Free Two Ethical Cases Study Case Study Sample

Issue

Coca-Cola in Colombia received a lot of criticism for its ethical misconduct to both its employees and union members. According to code of ethical conduct, a company needs to allow its employees to exercise their rights of being in a union. In addition, a company should handle its employees with a lot of respect and should not take the advantage to bully them in any way. Unfortunately, Coca Cola is criticized for using paramilitaries to force union members out of the company something that resulted to death of one member. In addition, the company also used the paramilitary security forces to round up employees in the plant. The company’s managers then prepared resignation letters for the employees and threatened them to vacate the premises within a given period failure to which they were to be murdered like the union member. The company also reduced the wages of the resigning employees from $380 to $130 (“Union arguments” 6).

Alternative course of Action

In addition, the managers of the company need to develop a good relationship with the other employees of the company. The good relationship is created if both the management and other employees comply with the code and the law. Each quarter need to play its role without compromising the code of ethical conduct of the company. The managers need to allow employees to participate in unions where they are able to handle their issues related to mistreatment within the company. In so doing, the company management will learn to respect the rights of its employees thus enhancing good relationship (Moon 126).

Evaluation of the alternative courses of action

In order for the company to ensure conducive working environment for its employees, there is a great need for the management and employees to sit down any discuss on the same. In such meeting, the management should allow the employees to provide their views on how the working environment can be meant conducive. Management should then comment on what it thinks is best for the action hence both coming with a concrete conclusion.
In addition, to improve the management relationship with employees, there is a great need for the management to educate its employees on importance of reporting their grievances instead of running to the union directly. As a result, this will foster understanding that will enhance efficiency in the company’s operation

Recommendation

It is recommendable for the company stakeholders to review the code of ethical conduct of the company. This is a great move towards ensuring that each member of the company is aware of what is expected for him or her. As a result, this will promote compliance to the ethical provisions of the company.

Degussa AG and its Holocaust Legacy.

Issue
Degussa AG Company played big role it played in murdering Jews in the Second World War. The company was one of the largest chemical producing companies in the world. During this war, the company supplied chemicals such as cyanides and nerve gas that were used to murder the European Jews. They produced Zyklon B produced with a blue dye which against the German Law. Ideally, the ethical concern in this company was working against the human rights provisions. The company also showed high degree of unfairness by first forcing Jews to sell firms and parcels of real estate and used compulsory labourers. Following the murder of many European people during the Second World War, a memorial was established to remember the death of Jews in Europe. However, a controversy arose over Degussa’s involvement with the memorial project. The company only focused on the death of the Jews and neglected the other groups that suffered during the World War II (Al and Ruth 183).
The key ethical misconduct of the company was to produce chemicals that were against the German Law, supplying chemicals to murder people during the war and being unfair in its involvement in the memorial project. All this three ethical issues are against the code of ethics of any company. Some of the issues were against the German law and others were against the provisions of human rights.
Alternative course of Action
The company needs to review its policies towards its involvement in the memorial project. It should ensure that its involvement in the project brings equity for all people who suffered during the war. It should not focus on the Europe Jews only rather it needs to bring everyone murdered during that time to brackets. This is a great move towards ensuring social responsibility for all as its code of ethical conduct dictates with respect to service to the society.
In addition, the company needs to review the nation’s laws that govern its operation in order to avoid fines and penalties. If certain laws prohibit the company from producing some products, then the company needs to comply. Furthermore, the company needs to respect the human rights law provisions as it focuses on enhancing its business operations.
Evaluation of the alternative courses of action
The government together with the human rights department needs to review the code of ethics of the company to ensure that it complies with the provided regulations with respect to production of friendly chemicals. In addition, the company needs to work hand in hand other partners to develop an equitable plan for its dedication in the memorial project plan. The plan should measure the degree of the company’s level of equity in the project. The government should also control the involvement of the company in the project in order to ensure that the company exercises fairness to all the people involved (Roth 256).

Recommendation

It is recommendable for the management of the company to develop a plan to guide the company in developing its social responsibility. The plan needs to focus on enhancing fairness to all people within the community that company operates. In so doing, this will help the company to promote fairness to all.

Works Cited

Al, Rosenbloom & Ruth, Ann. Degussa AG and its Holocaust Legacy. Journal of Business Ethics. 2010 92:183–194. Print
Moon, Chris. Business Ethics. London: Economist, 2001. Print.
Roth, John K. Ethics. Rev. ed. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem, 2005. Print
Union Says Coca-Cola in Colombia Uses Thugs,” The New York Times, July 26, 2001. Print