Originally established under the name Economics Laboratory, Ecolab Inc. was incorporated in 1923. Founded on strong core values, based on environmental responsibility and determinism to be the industry leaders in water, hygiene, energy technologies. Ecolab Inc. has stood the test of time by promoting and enforcing a deep-rooted ethical corporate culture through the commitment to community involvement, governance and financial performance, health, safety and environment as well as social responsibility. (http://ecolab.com/about/corporate-responsibility). Ranked as #5 on Corporate Responsibility’s list of Best Corporate Citizens, and on the Forbes' list of America's Best Employers, Ecolab Inc. leads the industry laying claim to numerous other prestigious accolades directly related to their core …show more content…
"While we can't control the economic environment, we know that if we stay focused on taking care of customers and associates, launching better solutions, earning new business- all the things we do so well, we will continue to succeed and grow" Douglas M. Baker, Jr. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ecolab Inc.. Ecolab Inc. was a straightforward choice in deciding which example to use to reflect the chapter 4: Corporate Culture, Governance, and Ethical Leadership as it clearly reflects what ethical responsibility looks like and is aligned with our groups collective viewpoint on performance, shareholder profit, environmental stewardship and responsibility to the community. Ecolab's value-based culture is one in which employees and leadership share the same core values based on a clear vision and mission statement outlining what they intend to accomplish and how they plan to do so. Recorded in their purpose statement, Ecolab proclaims "We are united by our powerful purpose. By the values that guide us in our work. And by the unlimited resourcefulness that helps us solve our customers’ problems. We Are Ecolab – and together, we make the world a
Each organization big or small has its own values, ways of doing things and assumption that it operates in. The principles and ethics that exist in each of these companies are the baseline through which the company operates its affairs. This is what can be called as that organization’s culture. The culture in existence has an impact on the productivity, effectiveness and efficiency (Keyton, 2011). The basis of setting the most appropriate culture of a company is not only to move or increase the profitability but also to make the stakeholders happy and satisfied. One aspect of that is the employee or the human resource the firm who put their expertise in the firm and add a bit of creativity and innovativeness to move the products. Chick-Fil-A operates in a competitive industry thus it requires all the stakeholders.
Employees should be trained and familiar with the Code of Ethics and follow the lead of their referent managers when dealing with the customers of Paradigm Toys to ensure they are fulfilling their corporate social responsibility. Employees- The board of directors should make sure that their managers are training the employees on the Code of Ethics. Employees and managers should understand the importance and expectations that the board of directors requires of them to make sure they are performing ethically and maintaining the highest social responsibility.
Zsolnai, L. (2011). Environmental ethics for business sustainability. International Journal of Social Economics, 38(11), 892-899. doi: 10.1108/03068291111171397
Yvon Chouinard is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, legendary climber, and surfer. He is also a writer, writing essays on outdoor climbing issues and ethics, and more recently publishing a book about mixing environmentalism and sound business practice in corporate policies (Green Economy Initiative, 2011). Chouinard is most noted for his clothing and gear company, Patagonia, Inc., where he has constructed a culture that strives to create an ideal working environment where employees thrive and become more productive at the same time. Patagonia’s environmental ethic is outstanding, having founded 1% For the Planet, an alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1 percent of their net annual sales to approved environmental organizations, and is working to revolutionize supply chain transparency in their company. Sustainable business practices have been at the core of the company since it was founded in the late 1950s – long before sustainability and being “green” became buzzwords. Yvon Chouinard is not only a successful business person, but a leader with discipline, vision, and influence.
When I think of corporation culture I think of vision, beliefs, values having a united front and activities of member within the company that affect society and the environment. A company’s leadership provides the vision and support needed for ethical conduct, in order to be successful. As well as to maintain a good relationship with society companies needs plans and structure for addressing ethical concerns. (Ferrell et al, 2013 p.219)
Currently, businesses are facing a growing societal pressure to perform responsibly and sustainably. Western cultures have become more aware of the effect their consumption has on the environment. Furthermore companies are being put under pressure to treat labour, and where applicable, animals with greater care. However this is to an extent optional and it is often argued that corporate social responsibility is taken up voluntarily by the business and that following laws regarding ethical trading is just a prerequisite to “fulfilling the responsibility of enterprises” (Enderle, 2014, pp 723 - 735). Some businesses have monopolised on the added value of ethically sourced products, through promoting a positive brand
Moral and ethical leaders are essential for any successful business because these leaders are the essential links between the organization’s objectives and its stakeholders. Leaders are the face of any organization, and their actions reflect the values and the ethics the organization they represent. Therefore, if a leader’s action and decision is ethical, the stakeholders and other organizations will respect the leader and the organization. Recent history has shown that ethical behaviors are important in sustaining businesses; large corporations such as Enron, Chevron, and Worldcom, destroyed people’s lives through unethical business behaviors (Josephson, M., 2013). If these corporations and its executives have operated morally and ethically, they would have been able to avoid bankruptcy and escaped going to prison (The Economist, 2002). Having ethical leadership in organizations will help to eliminate the negative impact executive’s gre...
Nancy Levenson is Vice President, Government Relations for Ecolab, the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With sales of $14+ billion and 47,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site services to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 171 countries. As head of Ecolab's Government Relations function Ms. Levenson is responsible for directing the company's public policy positions and managing relationships with government institutions worldwide; U.S. Congress; the White House;
Apple’s maintenance of its image in the global marketplace comes with a price on how ethnically Apple conducts business practices while promoting environmentally safe products for the consumer. Apples’ Code of Conduct, voluntarily executed, exemplifies to the global market, investors, regulators, that Apple’s standards and codes of environmental conduct are universal. To maintain Apples’ universal symbolism, systematic inspections into Apples’ supply chain, conducted regularly, are to expose violations of its work ethics not surpassing apples’ comprehensive standards established for its suppliers.
Ethical leadership is of great significance to the prosperity of an organization. Ethical leaders usually motivate their employees to work hard. In that regard, ethical leadership requires a cocktail of ethical values ranging from rationality to independent and critical thinking. Most organizations nowadays have ethical leaders responsible for the good relationship among the members. Ethical leaders are usually more concerned about the welfare of other people rather than other motives. My focus on ethical leaders will be on corporate leaders, specifically chief executive officers. My leader of choice is Mike Duke, the chief executive officer of Wal-Mart retailers, which is one of the largest retailers in the United States. For its prosperity,
Having an ethical climate is important because it directly reflects the ethical behavior of organizational leaders. Consequently, it can be viewed as an extension of organizational culture, which ultimately dictates organizational behavior (Boundless, 2014). Therefore, if an organization
Chapter 3 deals with the organization's environment and how the company must adapt and overcome the environmental problems it has faced. The case deals mainly with corporate culture; Burger King changed from a mechanistic to a more organic s...
personal character. (Scott, R. and Wong, K., p.449) Ethics has to do with an business’s leadership,
This is whereby we look at the concept of business management in greater detail and at ethics in the business sustainability and leadership. For us to be able to link these two aspects with one another we define the important aspects like the ethics, values, sustainability, etc. and how they are integrated, with supporting examples. An example is made of a company who had an ethical issue, an American gas organisation called, Enron. We then break leadership into smaller compartments, as we look at its theories and significance to the advantage of a successful business
It has been shown that there are many different areas in which a company may choose to focus its corporate social responsibility. The top area of focus in corporate social responsibility is on environment. Other areas that should be considered in the development of corporate social responsibility programs are education, health, nutrition and employment. “Social responsibility investment combines investors’ financial goals with their obligation and dedication to factors that ensure the well being of society such as environmental friendly practices, economic growth and justice in society” (Anderson 9). These elements not only epic corporate social responsibility, but also represent ethical standards of a company. It is unethical for some individuals to own so much and earn so much, at the expense of other suffering members of society. It is also unethical for companies to damage environmentally that result in illnesses and loss of life. It can be concluded that Social corporate responsibility and the maintenance of high ethical standards is not an option but an obligation for all