Business Ethics and CSR Undertakings in Big Business Tobacco
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Added on 2023/06/07
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This article discusses the ethical dilemma faced by Big Business Tobacco in including health warnings on their tobacco products. The article explores the role of business ethics and CSR undertakings in maintaining the efficacy of business functions.
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Running head: BUSINESS ETHICS BUSINESS ETHICS Name of the student Name of the university Author note
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1BUSINESS ETHICS Ethics play a major role in upholding the efficacy of the business functions. Business ethics is based on the CSR undertakings, which supports the business activities as per the concerns of the community stakeholders. As per the case,Big Business Tobacco (BBT)is the leading manufacturer of tobacco based products in the Australian markets. Randall Hedges, the company’s public relations manager, found that the tobacco products has resulted to hundreds and thousands of deaths. Therefore,Hedges thought of including a health related warning, which would make the user aware of the harm of consuming the tobacco- based product. However, Mary Bender, the marketing manager of the organization, opposed the view of including a health related warning in the cigarette packages as it might cast away the customers, which might result to a degradation of the sales of the organization. The organizational management faced the ethical dilemma in this standpoint where the organizational sustainability clashed with the sustainable factors of the customers. If I was Randall Hedges I would have undertaken a market survey in order to identify the different aspects of the customer’s buying behaviour. It will be helping me to determine the demand of the tobacco products in the specific market conditions. On the other hand, I would have taken steps to include the health related warning in order to conduct an ethical business operation. The sustainability of the business is based on the sustenance of the customers of the same (Milanović and Bučalina2013). The identification of the different ethical standpoints of the business will be helping me to conduct the business in more viable form. According to the deontological ethical theory-“....ethics is grounded in notions of duty and it follows from this that some acts are morally obligatory regardless of their consequences.” (Follesdal and Maliks 2013). The inclusion of the health warning on the cover of the tobacco products might create awareness among the people and thereby might depreciate the sales volume. However, the
2BUSINESS ETHICS adherence to theethical standpoints is clarified through the inclusion of the health related warning. The key elements of the ethics are based on the social responsibility that is enforced on the public relation manager of the organization.Therefore, if I were Randall, I would have included the statutory health warning on the packages of the tobacco products regardless of the consequences of depreciating sales volume of the business. Therefore,adherencetotheethicaltheorieswillbehelpingtheorganizationin maintaining the ethical standpoints. On the other hand,the dilemma that is faced by the public relation manager of the organization, Randall, is based on the depreciating sales volume through the inclusion of the health warning. However, the application of the Kantian ethical theory has helped in simplifying the dilemma over Utilitarianism theory. It has helped Randall in making the correct decision as per the objectives of undertaking an ethical venture. The key changes in the approach will be helping the business in maintaining its long term sustainability over its short term bottom line mentality.
3BUSINESS ETHICS References Follesdal, A. and Maliks, R., 2013. Kantian theory and human rights. InKantian Theory and Human Rights(pp. 23-29). Routledge. Milanović, V.M. and Bučalina, A.D., 2013. Theoretical aspect of the development of'corporate social responsibility'concept.Megatrend revija,10(3), pp.155-180.