...EST1 Task 2 7/28/2014 Company X is where the employee’s matter. As a company we take pride in building long lasting relationship. With doing so we believe in fairness. Every employee is expected to act in a professional, responsible and courteous manner at all times. This includes dealings with customers, vendors, contractors and co-workers. Courtesy, respect and cooperation are vital to a successful environment. Compliance with this policy of ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every employee. Disregarding or failing to comply with this standard of ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. To ensure orderly operations and provide the best possible work environment, the Company expects employees to follow rules of conduct that will protect the interests and safety of all employees and the Company. A. Develop an applicable standards and procedures section that includes four elements of acceptable behavior found in a code ethics 1. Trust- We will tell the truth regardless of what the outcome might be Building a secure business relationship is very important to assure everyone is trusted to complete their part 2. Integrity- We will do the right thing even when no one else is around watching Being trust worthy and honest is very important in a work place. Having integrity is one of the key factors in a business relationship because it shows that you are dependable. 3. Teamwork- We...
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...EST1 Task #1 Western Governors University EST 1 Task #1 Company Q is a corporation whose stakeholders have not placed a major emphasis on social responsibility, instead it appears that the primary focus is placed on profit. With their profits on the decline, they are shying away from opportunities to help their community. By placing a higher priority on social responsibility Company Q will have the opportunity to help the community through charitable donations, employee volunteer initiatives, and creating quality jobs for the persons who live in the community. At the same time, Company Q will can also improve their public image and potentially increase profit. Charitable donations by Company Q have been requested by the local food bank, but unfortunately the company turned down this chance to give back to the community. Company Q currently has a position that giving day old food away could encourage fraudulent behavior and theft by their employees. Company Q’s thought process can be redirected with the addition of a food monitoring system that could track the food movement through the store in terms of when it is going to the shelf and leaving the store by purchase or donation. If the employees know that the food movement is being monitored and logged, it would discourage them from fraudulent behavior. This would also eliminate waste and could create tax breaks for Company Q. By donating food to the local food bank, Company Q would make a large...
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...EST1 Task 1 In this business example Company Q has shown several socially un-responsible and un-ethical traits. In order for business Q to be successful and leave a positive mark on the surrounding community they must keep in mind business ethics. Company Q has several stores in the metropolitan area and has decided to close a couple stores in higher crime areas because of lost profits. Also they have begun carrying health-conscience items but have priced them at high profit margin. Lastly they have refused to give day old food to the local community because of fears of fraud. Company Q made three obvious un-ethical or socially un-responsible decisions about its business practice, In this essay I will point out these un-ethical decisions and give solutions to solve them. The first problem is the closing of stores in higher crime rate areas that have proven not as profitable as others. Instead of figuring out a solution to the problem Company Q has decided to close stores in order to survive. A solution to decreased profit in a high crime rate area would be to increase security in order to keep items from being shop lifted and to detour vandalism. Another problem Company Q has been faced with has been the demand for health-conscience food. In response to this they now carry high profit margin health items that financially benefit them. The socially responsible response and ethical response to these demands would be to find a way to supply the needed items and manage shelf...
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...EST1 Task 1 Part A: From the given information, we see several examples that show us Company Q’s attitudes regarding social responsibility. First, Company Q closed some stores in high crime areas due to low profits. Without further information, this shows a lack of social responsibility as it possibly resulted in some lost jobs. Second, Company Q started offering a small amount of health conscience and organic products. According to the known information, this was in response to years of requests from customers. This shows social responsibility as it demonstrates attentiveness to customer demands. Finally, Company Q refused to donate food and threw it away instead, claiming that it may cause lost revenues due to possible fraud and stealing by employees. Without any additional information regarding this decision, I believe this shows a fairly severe lack of social responsibility. Part B: In order for Company Q to improve their attitude of social responsibility, I would recommend the following actions be taken in the future. First, in regards to closing the stores in high crime areas, the information given seems to suggest that theft or other crime might be the cost of low profits. A socially responsible approach to this problem would likely include some studies to see what was causing these low profits. Perhaps the stores existed in areas with certain cultures and ethnicities that consume products different to what these stores provided. Adapting the products...
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...Assessment code: EST1 Task 1 Company Q’s current attitude towards social responsibility is non-existent. They have closed stores in parts of the city with higher crime rates due to fear of theft and losses. Company Q offers a limited amount of healthy and organic products even though their customers have requested more options. Company Q has a mindset that inhibits an obligation to be socially responsible. They would rather throw food away than to donate it to help feed those that are hungry and in need, for fear of loss due to stealing. It is important for Company Q to devise a plan to maintain their current number of stores through positive contributions to society and favorable public relations. When the commitment is made to be socially more responsible the potential for increased sales, profit and customer loyalty will be exponential. Below are three areas in which Company Q can concentrate efforts and take action towards being more socially responsible. 1. Company Q needs to increase their product line in organic and health conscience products. Offering sponsorships for healthy eating at local children’s organizations and schools will increase their exposure in the community. This can allow for increased logo display and recognition. By offering items that your customers want and supporting that effort through community awareness about healthy eating, will build loyalty with new and existing customers. 2. Donating the day old food to the local food...
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...WGU EST1 Task 1 There are many challenges that face every business whether they are large or small but one thing all businesses have in common is that they all seek profitability. However, a business’s primary goal should not only include maximizing profits, but also have positive social integrity. Being both profit-oriented and socially responsible can make beneficial impacts to the stakeholders, communities, customers and staff while also making substantial earnings. Evaluation of Social Responsibility Company Q, a small metropolitan grocery store, has faced several challenges. Their actions towards making necessary changes exhibit their substandard view that companies should not have towards social responsibility. Recently, Company Q made a decision to close down two of their stores due to high-crime-rates in the area and also lack of profits. With Company Q being a small business in a high-crime area they would need to find a way to not only survive, but also prosper; whether or not that is to invest in more security and be cautious of who could be a potential customer vs. being a threat. However, closing two stores due to being in a high-crime was not the only consequence that will hinder their terrible profit margin. Company Q’s lack of understanding of their customer’s and the community’s desires will impede the business as well, consequently hindering profits even more. Recommendations Company Q, after years of requests from customer, began to offer a...
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...EST1: Ethical Situations in business Task 1 Social Responsibility Currently Company Q does not seem to have a very good social responsibility. It seems as though they are more concerned with the bottom line and how it will affect the company rather than helping the community and the residents which shop in their stores. However with that said they are also in business for a reason: to make a profit and you cannot always cater to individuals when running a business. With the closing of a couple stores in high-crime rate area Company Q in my opinion may have been somewhat discriminatory. Did they close the stores simply because of the area or were they actually losing profit & merchandise due to theft? One example in which they could have been socially responsible would have been not to close all of the stores in the high-crime area at once. By closing the stores in that area, they are making the customers travel further for groceries or possibly choose a different company to shop; a location which is closer to their location. Not only did this decision cost the company money, it also may have lost customers. By closing 1 store Company Q could have made upgrades to the security of the remaining store, taking measures to let it be known theft will not be tolerated and also making the customers feel safe while they do their shopping. During the past few years we have witnessed a spike in healthier, organic foods being requested and purchased. As consumers we...
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...EST1 – Subdomain 310.2 Task 310.2.1-05 This paper will address the areas of improvement that Company Q can implement to improve their attitude toward social responsibility. Company Q is described as a small local grocery store chain with several locations in metropolitan areas. Recently, Company Q closed a couple of it's stores that were located in higher-crime-rate neighborhoods citing a consistent loss of revenue. Additionally, Company Q does not participate in donating day-old products to local community food banks. Management explains that day-old products are instead thrown away. The explanation provided for this is that management fears that donating food may heighten their risk of losing revenue to fraud and employee theft. Lastly, it is explained that Company Q – after years of customer requests – has started to offer it's customers a very limited selection of high margin, health conscious and organic products. Scores of small and large businesses operate in metropolitan areas. Chain businesses that operate in multiple areas should target each particular customer base individually – what sells very well in one area may not sell at all in another. Because economic, cultural, and lifestyle differences exist from one neighborhood to the next, a business that focuses on it's local customer's needs will be more successful. I feel that Company Q should reconsider the closing of their stores in higher-crime-rate...
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...Student ID Business Management Degree Program EST1 310.2.1-05 Social Responsibility The small grocery chain Company Q takes a pessimistic view towards the community which is shaped by the experiences of high crime rates in the area. In order to remain economically feasible Company Q has closed locations that were losing money. This allows the company to retain profits from other locations and provide jobs to members of the community. Unfortunately, because of the high crime rates, Company Q has taken and apathetic view towards the community. This is displayed through their response to requests made by members of the community. It has taken several years of customer requests for the chain to begin carrying specialty high profit items. Members of the local food bank have asked for donations of day old food and Company Q decided not to donate citing that fraud and stealing would arise through possible deception from employees. Overall, the company displays a mediocre attitude towards social responsibility and can improve in a variety of ways. Company Q can improve their social responsibility through economic, ethical, and philanthropic means by developing customer loyalty, employee commitment, and being a good neighbor to the community. For many years customers had asked for specific health-conscious items before the company considered bringing the items for sale. This lack of response displays a poor attitude towards customers needs and must be improved. Company Q...
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...EST1 Ethical Issues in Business June 18, 2014 Task 1 Part A Companies being reported on and sued for lack of social responsibility has become a high occurrence lately. Seemingly these companies are making very open and public errors in judgment towards consumers and or the products they offer. Company Q is the worst type of social responsibility offender in my opinion due to their more subtle tactics of discrimination. On the surface a person may feel that the company’s actions are justifiable by their very vague explanations. However, if a person were to look deep in to the issue you would see the underlying views that Company Q has towards certain groups of people and situations. Company Q is a small locally owned and operated grocery business, which means there are several of Company Q’s stores throughout a metro area. This area ranges from high to lower end income families and neighborhoods. The scenario states that it is in a major metro area which also means either area should be viewed as heavily populated. The company closed two of its stores which were located in high crime areas and claimed loss of money as the reason for the closures. High crime areas generally equate to a lower income, urban, minority and underprivileged population. Statistically speaking, lower income families spend on average twice the amount of their annual take home pay on food alone and especially on processed unhealthy options (Datko, 2012). It is hard for me to believe that a store...
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...EST1 Task 310.2.1-05 In the business world, social responsibility and profitability often are dependent upon one another. Many companies view social responsibility as being just as important, if not moreso, as making a profit. May times, the community relies upon local businesses upholding a certain level of social responsibility. Company Q is one company that is not setting, or meeting, a standard of social responsibility. Company Q’s actions show that the company places profitability at a higher level of importance than social responsibility. Company Q is not making an effort to be socially responsible, which may have played a part in the lack of profit of the closed stores. Many people in the community are unable to provide basics, such as food and water, for their families. In an effort to assist these people, food banks reach out for help from the community, in the form of monetary and food donations. One of the more common donation sources is grocery stores. Some grocery stores donate their day old and damaged food items to food banks. This gives the food to the local food banks, which is then given to the needy people in the community. This is a relatively easy thing to do, and something which utilizes a product which would likely be disposed of anyway. Company Q has failed to take this important, and much appreciated, step towards showing that it is socially responsible. The company’s choice to not donate the day old food is telling the community...
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...Recommendations for Company Q EST1 Task 310.2.1-05: Ethical Situations in Business Western Governors University Mary Lyles - ID 000389714 September 7, 2014 Recommendations for Company Q The main responsibility of a company is to make a profit for it's stakeholders, both the employees and the investors. Company Q has taken this priority to heart and has overlooked the benefits of the other responsibilities of their involvement in the retail business. The admission of not donating the day old food to a local food bank stems from an inherent distrust of their employees. The current distrust will become more tangible as the managers and employees are not treated with the respect they are earning and will certainly breed unhappy employees which will in turn result in lower sales. Another one of the issues regarding the public service of Company Q is the closing of the two unprofitable stores in high crime areas. If the closure was done without analysis of why the stores are unprofitable, the surrounding community would suffer in regards to availability of merchandise . Offering some high margin health conscious items without surveying the viability of these items is also an issue. Company Q can take some planned, simple steps in resolving these issues with a manageable, well thought out ethics program. Recommendation One Company Q could create a program to donate the expired day-old items to the local food bank. This program would become the responsibility of the...
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...EST1 Task 1 (Ethical Situations in Business) Tuesday, July 21, 2015 Company Q is a small grocery store that faces multiple roadblocks that a bigger national chain does not normally face. These roadblocks may include things like brand recognition, disposable income, sales on their stock, advertising and the capability to help other stores that maybe facing poor sales. Being a smaller company they may operate with a different code of ethics and have different areas of emphasis. A large chain store may have the capability to absorb losses that resulted from theft, etc. but a smaller chain store may not be capable of doing so. Company Q has had to close down a couple of stores due to these stores not being able make a profit. With this closure they have had to redirect there priorities. At the end of the day it is about money and Company Q is not a non-profit organization so they have to be primarily accountable to their financial statements to survive. With the food bank asking if Company Q would donate some day old organic foods, Company Q had to make a choice. The socially responsible choice would be to donate food to help out the people within the neighborhood, however Company Q has legit concerns in regards to the possibility of employees stealing the donated food and taking it home instead of donating it to the local food bank. Company Q made the choice to dispose of the food instead of dealing with the possibility of theft from their employees. I think Company...
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...Task 1: Ethical Situations in Business Assessment Code: EST1 Student Name: Student ID: Date: Task A Peter Drucker once wrote (n.d.), “profits for a company is like oxygen for a person. If you don’t have enough of it, you’re out of the game. But if you think your life is about breathing, you’re really missing something”. What Drucker meant is it’s not all about the almighty dollar; today’s businesses are expected to participate in corporate citizenship to fulfill its responsibility to contribute financial and human resources to the community to improve the quality of life. Unfortunately, Company Q operates as if their purpose is breathing. Gross profit margins for grocery stores are very low, especially in high crime districts. In order to survive businesses must be able to sell products customers want and be able to promote their store throughout the neighborhood to differentiate themselves from the competition. Company Q attitude toward social responsibility is very poor. A decrease in customer retention has clearly affected store sales because they hesitated offering healthy related foods. Selling high margin organic food products in a poor neighbor shows a lack of common business knowledge. The lack of sensitivity Company Q has towards their customers has forced them to buy from other stores. The absence of top management driving social responsibility has allowed the store workers to become poor corporate citizens. Company Q’s lack of social responsibility...
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...WGU EST1 Task 2 Company X Ethics Program Standards and Procedures: Company X expects all employees to conduct themselves with integrity, professional and responsible actions at all times. An employee’s actions in both personal life and professional life should avoid any situations that (A) could be construed as harmful to the company or its employees or (B) cause negative public reactions that could impact Company X customers or customer relations in adverse ways. You are a Company X representative during work hours and during off work hours. Violations of Company X rules of acceptable behavior will be viewed as misconduct, which upon review can constitute immediate suspension. Pending further review and investigation some violations may result in termination. The following section is not an all- inclusive list of violations but a snapshot of some that could result in immediate termination. * Falsification of Company documents and or records such as, but not limited to, time cards, company financial reports and travel expenses for reimbursement. * Failure to report an accident involving a company issued vehicle. * Insubordination or refusal to follow instructions or carry out work task without proper justification. * Misuse of company resources such as but not limited to, the internet, computer and phone usage. Ethics Training Common Ethical Values: The following will provide employees and potential employees with a clear understanding of what...
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