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You have been made aware that your co-worker has been skimming the till at the local bar which you are employed at. You are met with the decision to either expose this co-worker or begin receiving hundreds of dollars in compensation from this employee for keeping quiet. Many people would “black male” this person until they received the what they felt was a fair amount of money to not say anything, others would go directly to their employer to let them know what has been going on at their place of employment.
Many people make very poor judgment decisions. Some may base their decisions on what is the ethical thing to do. Ethics are the structural foundations of the world as we know it. Ethics are the way businesses are run and the way businesses remain in business. From our courses here at the University of Phoenix, it is clear that we as future business professionals have to become responsible to one another as practitioners. Business is a complicated arena of sorts that focuses on principles and guidelines that are essential to many laws set in place.
Every business owner knows that there are some aspects of work that are discretionary and other aspects with procedures that must be followed exactly. Discretionary areas of business are those situations where owners and their employees have room to maneuver, compromise, bargain and make deals within established boundaries. Non-discretionary areas are topics or situations with very specific rules, regulations or other guidance that requires one way of acting. Compromise is unacceptable in these areas. Safety is one non-discretionary area that is immediately recognizable.
Business is a complicated arena of sorts that focuses on principles and guidelines that are essential to many laws set in place. Every business owner knows that there are some aspects of work that are discretionary and other aspects with procedures that must be followed exactly. Discretionary areas of business are those situations where owners and their employees have room to maneuver, compromise, bargain and make deals within established boundaries. Non-discretionary areas are topics or situations with very specific rules, regulations or other guidance that requires one way of acting.
Compromise is unacceptable in these areas. Safety is one non-discretionary area that is immediately recognizable. There are certain safety procedures that have to be followed or there is danger to workers. However, there are other areas where employees may not have quite as clear an understanding of what is ethically correct. There are certain safety procedures that have to be followed or there is danger to workers. However, there are other areas where employees may not have quite as clear an understanding of what is ethically correct.
Nike is a very popular company in which was introduced to us in 1972 as a shoe with the infamous “swoosh” (Wikipedia, 2010). Nike stands for the winged goddess of victory according to greek mythology (Wikipedia, 2010). The swoosh represents one of her wings. Nike produces a wide range of sports equipment. Their first products were track running shoes. Nike sells an assortment of products, including shoes and apparel for sports activities like association football, basketball, running, combat sports, tennis, American football, athletics, golf and cross training for men, women, and children.
Nike also sells shoes for outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, skateboarding, association football, baseball, American football, cycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, aquatic activities, auto racing and other athletic and recreational uses (Wikipedia, 2010). Many companies feel that it is important to make their product overseas to be competitive with like companies. I feel that companies do this because they do not have to pay the people in the foreign country what they would pay to manufacture their product in the United States. Also it allows them to get advertise their product in another country.
Nike has been faced with many ethical issues within the factories in which their products are manufactured. It was rumored that Nike had an agreement with factories in countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico. Vietnam Labor Watch, an activist group, has documented that factories that were in a contract with Nike have violated minimum wage and overtime laws in Vietnam as late as 1996, although Nike claims that this practice has been halted (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). They were also accused of having children come into their factories to work in countries such as Cambodia and Pakistan.
It was rumored that they were having the children construct the soccer balls. Nike did quite the opposite. They made sure that they were doing business with companies that ensure that they are not violating any types of child labor laws. Nike as well as other companies and universities joined together to form the group against anti sweatshops. This group is called United Students against sweatshops (Wikipedia, 2010). Nike has made a large amount of effort to keep their company working smoothly by abiding by all of the laws, whether they are in the United States or another country that is manufacturing their product.
In Vietnam, they implemented an after hours education program. This was for adults that wanted their families to be more successful than themselves. They want their children to be successful by realizing that there is more to their life than working on a line in a factory that produces shoes (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). I feel this is a really great opportunity for people to learn that they have potential to do anything they put their mind to. Nike would bring teachers into a classroom near the factory where the program would pay for supplies and books for the teacher and the students interested in learning.
They would also give them a meal whether it be dinner or lunch. Nike has joined the Fair Labor Association. This will ensure that Nike is subscribing to its code of conduct and commit to compliance with international labor standards in their supply chains (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). Nike is a fair and equal opportunity employer. They have too much to risk and loose if they were to act unethical in any way. I feel they set the bar for other companies in the industry for the way they want to treat all of their employees, regardless of what country they are in.
There are many issues that all of these companies have in common that were established and discussed. Knowledge of effective working environment is brought to our attentions. There are many unethical acts which are being brought to the head of many companies while among some of the most commanding industrial countries of the world. Technology will have an impact on organization communication, structure, and processes. Stress is a regular factor in most organizations and should be brought to everyone’s attention in order to prevent the decrease of any unethical act in the industry