Current Ethical Issues

Noah Morrison

Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility/XMGT 216

4/29/12
Lisa Henry
Axia College University of Phoenix Current Ethical Issues

This paper will explore the ethical issues that may become involved when dealing with my chosen theoretical organization. The organization that I choose was Riordan Manufacturing. This company is a plastics manufacturer that creates beverage containers and other plastic containers for soft drink and snack food manufacturers. The company employs over 550 people in various positions and is completely owned by Riordan Industries, which is a fortune 1000 company. The plastics business in todays’ world is a lucrative one; almost everything that we use, consume, or transport in is made at least partially of plastic. In the case of Riordan Manufacturing the focus is on creating durable and attractive looking beverage bottles for soft drink manufacturers. While at first glance one might think of this as being an ethically straightforward business with little controversy, this is not always the case. The scope of this paper will include exploring the ethical issues surrounding the environment, truth in advertising, employee organization and Riordan’s ethical commitment to the community. One of the first things that a businessman would notice when examining the plastics industry is that the oil-based substance is not a renewable resource. One cannot continue to create new plastic components or products indefinitely. This fact has not been lost on the scientific community or society at large. With the advent of new theories regarding resource management in the late part of the 21st century it has become know that plastics have attached with them, grave environmental concerns. Not only is the production of plastics dirty and messy, but also many plastics will almost