There are many cases that have been in the news due to business ethics issues.
Here we will look at three recent cases.
On the next page, you will jointly build a repository of cases, so if you are looking on the web, remember to make a note of the URL of any that you find.
Mitsubishi fuel economy scandal
In June 2016, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (Mitsubishi) admitted that it had fabricated fuel economy data for 625,000 cars sold in Japan. Apparently, its engineers had deliberately manipulated the mileage data of the cars. Some models of car were made to look 5% to 10% more fuel efficient than they actually were.
Read these reports for more information.
Vote
Have Mitsubishi failed their customers morally, legally, or ethically (or a combination)?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
Uber app-based transportation network
Uber has given a new spin on transportation for hire. It offers an alternative to taxis and limos, and is one of the most valuable privately owned start-ups in the world. However, it has attracted negative reports about ethical issues, safety, privacy, and pricing problems, among others.
Vote
Have Uber failed their customers morally, legally, or ethically (or a combination)?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
Honest Tea buy out by Coca-Cola
“Honest Tea was founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman, a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Management who got the idea to found a beverage company while he was at business school. There were two key ideas behind the company: to bring beverages to market that were organic and not heavily sweetened, and to conduct the business using fair trade principles. … The Coca-Cola Company purchased a 40% stake of the U.S. company at $43 million in 2008 and bought the rest of the company in 2011” [1].
Vote
Has Honest Tea remained true to its principles of organic and fair trade? Yes or No?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
- In your learning journal blog, write a short reflection (200-250 words) on what surprised you with these cases, and explain your response. Are large companies more likely to act unethically than small businesses? Why/why not?
- Remember to tag or label your post using the course code: IENT102 (This is needed to harvest a link to your blog post in the course feed.)
- ↑ Wikipedia
There are many cases that have been in the news due to business ethics issues.
Here we will look at three recent cases.
On the next page, you will jointly build a repository of cases, so if you are looking on the web, remember to make a note of the URL of any that you find.
Required reading
Mitsubishi fuel economy scandal
In June 2016, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (Mitsubishi) admitted that it had fabricated fuel economy data for 625,000 cars sold in Japan. Apparently, its engineers had deliberately manipulated the mileage data of the cars. Some models of car were made to look 5% to 10% more fuel efficient than they actually were.
Read these reports for more information.
Vote
Have Mitsubishi failed their customers morally, legally, or ethically (or a combination)?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
Uber app-based transportation network
Uber has given a new spin on transportation for hire. It offers an alternative to taxis and limos, and is one of the most valuable privately owned start-ups in the world. However, it has attracted negative reports about ethical issues, safety, privacy, and pricing problems, among others.
Vote
Have Uber failed their customers morally, legally, or ethically (or a combination)?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
Honest Tea buy out by Coca-Cola
“Honest Tea was founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman, a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Management who got the idea to found a beverage company while he was at business school. There were two key ideas behind the company: to bring beverages to market that were organic and not heavily sweetened, and to conduct the business using fair trade principles. … The Coca-Cola Company purchased a 40% stake of the U.S. company at $43 million in 2008 and bought the rest of the company in 2011” [1].
Vote
Has Honest Tea remained true to its principles of organic and fair trade? Yes or No?
Click on the link to vote and see what your sister/fellow learners thought. Voting is anonymous.
Reflection