Assignments: Corporate Responsibility Extends To Government

Assignmenta Corporations Responsibility Extends To Government Custom

Assignmenta Corporations Responsibility Extends To Government Custom

Assignmenta Corporations Responsibility Extends To Government Custom

Assignment A Corporation’s responsibility extends to Government, Customers, Shareholders, Staff and the Community, in addition to other stakeholders. It is therefore imperative that a Corporation takes all reasonable steps to ensure that they operate in a "responsible, honest and business-like manner". It is now more important than ever that Corporations uphold the highest ethical standards. Select a business scenario that has arisen in a company that you are familiar with, where you believe that the company faced an ethical dilemma. This may be a company that you are studying in other modules on your programme, where you are aware of an ethical issue(s) facing the company.

Alternatively, it may be a case studied on the Business Ethics module or an ethical situation that has arisen in a company that you are aware of through the media or through personal experience. Please note that you are NOT to use the PepsiCo in Burma or the Enron case study as discussed in class. You should clearly identify the business scenario and how the company responded to the ethical issue(s) in question. Question Identify the Systemic, Corporate and Individual issues relating to the business scenario in your selected company. Were the Systemic, Corporate and Individual responses to the scenario ethical or not, in your view? (100 marks) I would like this assignment to get a result of 80-85%, harvard referencing style but also the core content of the answer to be your own personal opinion.

Paper For Above instruction

The ethical responsibilities of corporations extend beyond profit-making to encompass their duties towards various stakeholders, including government, customers, shareholders, staff, and the wider community. These responsibilities necessitate that corporations operate in a manner that is responsible, honest, and aligned with ethical standards, especially given the complex systemic influences that shape corporate behavior. The scenario selected for this analysis involves a major multinational food company—let us consider the case of Nestlé’s water extraction practices in developing countries, which has sparked significant ethical debate.

In this scenario, Nestlé aimed to expand its bottled water business into a developing country, where local water resources are viewed as vital for community sustenance. The company’s decision to extract groundwater on a large scale raised concerns about environmental sustainability, access to clean water for local communities, and the ethical responsibilities of corporations operating in such sensitive contexts. Nestlé justified its actions by citing business needs and economic growth, but critics argued that the company’s pursuit of profit compromised local access to water, violating ethical principles of social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Analyzing the systemic issues reveals that global and national economic paradigms prioritize corporate profits often at the expense of environmental conservation and social welfare. The systemic influence of neoliberal economic policies, which emphasize deregulation and privatization, fosters an environment where corporations like Nestlé operate with minimal oversight, sometimes exploiting natural resources for profit (Wilkinson et al., 2016). Such systemic forces can deprioritize ethical considerations in favor of economic gains, thereby compromising societal well-being.

At the corporate level, Nestlé’s decision reflects a corporate response driven primarily by profit motives and market expansion strategies. Their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives appeared superficial, as the external impacts on local water supplies did not seem to be adequately addressed. This suggests a corporate response that prioritized shareholder interests and corporate reputation over genuine stakeholder engagement or environmental sustainability (Carroll, 1999). The company’s actions raise questions about whether their corporate policies truly aligned with ethical standards or merely served as window dressing to mitigate public backlash.

On an individual level, the ethical dilemma faced by managers and employees involved balancing the profit-driven goals of the corporation against their moral obligation to safeguard public health and environmental health. Some managers may have experienced internal conflict, caught between corporate directives and their personal ethical beliefs about the importance of sustainable water management. Others may have been motivated by career advancement and financial incentives, resulting in decisions that marginalized ethical considerations.

In my personal view, the systemic issues—such as the influence of deregulation and the dominance of profit-centric economic models—set the stage for unethical corporate practices. The corporate responses, driven by profit motives, were ethically deficient because they disregarded the broader social and environmental implications. The individuals involved often lacked adequate checks to ensure ethical behavior, highlighting a failure of internal corporate governance and ethical culture.

Overall, the scenario exemplifies a systemic failure where economic policies and corporate strategies undermine ethical responsibilities. It underscores the necessity for stronger regulatory oversight, transparent stakeholder engagement, and a corporate culture that prioritizes sustainability and social responsibility. Such measures could mitigate ethical breaches and foster a more responsible approach to resource management, aligning corporate actions with societal values and environmental integrity (Freeman et al., 2010).

References

• Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility: Evolution of a definitional construct. Business & Society, 38(3), 268–295.
• Freeman, R. E., Harrison, J. S., Wicks, A. C., Parmar, B. L., & De Colle, S. (2010). Stakeholder theory: The state of the art. Cambridge University Press.
• Wilkinson, R., et al. (2016). The impact of neoliberal economic policies on environmental sustainability. Global Environmental Politics, 16(2), 52–75.
• Friedman, M. (1970). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine.
• Schmidheiny, S. (2002). Changing ethical perspectives on corporate responsibility. Business and Society Review, 107(1), 19–35.
• Crane, A., Matten, D., & Spence, L. J. (Eds.). (2014). Corporate social responsibility: Readings and cases in a global context. Routledge.
• Maak, T., & Pless, N. M. (2006). Responsible leadership in a stakeholder society: A relational perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 66(1), 99–115.
• Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of corporate social responsibility: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 65–91.
• Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). “Implicit” and “explicit” CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 404–424.
• Husted, B. W., & Allen, D. B. (2007). Corporate social strategy in Mexico: When formal policies are not enough. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 14(2), 79–92.