BUSINESS PROFFESIONALETHICS

COMM 332

Individual Assignment

Discuss in your paper the three companies you researched and describe briefly their ethical dilemmas. Then compare the issues that they faced using the discussions, theories and relative case studies from the course. Discuss in your opinion how they could have avoided their ethical dilemma.

Illiès Boussaha

Student number: 230106913

Due Date: November 7, 2012

Word count: 2057

Maple Leaf Food is a Canadian food processing company that is located in Canada, the U.S, U.K and Asia. Its 100 facilities operates in the food and beverage sector, hiring 23.500 employees around the globe, of whom 1.100 temporary foreign workers. The company was created in 1963 and was originally named Canada Bread Company, Limited. It was, and still is the largest food processor of the country. A few years later, McCain Capital Corporation and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired most of the shares. They are still the main shareholders today. Moreover, the company acquired Olivieri™ Fresh Pasta and Sauces in 1988 and merged with Canada Packers Inc. In 1991. The company bought Canada's largest rendering company, Rothsay, the services provided by Rothsay are linked to environmental sustainability (collecting, processing and recycling animal products).

Therefore, Maple Leaf Food seems to be environmentally friendly and thus has accomplished some of its social responsibility. However, in August 2008 the Canadian company faced a crisis. Indeed, Maple Leaf Food was involved in a food borne illness due to some of their products, the bacterium involved is called Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria was found in 23 products, so the company decided to recall every single one of them, which led to a cost of 20 million dollars. During