Ethics Paper Essay

There are many factors to consider when implementing a strategic plan including considering stakeholder’s needs, the needs of the company, as well as the needs of the employees; however, one factor that is often overlooked is the need and desires of the consumers. This act includes fulfilling the social responsibility to benefit their community to implement economic growth or other equally important acts to benefit the society as a whole. It is a task in its own to balance the needs of the involved parties, and, unfortunately, sometimes the best decisions get trampled by the stakeholder’s agendas, and the community as a whole suffers. As a part of the community, the company has certain ethical and social responsibilities that are expected of them. These responsibilities are unwritten rules that are often implemented by the competitive nature of the business. Some standalone companies can continue with business without the support of their local community while other companies are unable to profit without the outside influencing factors of the community. If the community is directly affected by the interactions of a business, a social responsibility should be personalized to benefit the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, more often than not, social and ethical responsibilities are often overlooked by the company in order to benefit the stakeholders, and detrimental factors are swept under the run in order to provide a bigger return to investors. McDonalds is one of the biggest companies worldwide that fail to comply with social and ethical responsibilities. Though McDonalds is known as the pioneers of the fast food industry, and remain the highest grossing fast food chain for roughly the past 30 years (Whitt 2010). ETHICS PAPER 5 3 Although the sales have remained among the highest in the United States as well as other competing countries, McDonalds continues to cut corners to turn an even larger profit. This company developed an uniform production method by mass producing every ingredient form the hamburger meat to their French fries. These issues include â€Å"using frozen beef patties instead of fresh ground beef and developing a genetically-modified potato rather than using locally grown produce to ensure that all McDonald’s fries have the same uniform taste† (Whitt 2010). Along with using ethical ingredients for their friend, McDonalds also uses questionable practices when it comes to their meant. Research shows â€Å"a typical fast-food hamburger patty contains meat from more than one thousand different cattle, raised in as many as five countries† (Gibson, 2014). The unknown origin of this meat would make contaminated product hard to trace and even harder to prevent in the future. Aside from the unethical choice of using genetically mutated produce, McDonalds has failed to uphold the social responsibility of the wellbeing of their consumers. With a company that cashes in over $30 billion dollars a year in sales, you would think that they would be able to afford to revamp their menu with healthier lifestyle choices. Instead, they chose to market meals that contain 1,250 calories and 66 grams of fat per serving (â€Å"McDonald’s Nutrition,† 2014)- that is over 300% of the recommended American consumption per meal. Along with neglecting their contributions to obesity, raised cholesterol, heart disease, McDonalds has embraced the American addiction of greasy cheeseburgers and fries and has gone as far as increasing the original serving portion by more than 24% (â€Å"McDonald’s Nutrition,† 2014). ETHICS PAPER 5 4 Efforts can be made by the McDonalds cooperation to undo the severe damage that the company has inflicted on the society. Their efforts can be shifted to focus on offering healthier alternatives to the famous greasy burger and fries combination they have profited on. The first improvement could be on using all natural ingredients including produce grown from local farms. This change would eliminate the producers being collected from hundreds of different locations and reduce the risk of potential diseases and the spreading of harmful pesticides, all while making an effort to support their local producers. Along these same lines, McDonalds can also chose to use fresher and leaner meats and cook them in olive or coconut oil instead of the fat or lard that is currently used. These small alternatives can be implemented immediately in order to show their efforts to fulfill their social and ethical responsibility. Making an effort to improve their nutritional options means that they are investing in a better future for the consumers. Unfortunately, the questionable ingredients and lack of concern of the diet offered is only a small piece of McDonald’s unethical and blatant disregard of their social responsibility. In order to ensure the stakeholders agendas, McDonalds currently upholds an endless list of labor related issues, as well as legal battles, backlash from the negative impact on foreign countries, and nonchalant approaches to backlash and lawsuits. It is painfully obvious that McDonalds is only interested in continuing the profits for their stakeholders, at any and all cost†¦. including the health and wellbeing of their consumers. ETHICS PAPER 5 5 References Gibson, A. (2014). McDonald’s: A Good Image with Bad Ethics. Retrieved from http://www. neumann. edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/review_08/gibison. pdf Schlosser, E. (2004) Special report on slow food. In J. Johnson (Ed. ), Global Issues, Local Arguments. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Whitt, R. (2010). McDonald’s: A Good Image with Bad Ethics, Dallas Observer. Pennino, M. (2012). Nuggets of wisdom; Author paints picture of out Fast-Food culture. Intelligence Journal. McDonald’s Nutrition. (2014). Retrieved from http://nutrition. mcdonalds. com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts. pdf. Ethics Paper Essay A senior management responsibility is determined the strategic plan, direction, and decisions in strategic planning; he has to deal with conflicts and resolved with ethical responsibility for creating an adaptable strategic plan. Business responsibilities are four economic (goods and service), legal (laws), ethical, and discretionary. Ethics and social responsibility within organization are part important of developing strategic plan. Ethical responsibility is follow believes about behaviors society (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). Also the social responsibility is the way how an organization makes activities that may not be harmful, and it can be good for the community (Abdullah, 2013). In this paper develops the role of ethics and social responsibilities in strategic plan considering the stakeholders needs and agendas. An example of an organization violated ethical principles and prevents ethical violations. The Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility The role of ethics and social responsibility is as mentioned before is important in strategic plan. The ethical responsibility in strategic plan is following commonly beliefs about behavior in a society. The role of social responsibility is the actions for the organization that act to development social goods, beyond make profit. Social responsibility is both ethical and discretionary, which is focusing the obligations that assume that organization with the society. The difference between them is people expect more than of each responsibilities. The role of Ethical and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan is achieve the society’s demands and obligations that organization assume (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). If an organization do not considering ethical and social responsibility that other two responsibilities are affected too, and it would be more government regulations that affected the organization. Also ethics and social responsibility have to act with transpa rency also improves the company’s honesty with stakeholders (Abdullah, 2013). A stakeholder is anybody who is affected by the activities of a business as customers, suppliers, and society. When a strategic plan is developing, management needs to consider the stakeholders’ needs. An organization is constantly monitoring stakeholders’ needs because it allows to meeting its economic and legal responsibilities. For example, an employee wants fair days and benefits. A customer wants good product and lower prices; suppliers want bill paid. An organization has the obligation to treat a stakeholder equally. As mentioned before ethics and social responsibility have to act with transparency also improves the company’s honesty with stakeholders; ethical and social responsibilities support the implementation of strategies and notify the activities to stakeholders. A positive opinion of the company can increase profits and satisfy the stakeholders’ needs and agendas. Company Overstepping Ethical Behavi ors One the most common reason the companies act unethical is that the values between a company and stakeholders. One example is Target impress the marketing industry when the company could predict with a high degree a woman is pregnant and her expected due date only for the items that she purchases. The more customers information that a company have; the company can offer specific products and services (Gillikin, 2013). Target not broke the law, but the company cross the limit about customer privacy. The preventive measure would take to avoid this type of situation is to ask to the customers if they want to provide personal information. The company has the obligation to explain to the customers the benefits of sharing personal information with the company. The most important is to respects the customer’s privacy. In conclusion as mentioned before a senior management responsibility is determined the strategic plan, direction, and decisions in strategic planning; he has to deal wit h conflicts and resolve them with ethical responsibility for creating a strategic plan. The role of ethical and socially responsibility in developing a strategic plan considering the stakeholders needs and agenda is achieve the society’s demands and obligations that organization assume (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). If an organization does not consider its responsibilities as economic, legal, social responsibilities, the organization is affected with more government regulations. References Abdullah, A. (2013, August). Five important issues of ethics & social responsibility in the strategic planning process read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8618109_five-responsibility-strategic-planning-process.htm Gillikin, J. (2013). Ethical boundaries with customer profiling. Retrieved from http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/ethical-boundaries-customer-profiling-13231.html Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.