Businesses are not Behaving Ethically Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Businesses are not Behaving Ethically - Essay Example Also, if a company follows ethical practices in its operations it is able to gain customer loyalty. And it is not necessary that to be ethical a company incurs more costs than one that doesn't. It's a win-win situation for ethical companies (Rupal). There may be numerous reasons for businesses to be considered as acting unethically. Actions used to cut down costs, access more resources, raise their profit earnings, or simply to enter into a new market could be taken in an unethical manner. The prime example could be of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has captured the U.S. market for retailers. But in its search for cheaper products to beat out its competition with, it offers its laborers in developing countries with barely subsistence wages due to which laborers put in hundreds of man-hours yet still earn an income which could barely support them (Nassar). Their entrance into foreign markets bring business to that country but the conditions of the people living there do not improve as they are still below their poverty line and there is no rise in their gdp/capita. To provide their consumers with the cheapest products in the market Wal-Mart is abusing its workers and providing them with miserable working conditions. A similar sweatshop case was witnessed when people found out that the "lovable" Disney franchise was using laborers working in miserable conditions to manufacture the products which helped sustain the multi-billion dollar industry that relied on Disney products such as their clothing line and the other products sold at their theme parks. In our immediate present we can see how Lehman Bros. helped cause the economic collapse which sent tremors all over the world. By giving mortgages to people who could not afford them they created the sudden defaults which would later cause a chain reaction which would not only affect the U.S. but the entire world. Whole economies collapsed and the tax payer's money was diverted towards the protection of these banks rather than on any infrastructural projects for which they should have been spent. Immense unemployment arose worldwide, countries had trouble importing items since they did not have sufficient funds, defaults in payments for national debts, and fall in investments were observed. This whole incident single handedly brought down the GDP of many European nations as well as the U.S. The state of our national healthcare system is ample proof that businesses on a whole are unethical if given the choice and freedom to be. Given the slightest laxness from the government and the assurance of no action to be taken on them on legal grounds corporations begin to adapt behaviors which are unethical. Why Act Unethically Most businesses act unethically when they know that their actions would result in no consequences to harm them. If they had the fear that they would be persecuted or that they might face negative opinions in the market then they would not resort to unethical means to jump ahead of their competition. This could probably be a reason why unethical practices are observed more in developing countries where the government regulations are weak and corruption

S5W4DQs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

S5W4DQs - Assignment Example These proceedings were instituted in a way that allowed the rapid use of Germany’s industrial potential to stimulate Western Europe economic recovery and growth in the years between 1945 and 1957. The punitive measures went hand in hand with reconciliatory measures in order to avoid resistance in the future. The United States provided Western Europe the necessary resources for economic reconstruction under the aid plan known as the Marshall plan (Dobbins et al, 2003). This was done in exchange for cooperation. Additionally, the United States maintained their military presence in Germany and other occupied Western Europe Countries to prevent the resurfacing of German power and also prevent Soviet expansion. In a nutshell, there was a mix between military weapons and economic weapons (Lecture notes, 2007). The Marshall plan led to transformation of the perception the German’s had towards the United States as colonialist occupants to perceiving them as economic partners. Western Europe recorded the highest growth in economy during the first quarter of the century after 1948. This rapid progress was branded as loirtschaftwundery (economic miracle) in Germany. The economic growth led to reduction of communist influence in Germany (Kunz, 1997; Reynolds 2004). Financial recovery spurred political stability in the region because financial assistance and the consequent economic growth led to cooperation among the citizens of Germany. The military security also followed as the Americans empowered the Europeans to contribute to their own defense. The Marshall plan was adopted as an Economic Recovery Program (ERP) in Western Europe and particularly Germany. This has become a model for future reconstruction programs. There are several aspects in the program that are applicable in the 21st century. The Marshall plan provided financial aid to spur economic growth in Western Europe, the result of this led the Western Europe to Shift their