Order Number |
55234231118 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
Getting Started
You don’t have to search hard to find controversies resulting from poor business decisions. Take, for example, the high-profile case involving General Motors (GM). In 2002, General Motors became aware of a faulty ignition switch in one of its vehicle models. The defect caused the ignition to turn off when a heavy key chain was being used by the driver. The defect could also prevent airbags from deploying during an accident.
Despite the dangers, GM chose not to repair the defect, opting instead to issue service bulletins to dealerships instructing customers to keep key chains light. Although it is required by law to report safety-related defects, GM did not report the defect to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In 2005, the first reported fatality occurred as a result of the faulty ignition switch. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that GM issued its first recall. Unfortunately, by that point, hundreds had either died or been injured in accidents involving the faulty ignition switch.
Since then, millions of vehicles have been recalled, and GM is facing lawsuits filed by consumers, along with governmental regulatory agencies. GM prides itself on being an ethical and socially responsible company, but do its poor business decisions here support that notion?
Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:
Background Information
To support a culture of ethics, a business organization must encourage its members to engage in ethical and socially responsible behavior. It must emphasize sound ethical principles and decision-making strategies as the basis for decision making within the organization. The organization must emphasize the importance of the critical thinking process as a way to make sound judgment calls when resolving ethical dilemmas.
Business organizations cannot rely on the law alone to provide guidance for ethical conduct. While laws and penalties have been created to address many problematic behaviors, the legal penalties alone are not enough to ensure ethical behavior.
Therefore, business organizations must create and implement ethical codes or codes of conduct. This approach will help to educate members about expectations and encourage ethical behavior on their part. Enforcement of ethics codes is key to ensuring that ethics guidelines are being followed.
An ethical business organization also must be a socially responsible one. As members of the communities in which they operate, it is paramount that organizations engage in socially responsible behaviors by treating employees fairly, producing safe products for consumer use, operating within the legal requirements if a product defect is discovered, and operating in a transparent manner.
Instructions