Under what circumstances does employment, purchase of a product, or investment in a company constrain rights to privacy, freedom of speech and association, or religious expression?
Although freedom and speech and religious expression should be embodied in any company’s charter, sometimes circumstances may prevent employers from sharing some ideas or expressing their religious views. For instance, an employer may be bound by an employment contract which prevents him from sharing some information about the job. An employer may also not agree with some of the employment aspects, but at the same time, he may not be able to openly criticize the company’s policy in accordance with the contract. It is one thing when a minor employer criticizes the company publicly, it is an absolutely different situation when a company’s CEO publicly shares his critical ideas regarding the company’s structure. In this respect, often low-level employers, paradoxically, have more rights and can express themselves more freely. Similarly, a CEO of a company may not be able to freely and publicly exult the virtues of his/her religion, as he is listened to by thousands of others, that might be construed as an attempt to convert others. Consumers who purchase luxurious or extravagant products may wish to conceal their hedonistic lifestyles, and therefore constrain themselves in terms of expressing their purchasing preferences.
What are a company’s obligations to protect the rights and freedoms of employees, consumers, and investors?
According to Human Rights Library, the company that follows the Global Sullivan Principles must respect the rights of employees to voluntary freedom of expression, provide them with a safe working place and promote personal growth and development (United Nations para 6). The rights and freedoms of employers should be protected especially when issues of gender, age or ethnicity come into play. It should be the company’s obligation to provide equal opportunities and pay to all employees irrespective of their gender, ethnicity or skin color. Consumer protection is also vital to any company and their personal information should be always kept confidential. As our world is becoming more digital and more consumers are conducting transactions online, companies obtain private information about consumers and it is a legal obligation for a company to ensure that this information is kept private. Based on ethical guidelines, the company is obliged to avoid unfair or deceptive trade practices. While companies are striving to bring down the initial cost of their products, they should not do so at the expense of a consumer health by using low-quality materials for manufacturing. Investors in their turn need to feel confident that the capital they provide be protected from misappropriation or other forms of misuse by company’s shareholders or corporate managers (OECD p. 40). The company needs to ensure equal treatment for both domestic and foreign investors so that they feel safe and secure.
What is a company’s obligations to protect the rights and freedoms of the public in operating its business?
The United Nations set out a number of guiding principles which companies should follow to protect the freedoms and the rights of the public during its business operation (United Nations par. 3). A good example to illustrate how a company may be violating people’s rights is engaging in business on land that bears an importance to the people inhabiting the area. The land might have been acquired by the Government without people’s consent and legally a company may open a business in the area, but it would be a violation of indigenous people’s rights. Launching a business on this land, with the permission of the government, but without the consent of the local people may compromise their freedom and their right to self-determination. Companies may unknowingly partake in hiring workers who had earlier been trafficked or forced to work, this especially relates to chain companies which cannot always control and ensure due diligence in hiring. With so many ways to violate human rights and freedoms of the people, companies must take additional steps to ensure the protection of the rights and freedoms of the public.
What are the rights of a company in the pursuit of wealth and profit? In what respects or circumstances is society justified in constraining those rights? What is a society’s obligation to foster and protect the rights and freedoms of a company to pursue wealth and profit?
The key aspect of any company’s business is to make a profit and earn money (OECD p. 46). With this in mind, the company has every right to pursue wealth and profit within the frames of the law and within ethical guidelines. By making a profit, the company is able to ensure cash flow for investors, its employees, creditors and various stakeholders. If the company is earning a profit within the law and does not violate human rights, the society should be content with the well-being of a company because it contributes to the overall country’s economy. Conversely, if a company makes its profit from the use of child or forced labor, engages in tax evasion or fraud, pollutes the environment or dumps wastes into a river or a lake, the society needs to be concerned and may constrain the company’s rights to wealth and profit. For instance, if a company is using child labor in third-world countries to triple its profits, the society may openly criticize the company’s activities and encourage the legal procedures against the business. On the other hand, if the company is conducting its business within the law, the society’s obligation is to support the company and allow it to develop and earn a profit. If the company is put under pressure from its competitors or if the company faces pressure from the authorities, the society needs to step in and ensure that the company continues its activities.
Works Cited
OECD. OECD Principles of Corporate Governance. 2004. Web. 23 July. 2016. <http://www.oecd.org/corporate/ca/corporategovernanceprinciples/31557724.
pdf>.
United Nations. The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. n.d. Web. 23 July. 2016.
< https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-1>.
