 25, 2017; Fishpeople Seafood Announces Merger with Ilwaco Landing Fishermen,” Tillamook County Pioneer, https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net, May 22, 2017; Leigh Buchanan, “Why This Entrepreneur Ditched Fashion for the ‘Hunting and Gathering’ Business,” Inc., https://www.inc.com, April 2017 issue; Kate Harrison, “This Former Green Textile Maven Is Making Microwaved Seafood Sustainable,” Forbes, http://www.forbes.com, August 25, 2015.
Corporate Philanthropy
Companies also display their social responsibility through corporate philanthropy. Corporate philanthropy includes cash contributions, donations of equipment and products, and support for the volunteer efforts of company employees. Recent statistics suggest U.S. corporate philanthropy exceeds more than $19 billion annually.13American Express is a major supporter of the American Red Cross. The organization relies almost entirely on charitable gifts to carry out its programs and services, which include disaster relief, armed-forces emergency relief, blood and tissue services, and health and safety services. The funds provided by American Express have enabled the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian relief to victims of numerous disasters around the world.14 When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Bayer sent 45,000 diabetes blood glucose monitors to the relief effort. Within weeks of the disaster, Abbott, Alcoa, Dell, Disney, Intel, UPS, Walgreens, Walmart, and others contributed more than $550 million for disaster relief.15
Responsibilities to Investors
Companies’ relationships with investors also entail social responsibility. Although a company’s economic responsibility to make a profit might seem to be its main obligation to its shareholders, some investors increasingly are putting more emphasis on other aspects of social responsibility.
Some investors are limiting their investments to securities (e.g., stocks and bonds) that coincide with their beliefs about ethical and social responsibility. This is called social investing. For example, a social investment fund might eliminate from consideration the securities of all companies that make tobacco products or liquor, manufacture weapons, or have a history of being environmentally irresponsible. Not all social investment strategies are alike. Some ethical mutual funds will not invest in government securities because they help to fund the military; others freely buy government securities, with managers noting that federal funds also support the arts and pay for AIDS research. Today, assets invested using socially responsible strategies total more than $7 trillion.16
Perhaps partly as the result of the global recession of 2007–2009, over the last several years companies have tried to meet responsibilities to their investors as well as to their other stakeholders. Recent research suggests that now more than ever, CEOs are being held to higher standards by boards of directors, investors, governments, media, and even employees when it comes to corporate accountability and ethical behavior. A recent global study by PwC reveals that over the last several years, there has been a large increase in the number of CEOs being forced out due to some sort of ethical lapse in their organizations. Strategies to prevent such missteps should include establishing a culture of integrity to prevent anyone from breaking the rules, making sure company goals and metrics do not create undue pressure on employees to cut corners, and implementing effective processes and controls to minimize the opportunity for unethical behavior.17
Concept Check
How do businesses carry out their social responsibilities to consumers?
What is corporate philanthropy?
Is a company’s only responsibility to its investors to make a profit? Why or why not?
2.5Trends in Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Learning Outcomes
What are the trends in ethics and corporate social responsibility?
Changes in Corporate Philanthropy
Historically, corporate philanthropy has typically involved companies seeking out charitable groups and giving them money or donating company products or services. Today, the focus has shifted to strategic giving, which ties philanthropy and corporate social responsibility efforts closely to a company’s mission or goals and targets donations to the communities where a company does business. Some of the top businesses recognized for their efforts in giving back to the communities in which they operate include technology giant Salesforce, San Antonio’s NuStar Energy, insurance and financial services firm Veterans United, and software leader Intuit.18
A Social Contract between Employer and Employee
Another trend in social responsibility is the effort by organizations to redefine their relationship with their employees. Many people have viewed social responsibility as a one-way street that focuses on the obligations of business to society, employees, and others. Now, companies recognize that the social contract between employer and employee is an important aspect of the workplace and that both groups have to be committed to working together in order for the organization to prosper. The social contract can be defined in terms of four important aspects: compensation, management, culture, and learning and development.19
When it comes to compensation, companies today must recognize that most employees do not stay with one organization for decades. Thus, companies need to change their compensation structure to acknowledge the importance of short-term performance and to update their methods for determining compensation, including benefits and other nontraditional perks such as increased paid leave and telecommuting options.
In the current workplace environment, where employees are likely to jump to new jobs every couple years, managers need to take a more active and engaged approach to supervising employees and perhaps change the way they think about loyalty, which may be difficult for managers used to supervising the same group of employees for a long period of time. Engaging employees on a regular basis, setting realistic expectations, and identifying specific development paths may help retain key employees.
Thanks to today’s tight labor market, some employees feel empowered to demand more from their employer and its overall culture via strategies such as increased flexibility, transparency, and fairness. This increased importance of the employee’s role in the company’s culture helps workers stay engaged in the mission of the organization and perhaps makes them less likely to look elsewhere for employment.
Finally, rapidly changing technology used in today’s workplace continues to shift the learning and development component of the employer-employee contract, causing immense challenges to both companies and workers. It may be more difficult to identify the employee skills that will be critical over the next several years, causing employers either to increase training of current workers or to look outside the organization for other individuals who already possess the technical skills needed to get the job done.
Global Ethics and Social Responsibility
When U.S. businesses expand into global markets, they must take their codes of ethics and policies on corporate social responsibility with them. As a citizen of several countries, a multinational corporation has several responsibilities. These include respecting local practices and customs, ensuring that there is harmony between the organization’s staff and the host population, providing management leadership, and developing a solid group of local managers who will be a credit to their community. When a multinational firm makes an investment in a foreign country, it should commit to a long-term relationship. That means involving all stakeholders in the host country in decision-making. Finally, a responsible multinational corporation will implement ethical guidelines within the organization in the host country. By fulfilling these responsibilities, the company will foster respect for both local and international laws.
Multinational corporations often must balance conflicting interests of stakeholders when making decisions regarding social responsibilities, especially in the area of human rights. Questions involving child labor, forced labor, minimum wages, and workplace safety can be particularly difficult. Recently Gap, Inc., decided to publish the list of its global factories in an effort to provide transparency about its suppliers and the efforts the company continues to make to improve working conditions around the world. The company has partnered with Verité, a nongovernmental organization focused on ensuring that people work under safe, fair, and legal conditions. By soliciting feedback from factory workers making its products, Gap is hoping to improve working conditions and help these factories become leaders in their local communities.20
Concept Check
Describe strategic giving.
What role do employees have in improving their job security?
How do multinational corporations demonstrate social responsibility in a foreign country?
Glossary
code of ethics
A set of guidelines prepared by a firm to provide its employees with the knowledge of what the firm expects in terms of their responsibilities and behavior toward fellow employees, customers, and suppliers.
corporate philanthropy
The practice of charitable giving by corporations; includes contributing cash, donating equipment and products, and supporting the volunteer efforts of company employees.
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
The concern of businesses for the welfare of society as a whole; consists of obligations beyond those required by law or contracts.
deontology
A philosophy in which a person will follow his or her obligations to an individual or society because upholding one’s duty is what is ethically correct.
ethical issue
A situation where a person must choose from a set of actions that may be ethical or unethical.
ethics
A set of moral standards for judging whether something is right or wrong.
justice
What is considered fair according to the prevailing standards of society; an equitable distribution of the burdens and rewards that society has to offer.
social investing
The practice of limiting investments to securities of companies that behave in accordance with the investor’s beliefs about ethical and social responsibility to encourage businesses to be more socially responsible.
stakeholders
Individuals or groups to whom a business has a responsibility; include employees, customers, the general public, and investors.
strategic giving
The practice of tying philanthropy and corporate social responsibility efforts closely to a company’s mission or goals and targeting donations to the communities where a company does business.
utilitarianism
A philosophy that focuses on the consequences of an action to determine whether it is right or wrong; holds that an action that affects the majority adversely is morally wrong.
Summary of Learning Objectives
2.1Understanding Business Ethics
What philosophies and concepts shape personal ethical standards?
Ethics is a set of moral standards for judging whether something is right or wrong. A utilitarian approach to setting personal ethical standards focuses on the consequences of an action taken by a person or organization. According to this approach, people should act so as to generate the greatest good for the greatest number. Every human is entitled to certain rights such as freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Another approach to ethical decision-making is justice, or what is fair according to accepted standards.
2.2How Organizations Influence Ethical Conduct
How can organizations encourage ethical business behavior?
Top management must shape the ethical culture of the organization. They should lead by example, offer ethics-training programs, and establish a formal code of ethics.
2.3Managing a Socially Responsible Business
What is corporate social responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility is the concern of businesses for the welfare of society as a whole. It consists of obligations beyond just making a profit and goes beyond what is required by law or union contract. Companies may engage in illegal and irresponsible behavior, irresponsible but legal behavior, or legal and responsible behavior. The vast majority of organizations act legally and try to be socially responsible.
2.4Responsibilities to Stakeholders
How do businesses meet their social responsibilities to various stakeholders?
Stakeholders are individuals or groups to whom a business has a responsibility. Businesses are responsible to employees. They should provide a clean, safe working environment. Organizations can build employees’ self-worth through empowerment programs. Businesses also have a responsibility to customers to provide good, safe products and services. Organizations are responsible to the general public to be good corporate citizens. Firms must help protect the environment and provide a good place to work. Companies also engage in corporate philanthropy, which includes contributing cash, donating goods and services, and supporting volunteer efforts of employees. Finally, companies are responsible to investors. They should earn a reasonable profit for company owners.
2.5Trends in Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
What are the trends in ethics and corporate social responsibility?
Today, corporate philanthropy is shifting away from simply giving to any needy group and is focusing instead on strategic giving, in which the philanthropy relates more closely to the corporate mission or goals and targets donations to areas where the firm operates.
A second trend is toward a new social contract between employer and employee. Instead of the employer having the sole responsibility for maintaining jobs, now the employee must assume part of the burden and find ways to add value to the organization.
As the world increasingly becomes a global community, multinational corporations are now expected to assume a global set of ethics and responsibility. Global companies must understand local customs. They should also involve local stakeholders in decision-making. Multinationals must also make certain that their suppliers are not engaged in human rights violations.
Preparing for Tomorrow’s Workplace Skills
Many CEOs have sold shares of their company’s stock when prices were near their high points. Even though their actions were legal, it soon became apparent that they knew that the stock was significantly overpriced. Was the CEO ethically obligated to tell the public that this was the case—even knowing that doing so could cause the stock price to plummet, thereby hurting someone who bought the stock earlier that day? (Systems)
Jeffrey Immelt, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, one of the world’s most-admired companies according to Fortune magazine, says that execution, growth, and great people are required to keep the company on top. Immelt said that these are predictable, but a fourth factor is not—virtue, and virtue was at the top of his list. Using a search engine, find articles on what GE is doing to enhance its corporate citizenship. Report your findings to the class. Could GE do more, or are they already doing too much? Why? (Systems, Technology)
Boeing Corp. makes business ethics a priority, asking employees to take refresher training every year. It encourages employees to take the Ethics Challenge with their work groups and to discuss the issues with their peers. You can take your own ethics challenge. Go to the Ethics Quick Test and answer the questions. Summarize your findings. Were there any answers that surprised you? (Information)
Identify the potential ethical and social responsibility issues confronting the following organizations: Microsoft, Pfizer, Nike, American Cancer Society, and R.J. Reynolds. Make recommendations on how these issues should be handled. (Systems)
Team Activity: Divide the class into teams. Debate whether the only social responsibility of the employer to the employee is to provide a job. Include a discussion of the employee’s responsibility to bring value to the firm. Also, debate the issue of whether the only social responsibility of a firm is to earn a profit. (Interpersonal)
Ethics Activity
Let’s Be Honest
The Honest Company is a consumer-goods business that sells nontoxic, eco-friendly items for baby and personal care, household cleaning, and a healthy lifestyle. Cofounded by actress Jessica Alba a little more than six years ago, Honest Co. is built on the promise of “telling all and doing our best to live up to your expectations.”
Over the years, the company has received high praise and media buzz about its ethical approach to making products that are not only good for people but good for the environment. On its website, Honest Co. goes to great lengths to share with consumers its guiding principles that products are made without harming people or the planet.
A little over two years ago, however, the company experienced some bad press when The Wall Street Journal reported that two independent lab tests found samples of Honest laundry detergent contained a cleaning agent on the list of chemicals the company pledged to avoid. At first, pushback from company officials was loud and clear: they denied their products were anything but eco-friendly and safe for consumers and went as far as calling the report “false” and “junk science.”
Unfortunately, the reports about Honest products and their harmful ingredients didn’t go away. After the laundry detergent story faded, the company quietly reconfigured the ingredients that went into the detergent as well as other products. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Several months later, Honest Co. voluntarily recalled organic baby powder that might cause infections and more recently recalled diaper wipes that appeared discolored.
Despite these recent challenges, Honest Co. continues to be successful and was rumored to be on the short list of possible acquisitions for global conglomerates such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever. These consumer-good giants are snapping up smaller, eco-friendly firms that have blossomed into full-fledged ethically and environmentally conscious organizations with strong sales and solid reputations among consumers. Recently, however, Unilever acquired one of Honest Co.’s biggest rivals, Seventh Generation, Inc., leaving Honest Co. to again rethink its business strategies, including hiring a new CEO.
Using a web search tool, locate information about this topic and then write responses to the following questions. Be sure to support your arguments and cite your sources.
Ethical Dilemma: Do you think the company’s reaction to reports of hazardous ingredients hurt its reputation for honesty and ethical behavior? Do you think the company’s missteps caused Unilever to shy away from acquiring the company? Or, do you take the stance that Alba’s entertainment background played a part in the press going after the company? If you were an advisor to the new CEO, what suggestions would you give him for getting the company back on track, especially when it comes to corporate social responsibility?
Sources: “Our Principles,” https://www.honest.com, accessed June 27, 2017; Eun Kyung Kim, “Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Recalls Diaper Wipes over Mold Concerns,” Today, http://www.today.com, May 16, 2017; Steve Tobak, “Jessica Alba’s ‘Honest’ Mess,” Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com, March 29, 2017; Jason Del Rey, “Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Is Replacing Its CEO after a Sale to Unilever Fell Through,” Recode, https://www.recode.net, March 16, 2017; Serena Ng, “Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. to Drop Use of Disputed Ingredient,” The Wall Street Journal, http://www.wsj.com, September 30, 2016; Kathryn Vasel, “The Honest Company Gets Sued . . . Again,” CNN Money, http://money.cnn.com, April 27, 2016.
Working the Net
You will find the listing for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens at the website for Corporate Responsibility magazine (http://thecro.com). Review the current list of companies and pay close attention to those marked with a “yellow card” caution and a “red card” caution. These are companies that have either been removed from the list due to unethical behavior or have been warned that some of their actions border on unethical. What surprised you about the companies that have been flagged? Select one of the flagged companies and explain what they can do to improve their CSR profile.
Richard S. Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth Corporation, was charged with $1.4 billion in fraud. He was acquitted. Bernie Ebbers, former CEO of WorldCom, was found guilty of helping mastermind an $11 billion accounting fraud. Go to the internet and read several articles about the charges against both men. Find articles on why one was guilty on all counts and the other acquitted on all counts. Explain the ethical issues involved with each.
Visit the website of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), http://peta.org, and under the Issues tab, read about PETA’s view of Animals Used for Clothing. Do you agree with this view? Why or why not? How do you think manufacturers of fur clothing would justify their actions to someone from PETA? Would you work for a store that sold fur-trimmed clothing? Explain your answer.
Green Money Journal, http://www.greenmoneyjournal.com, is a bimonthly online journal that promotes socially responsible investing. What are the current topics of concern in this area? Visit the archives to find articles on socially responsible investing and two areas of corporate social responsibility. Summarize what you have learned.
Double the Donation, https://doublethedonation.com, is a website that provides information on top forms of corporate philanthropy and highlights companies with strong giving programs. Research several companies and their philanthropic activities and provide details about what makes these organizations excellent corporate citizens.
Critical Thinking Case
Uber Hits a Bumpy Road
Uber Technologies, Inc., is the world’s largest technology start-up, valued at close to $70 billion. But that doesn’t mean it has been smooth sailing for the ride-hailing company since its start in 2009. Despite disrupting and revolutionizing the transportation industry in a short period of time, Uber’s meteoric rise has caused some shortcuts in organizational structure, corporate culture, and effective HR practices that have left the company with self-inflicted wounds that may take a long time to heal.
Uber has experienced several scandals over the past few years, including drivers demanding to be classified as employees (not contractors), a tool called “Greyball” that allows data collected from the Uber app to identify and avoid enforcement officers trying to catch Uber drivers in cities where the service was illegal, and recent resignations of top executives, including the company’s president and the heads of product development and engineering. But nothing has been quite as damaging as a recent blog post by a former female employee, which detailed the inappropriate behavior that seemed to be commonplace in Uber’s workplace culture.
The allegations of sexual harassment put forth by former Uber engineer Susan Fowler were explosive. Detailed in a February 2017 blog post, Fowler says she alerted company HR about her manager’s inappropriate behavior, even taking screenshots of his suggestive emails, but Fowler was told her boss would not be fired for sexual harassment because he was a “high performer” for the company. After Fowler’s story went public, the company hired former U.S. attorney Eric Holder to investigate the allegations and other workplace issues. Holder’s recommendations, which the Uber board of directors unanimously approved, include changes to senior leadership, enhanced oversight by the company’s board, changes to the company’s internal financial and audit controls, revisions to the company’s cultural values, mandatory leadership training for senior executives and other managers, improvements to the overall HR function and complaint process, and the establishment of an employee diversity advisory board. In addition, as the result of a separate investigation, Uber fired more than 20 other people because of harassment claims.
With increasing pressure from the company’s board and other investors, CEO Travis Kalanick said he would take a leave of absence while still mourning the unexpected death of his mother in a recent boating accident. However, most board members lost faith that Kalanick would be able to come back after his leave and make things better. At the urging of the board, two venture capitalists were dispatched to Chicago, where Kalanick was interviewing COO candidates, to present him with a letter from five of Uber’s major investors demanding his resignation. After hours of discussion, Kalanick agreed to step down. According to an Uber spokesperson, a committee of 14 executives is running the company until a new CEO is hired.
Critical Thinking Questions
According to recent data, only 36 percent of Uber’s current employees are women. How do you think this situation helped perpetuate a flawed corporate culture?
What can Uber do to ensure its competitors are not chipping away at its dominant market share as a result of such bad press?
Do you think installing an experienced female CEO would help the company change its culture and workplace environment? Explain your reasoning.
Sources: Marisa Kendall, “Uber: Here’s Who’s Running the Show Now,” Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com, June 23, 2017; Eric Newcomer, “Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Quits Under Pressure from Investors,” Bloomberg News, https://www.bloomberg.com, June 21, 2017; Mike Issac, “Inside Travis Kalanick’s Resignation as Uber’s C.E.O.,” The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com, June 21, 2017; “Holder Recommendations on Uber,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, June 13, 2017; Eric Newcomer, “Uber Fires More Than 20 Employees in Harassment Probe,” Bloomberg Technology, https://www.bloomberg.com, June 6, 2017; Erin Griffith, “The Uncomfortable Reality Behind Uber’s Culture Meltdown,” Fortune, http://fortune.com, April 20, 2017; Johana Bhuiyan, “Uber Has Published Its Much Sought After Diversity Numbers for the First Time,” Recode, https://www.recode.net, March 28, 2017; Marco della Cava, “Uber President Quits as Company Searches for COO,” USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com, March 20, 2017; Mike Isaac, “How Uber Deceives the Authorities Worldwide,” The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com, March 3, 2017; Susan J. Fowler, “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber,” https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog, February 19, 2017.
Hot Links Address Book
Find out which companies test their products on animals and which don’t in the campaign section of the PETA website, http://www.peta.org.
How is the International Business Ethics Institute working to promote business ethics worldwide? Find out at http://www.business-ethics.org.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has always taken its responsibilities as a corporate good citizen seriously. Learn about the company’s positions on various issues and products that support social issues at its website, http://www.benjerry.com.
Discover what the Texas Instruments employee Ethics Quick Test includes, as well as the company’s overall ethics policies, by searching for “Ethics at TI” on the corporate home page, http://www.ti.com.
What does IBM require from its employees in terms of ethical business conduct? You will find the information on IBM’s website under Corporate responsibility, http://www.ibm.com.
Levi Strauss’s unique corporate culture rewards and recognizes employee achievement. To learn about its employee community involvement program, go to the Levi Strauss website at http://www.levistrauss.com.
Want to see how the global environment is changing and learn the latest about global warming? Check out http://www.climatehotmap.org.
General Motors is committed to continuous improvement in its environmental performance. Check out GM’s Sustainability Report at http://www.gmsustainability.com.
Before donating to any charity, check out its credentials and overall track record at http://charitywatch.org.
Learn how U.S. businesses gain competitive advantage through corporate social responsibility programs at the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) website, http://www.bsr.org.