Siemens AG is a German company with a long history of success and a good reputation in the technology industry. It is also one of Europe’s largest technology firms with a revenue base of over $77 billion. In addition, the company has over 430,000 employees. However, the reputation that Siemens has built for several years was brought into question in 2006 after being caught engaged in a series of corruption scandals. In the first incidence, Siemens was caught having bribed foreign officials in a bid to win contracts and create a slush fund. In another case, Siemens was alleged to have bribed the officials of the labor representatives of the supervisory board in a bid to win their support over the policies that Siemens intended to implement. Immediately after the whistle had been blown on the scandal, a team of investigators was appointed which immediately raided Siemens’ offices in Germany Continue reading
Business Ethics
Business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and business organizations as a whole. Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia descriptive approaches are also taken. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the degree to which business is perceived to be at odds with non-economic social values.
Case Study on Business Ethics: Accounting Fraud at Nortel Networks Corporation
For more than 10 decades, Nortel is engaged in the supply of telecommunications equipment for Canada’s telephone systems. In the 1890s, the company started manufacturing manually, operated switchboards, which have later turned into establishing the fiber-optic systems for the Internet today. Nortel Networks Corporation is having its headquarters in Brampton, Ontario, Canada was considered as one of the leaders of the telecommunications industry during the late 1990s. About three-fourths of the Internet traffic of North America was transacted through Nortel equipment. Nortel had around 73,000 employees around the world. The company’s share was listed on both at the “Stock Exchanges” of Canada and New York. Nortel had a market capitalization at a peak price of C$ 124.5O and had over 3.8 billion shares worth C$473.1 billion as of July 2000. Nortel accounted for over thirty percent of the value of the S & P / TSE 300 Composite index. Nortel has been Continue reading
Case Study on Business Ethics: Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme
The world fell into a state of shock when news headlines reported that the respectable head of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, Mr. Bernard Madoff had confessed to operating a Ponzi scheme. The weight of the ethical issues that the news portended require deep analysis to identify the moral lapses that may have contributed to what some describe as the largest Ponzi scheme in human history. A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or is paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned. Estimates of the amount of money lost range from twelve to twenty billion dollars. The entire debacle arose from Madoff’s failure to adhere to simple ethical rules regarding honest business. He was not honest. This case study examines the role, motive, and consequences of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme because of an ethical Continue reading
Greenwashing – Meaning and Examples
Marketing ethics is an area that is crucial when it comes to marketing because ethics guide the moral principles that regulate marketing. In a simple definition, marketing ethics are the morals of marketing. There are both good and bad behaviors that make up the morals. Over the years, marketers have used the wrong principles to boost sales, especially through advertisements and promotions where customers are not told the truth about a product so that they can buy the product. There are many organizations that have been involved in corporate scandals that touch on ethics. Corporate scandals are unethical actions or illegal dealings that a company or its representative may engage in. In corporate ethics, marketers always try to be better decision makers because they want to make ethical decisions that avoid corporate scandals. Greenwashing Concept Greenwashing is the kind of marketing where the marketers deceive the customers that their products Continue reading
Case Study: Johnson & Johnson Firm After the US Opioids Crisis
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been one of the most trusted brands in the pharmaceutical industry given its long-running history of offering quality products and creating dynamic working conditions for its employees. However, following the US opioids crisis, which has claimed thousands of lives, drug companies, such as J&J are facing legal challenges that could force some entities out of business. The company is expected to face growing legal suits challenging its role in promoting the opioid crisis with damages amounting to billions of dollars. Starting from Ohio where J&J was ordered to pay 20 million USD to Oklahoma where a judge made a landmark ruling directing the company to pay 572 million USD for fueling the opioids epidemic, many more such cases are expected to be filed in the future. Even though court rulings can be contested, the company will ultimately be forced to pay certain amounts of money Continue reading
Case Study on Corporate Governance Failures: The Collapse of HIH Insurance
In the past few years, the collapse in large public listed companies has raised stakeholders concern about corporate governance, which is a leading issue area for business worldwide. While numerous definitions of the term corporate governance have been suggested, it is generally defined as the framework of processes and structures to control and manage a corporation with the objective of enhancing company and shareholder wealth, whereas at the same time, protecting the interests of other stakeholders. The failure of many corporations resulting from a corporate governance problem caused counterproductive outcomes to shareholders and also the wider community. One of the most well-known business debacles, particularly in Australia, is the collapse of HIH Insurance Limited (HIH). As a result of over-optimistic valuations of assets and extensive understatement of liabilities, many of HIH’s policyholders and its creditors encountered a substantial loss. Bailouts can cost Australian taxpayer over a billion-Australian dollar but it Continue reading