Case Study: Business Ethics

One of the reasons as to why organizations observe business ethics is to avoid actions, which have the potential of destroying their images and reputations. Organizational image and reputation are very important because they play a vital role in attracting and retaining customers. A bad image or reputation may lead to loss of current and potential customers, hence reduction in market share. Bad image and reputation may interfere with employee’s morale, resulting to low production and/or high turnover. This is the situation facing the Puerto Rican subsidiary manufacturing plant.

From the case study, it is indicated that the company is not meeting its production quotas. The company’s worldwide finished product inventory is also at a critical low point. Moreover, the company faces possible closure, which will result into loss of jobs for all employees. For a long time now, the company has been infested by honeybees, which have been making life at the factory unbearable. As a recommendation to this problem, the company should look for a way of harnessing the honeybees to prevent them from attacking the employees. It is important to note that the company observes business ethics and it does not intend to cause any harm to the bees in any way whatsoever. The company should build numerous beehives within its compound. The beehives will provide shelter to the bees, and even attract more and more bees into the compound.

The honeybees will require a constant supply of sugar liquid or sugary substance, to act as a source of food and a source of raw material for their honey-making activities. Therefore, the company will have all the spills from the sugar processing plant directed outside the factory building, but with in the premises. The most effective way is to do this is have an open container at one corner of the company’s compound, where all spills from the plant will be collected. In fact, the beehives should be located near this collection container. This way, the honeybees will stop disturbing workers inside the processing plant because they will have a constant supply of food (sugar liquid). Moreover, to ensure that the honeybees have a constant supply of water, the company can have the wastewater, which is used to wash machines and other equipment used in the sugar syrup production process, directed to the a different collection container. Instead of having, the water directed to the company’s drainage system, it could be used as a source of water for the honeybees because it has sugar residues.

However, just to be on the safe side, the company will have to take preventive measures to ensure the honeybees do not enter inside the processing plant or inside the offices within the company’s premises. The company can do this by fixing net-like materials on all ventilations on all buildings within the company’s compound. This net-like material should be well structure to allow free flow of air. It should be big enough to allow free flow of air and natural lighting, but should have small spaces such that no honeybee would be able to pass through the material.

In addition, to ensure that the honeybees do not sting the employees and the visitors as they walk within the company’s compound, the company should develop some small gargets, with honeybee repellant substance. The gargets should be small, perhaps the size of mobile phone, such that they can be carried around with ease. Visitors and employees will be required to carry the gargets as they walk around the company’s compound. The repellant substance inside the gargets will help keep the honeybees away from humans. These recommendations will enable the company create a safe working environment for its employees; hence attract employees back in the processing plant.