Assignment 2: Challenges in the Global Business Environment
Jerald V. Jones
Professor Margaret Parrish
Business 475
May 29, 2014
Specify, in brief, the nature, structure, types of products or service of the business you selected. Examine the information within the company’s code of ethical conduct, and choose three (3) key issues from within the document that you believe are critical for success. Provide rationale for the response.
In 1911 the Standard Oil of California, or SoCal was formed amid the antitrust breakup of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. In 1984 the Standard Oil of California and Gulf Oil merged. It was the largest merger in history at the time. Under the antitrust regulation, SoCal divested many of
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By comparison and contrast of ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil, I found both were consistent with the human rights philosophy expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization.
ExxonMobil is committed to engaging with the indigenous communities in a manner that is respectful of their cultures and customs. The company is sensitive to local community concerns about balancing their cultural heritage with the need for economic development, even after operations ceased. Also, ExxonMobil supported both local employment initiatives and cultural heritage programs through national content and strategic community investments, respectively. By contrast, ConocoPhillips on this issue did more extensive human rights risk assessment planning ( by country) of its global operations using externally provided human rights risk assessment tools to identify countries of focus for deeper level evaluation of potential human rights issues and concerns. The company also performed impact assessments, sustainable development scorecards for capital projects and training and guidance on human rights concepts provided to identified leaders and practitioners.
On the issue of discrimination, as I compared and contrast these two companies, I found in comparison, both were absent. ConocoPhillips had no anti-discrimination policy
In order to operate ethically in a global marketplace, corporations like Exxon Mobil need to define the conduct that they expect from their officers, executives, managers and employees. Without a defined code of conduct, employees feel forced to use their personal mores to determine what actions they should take in ethically ambiguous situations. Like children on a playground, employees need to know where the fences are so that they can work effectively.
Lawrence, Anne (2010). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. 13th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2010. VitalBook file. Bookshelf.
How effectively do Canadian businesses and government engage together to promote a shared vision and agenda in the global business environment? Do Canadians strike an effective balance between private sector pursuit of global business and public sector support and enablement?
Using at least two (2) of the foundational ethical theories studied in Module 2, you should answer the following questions. With each answer, you should discuss the issues and set forth and defend a clear position on whether or not any constraint ought to be placed on the freedom of a business to:
Concerning the political factors, UK Commercial Property Trust’s environment is a politically stable region. It has been stable politically for a long time, which has seen most of the businesses in the country prosper relative to other factors. The leader of the country is Queen Elizabeth II while the leader of government is the Prime Minister. The stability of the country is partly due to its heavy investment in security. In addition, the country is the founding member of NATO, which has been responsible in trying to stabilize other regions in the world that are unstable through military action (TWB, 2012).
Analyze three of the punishments that corporations undergo when they have acted unethically (i.e., name them, define them, explain what they are). In addition, explain three threats to running an ethical corporation. Finally, from your own perspective, explain whether or not a corporation should have to function by the same codes of morality that individual people in society have to abide by or if they should be allowed to get away with certain actions that people in society cannot get away with.
The expectation that businesses behave responsibly and positively contribute to society all while pursuing their economic goals is one that holds firm through all generations. Stakeholders, both market and nonmarket, expect businesses to be socially responsible. Many companies have responded to this by including this growing expectation as part of their overall business operations. There are companies in existence today whose sole purpose is to socially benefit society alongside businesses who simply combine social benefits with their economic goals as their company mission. These changes in societal expectations and thus company purpose we’ve seen in the business community over time often blurs the line of what it means to be socially
The Sherman Antitrust Act broke apart Standard oil into several pieces in 1911, and one of these pieces, named Standard Oil Co. of California, would later become Chevron. It was a part of the “Seven Sisters”, which dominated the oil industry on a global level in the early 20th century. Standard oil of California could only use the name when it was in California, and so it adopted the name Chevron. In 1933, Saudi Arabia Granted the company a concession to find oil, which led to the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, and the world’s largest oil field.
Lawrence, A. T., & Weber, J. (2011). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy (13th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Another example of companies that have violated human rights is
A corporation has a moral duty to ensure that their products and operations do not cause harm to society and the environment. There are significant factors that must be taken into consideration to ensure the proper response is put forth if disaster rears its ugly head. Many times, when disaster strikes, companies do not always make the appropriate response, or they do not remediate the problem efficiently enough to maximize their efforts. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 is a prime example of this. The Exxon Valdez oil spill pales in comparison only to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (NOAA)
The ERM’s and EPA’s code of conduct equally convey high moral standards and practices, albeit they illustrate their expectations and standards differently. Both codes of conduct are logically and ethically sound and promote an appealing and workable environment. Therefore, the only distinction to determining preference in employment between the two companies is deciding whether to choose employment on a global (ERM) level or a national (EPA) level. However, beginning employment on a national level is more appealing due to a sense of loyalty and
How effectively do Canadian businesses and government engage together to promote a shared vision and agenda in the global business environment?
Apple Inc. was founded in 1977. To date, this company has continually offered a wide range of products to meet the growing demands of customers all over the world. Apple not only produces and sells computer software and cellphones; they also distribute consumer electronic products around the globe. Increasing the value of shareholder and coming up with new inventive products is a constant process for Apple, and Apple continues to do so with their popularity around the world with about 301 store locations in 10 different countries. Aside from all of
2. What makes China so attractive to U.S. food companies? Discuss why it is important to gain