REPORT EVALUATING THE ETHICAL CLAIMS OF MCDONALD’S
Abstract
Ethical conduct is very important for any company which aspires to succeed in its business operations. It promotes the image and reputation of the company in the market. McDonalds being one of the key companies in the fast food industry is subject to ethical misconduct issues that affect its business operations. Although the company puts more efforts in promoting social responsibility for all the communities where it operates its business, it has many issues that go against the will of the community. This paper clearly shows that McDonalds is subject to ethical claims by its employees due to its failure to administer good remuneration. Also, the company has various ethical misconduct issues related to negative health impacts of its foods and environmental pollution.
Background information
McDonald’s is a world’s provider of hamburger fast foods through its restaurants. It is a United States company, but it also operates internationally. In fact, it is the largest company in the industry in the world and offers service to over 60 million customers. Besides, the company operates in more than 110 countries in over 35,000 outlets all over the world. Regarding employment, the company comes second after Walmart in the world. Among the products the company offers to its customers include chicken, milkshakes, cheeseburgers, soft drinks and hamburgers among many others. McDonald’s is dedicated to offering services beyond recognition by its competitors. Some of its key competitors include Taco Bell, Subway and Burger King among many others. Although the company is largest in the world in the fast food industry, it has been subject to various ethical and environmental issues. This paper focuses on discussing some of the ethical, environmental, health and supply issues
Ethical Claims
McDonald’s is subject to various ethical misconducts which ruin its reputation. Firstly, the company is known for its failure to award its employees better payment as required. Many of its employees are underpaid depending on the amount of the hours they work for the company. This is unethical conduct since it makes employees unsatisfied hence unable to promote their productivity. Besides, the company compels its employees to work for extra hours which illegal. Such employees end up unpaid for the service is given to the extra workers. Furthermore, the company also underpays its farmers for the amount they produce and the meat they offer to the company.
On the other hand, the company has also been subject to lawsuits due to its unethical marketing practices that involve children (Ashley, n.d). In fact, the move by the company to use children to advertise its toy products amounts to misuse of children who are minor for that matter. Since such practice is outlawed, it amounts to unethical conduct on the side of the company. The practice also impairs the company’s capacity to enhance social responsibility in the areas it operates.
Health Issues
Despite McDonald’s fame in the world the company recently has issues with its social responsibility. The company should constantly provide products and services that meet the needs of the community. The company always promises to give its consumers quality and safety products. However, the company was involved in the sale of expired foods to its customers. This is irresponsible for the company providing such products to its consumers. Since the practice violates the company’s social responsibility provisions, it amounts to unethical conduct.
McDonalds is committed to providing healthy foods to its consumers every time. This is one of the strategies of enhancing its social responsibility in the communities where it operates. It is also within the ethical code of conduct. Despite such provisions in its ethical code and social responsibility, the company has violated its health provisions severally leading to unethical conduct on the side of the company. For instance, the company was put into litigation that brought up some issues concerning the foods provided by the company. It is claimed that the company foods led obesity and overweight health issues among the children. Consequently, this amounted to a lawsuit where the affected parents were seeking for compensation. It is worth noting that many people have filed a case concerning the issue a good example being in New York City. McDonalds has thus acted negligently due to its failure to warn the consumers about the dangers they are exposed to, when they consume certain foods.
Environmental issues
McDonalds Company is known for its conscious to environmental conservation. It is known in the world to be the greatest garbage producer. All the times the company is ever concerned with overcoming the garbage issue. Their greatest concern is to reduce, dispose and recycle waste as a way of controlling environmental pollution in its environment. Today the company has adopted recycling program for recycling plastics. Such a move will play a great role in enhancing the environmental conservation.
Furthermore, the company uses bulk purchases in which its supplies are provided in using a bag-in-box system. This implies that there is no packaging of the supplies, hence no waste is involved in the system. Nonetheless, McDonalds Company is encouraging the use and use again strategy to reduce environmental pollution. It is worth noting that today many of the company’s restaurants re-uses some of the resources such as the cardboard cases to make supplies. In so doing, the company is able the amount of pollution.
Despite the measures that the company has adopted to reduce environmental pollution, the company has various environmental issues that affect its operations. For instance, Tuner et al (1985) argues that the company is known for overusing chemical substances that are toxic hence leads to environmental pollution. Also, McDonalds uses beef cattle that emit a lot of methane into the environment. The methane gas emitted is a major cause of global warming. The chemicals also used in the rearing of the animals also affect the environment negatively (Ghosh, 2008).
Conclusion
The study indicates that McDonalds Company is committed to promoting social responsibility in areas where it operates its business. It focuses on providing quality products and services that enhance satisfaction among its customers. The company has a code of business code and ethics that governs its business practices. IT encourages its employees to comply with ethics as one way of promoting social responsibility. However, the company has also failed to ensure full compliance to its business ethics. McDonalds is subject to various ethical misconduct practices which threaten its image and reputation. Some of the ethical issues surrounding the company include failure to comply with the environmental provisions and failure to ensure the provision of safety and health foods. This is the area that the company needs to put more to consider improving to foster success.
Recommendation
The company should focus on coming up with a strict policy on food safety standards that ensures that the company enhances consumer’s health. There should be a strict supervision of foods products produced by the company all the times to ensure that the safety of the consumers is enhanced. Such a move will reshape the company’s image and reputation in the world market. The health of the consumers is very vital for any company that produces food substances. Proper implementation of the mentioned measures will play a great role in helping the company to overcome the building health problems. Also, it will help it reduce costs associated with lawsuits and fines.
Besides, it is important for the company to consider training its employees on the importance of enhancing quality both in designing products as well as servicing the consumers. Training is a key tool for enhancing the knowledge and skills of the employees. Such a move is important in ensuring that the employees have a clear understanding of the need to promote health in fast foods products. Training is motivation to the employees and can boost their productivity within the company.
Finally, McDonalds needs to consider motivating its employees as a way of enhancing social responsibility and welfare for that matter. Underpayment is one key problem facing the employees of McDonalds. It is worth noting that employees work even for extra hours without any compensation. It discourages them from working towards the growth and development of the company. As a result, the company should consider compensating its employees in agreement with the job they perform for the company to enhance satisfaction with them.
Reference List
Ashely, R.,n.d. McDonald's "Deceptive" Marketing to Children (2010). Blogspot.com. Retrieved from http://businessethicscases.blogspot.co.ke/2013/02/mcdonalds-targeting-children- through.html
Ghosh, A., 2008. Environmental conservation: Challenges & actions. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing.
Turner, R. S., Johnson, A. H., and Wang, D. (1985). Biogeochemistry of Lead in McDonalds Branch Watershed, New Jersey Pine Barrens1. Journal of Environment Quality, 14(3), 305.
