The review board were very impressed with your last project, and the members believe that it is time for you to take the next assignment for your evaluation. Your next assignment involves the approach to social responsibilities. With that in mind, Mr. Wilson explains that you should review the following situations and report the results.
Your company, CamCo, wants to know your ethics behind your decision making, and the management team has asked you to discuss which social responsibility approach best describes the following situations. The situations involved should test your legal, social, and economic approach to business operations. Below, is a list of the social responsibilities:
* Obstructionist
* Defensive
* Accommodative
* Proactive
Situation A:
A company suffers a major chemical leak at a pesticide factory abroad, and hundreds of people die overnight from poisonous gas inhalation. The company decides not to release information on the chemicals in the pesticide for fear that it would lose exclusive patent rights on the pesticide to competitors. Doctors do not know what they are facing when treating people at the scene and are franticly begging the company for information to save lives. Select the social responsibility approach, and explain the company's action of refusing to release information on the pesticide.
Situation B:
A vehicle manufacture will not admit guilt or take responsibility on a defective component of a popular and extremely profitable car model until after a government mandate. The profits are simply too high to admit guilt and the company would risk losing sales. Select the social responsibility approach, and explain the company's action of refusing to admit responsibility and not acting to correct a defect because of sales.
Situation C:
An environmental disaster occurs with an oil tanker leaking thousands of gallons of oil onto a coastline. The company did not immediately offer monetary fund's to clean up the spill and takes the matter of responsibility to court for several years. Meanwhile, the local community, state, and federal sources are spending billions of dollars cleaning up the mess. Select the social responsibility approach, and explain the company's action of taking a passive approach to the spill.
Situation D:
A crazed gunman drives his pickup truck into the side of a popular restaurant during the lunch hour rush. The man gets out of his truck and begins to fire on restaurant patrons. Over 20 people were killed by the gunman, and another 20 people were wounded in the 15-minute shooting rampage. The CEO of the restaurant chain rushes to the scene of the crime and immediately offers financial support to victims and families. The CEO also reassures employees and the community that the restaurant will cooperate with authorities and rebuild the devastation caused during this tragedy. Select the social responsibility approach, and explain the company's action of supporting the victims.
Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write up to 3 paragraphs that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:
Refer to Situations A, B, C, and D described above.
Select and discuss 2 of the situations in detail given the following key elements.
* Explain which social responsibility approach best describes the situations.
* Explain and discuss the ethical issues involved in the situations.
* Give your opinion toward the situations.
* State what you would do if you were involved in the situations.
* Give recommendations of other ways to handle the situations.