Ethics and social responsibility are important issues for companies these days. Each company is responsible for making the right decisions making sure that they do not affect their own company and customers. To follow the law is to be somewhat ethical; if a company is known to break a law then it won’t be considered successful. Every day managers are confronted with situations that lead to decision making processes. They have to look at the whole picture and find out what solution would be the best to make the work environment efficient and productive.
A situation was presented on the “Ethics and Law” case, where I had to imagine that I work at Ranger Products, a toy manufacturing company, and that I supervise a production line, and we are currently working on a product that has a deadline. The products are to be finished today and if they are not the company would be at risk, since the buyer is our number one customer. If products are not delivered today, our number one customer may buy elsewhere, creating a great amount of problems affecting Ranger Products; they will have to shut down a number of production lines, including mine, and lay off many of its employees, including me.
As I supervise the production, I find that there is a problem with the manufacturing process of the toy cars, being that the seals are too thin. Thus, I am confronted with the situation where I have to decide whether to continue the production or to stop everything and fix the problem. Whichever decision I make is going to affect the future of Ranger Products and myself.
There are some ethical and law issues on this case. The ethical issues involve me telling my boss about the situation and the malfunction of the machine. If I decide to continue with the production and deliver with out fixing the seals of the toy cars, the company could get into trouble because if any child gets hurt because of malfunction of the toy, parents may suit. On the other hand, if I decide to stop the production of the toy cars, the company would still get in trouble, having to close production lines and lay people off.
I am confronted with the fact of telling or not telling my boss about it. I could decide not to tell anyone and have the product be delivered today and keep my job, and hope for no law suits. There could still be the possibility that no child would get hurt. However, I would be putting the company’s name at risk and my job and career in danger.
If I decide to tell my boss about the situation, the production would have to be stopped and the products won’t be delivered on time. This would mean that Ranger Products would have to make some drastic changes in the company. The consequences of each action are critical. Whatever decision I make is going to affect the company and myself greatly.
If this was a real situation I would definitely tell my boss about the situation. The process then would immediately be stopped; therefore, the company would show social responsibility and an ethic standard. They would not want anyone to be harmed by one of their products even if it meant putting the company at risk. They could stop the process and fix the problem and try to convince the buyer to extend the due time if they were told about the situation and the risks that are involved.
If the company is employee oriented they would see that I made the right decision and not lay me off. Moreover, if the problem was fixed on time and the buyers seem hesitant to buy, the company could even offer a lower price and apologize for the situation. Then the customer would still buy and the Ranger Products would not have to terminate any of its product lines or lay any of its employees off.
It is imperative that all companies work under an ethic standard. This shows the true quality of the company and the people that lead it. It shows that they are not only trying to sell a product but they also want to be 100% efficient, gaining customer satisfaction, and remain competitive.
Every manager has the responsibility to make the right decision, thinking it thoroughly and looking at almost all possible alternatives and outcomes. Any decision they make may and would affect the company itself or their own careers. It may be hard to be ethical; however, customers, other companies, and even governments see what kind of company one leads by the decisions managers make. In order to succeed and stay in competition a company must be ethical.
The above essay was written by a college student and merely states opinions of a college student. However, if you feel strong about responding to the opinions stated, please write to articles@directorym.com and express your concerns.