Summary and Outline
McWane Corporation was founded in 1921 . J.R McWane was the founder of the corporation that has been on the lead in the production and sale of sewer and water pipes. The firm also produces other heavy manufacturing components. It has approximately 5000 human resources and controls 12 plants both in Canada and United States. The annual turnover of the giant corporation is more than $2 billion. The company is privately held as it’s controlled by a family. Over the past three decades, the corporation has been specializing on acquisitions of firms that have previously been operating on losses and making them profitable and efficient. The corporation puts into use the philosophy of disciplined management in all its operations which include dealing with workers.
The case scenario presented gives a detailed explanation of the ill treatments and lack of ethics in the company and all its subsidiaries . The case gives instances where the owners, managers and other supervisors were involved in legal tussles that pertain to the business. Many employees have lost their lives due to the negligence of the managers of the firm. Moreover, the company has been involved in numerous instances of environmental pollution and this has led to unending legal battles that face the corporation. The case also gives into details the measures that the corporation has put in order to ensure that all the non-profitable firms they acquire become profitable within a short span even when they have to take stringent measures. Some of the measures include firing employees and overworking them.
Answer 1
The concept of disciplined management ensures that the employees maintain discipline at all times in the work places. If the corporation attempts to run smoothly and have profits, the workforce engaged must have an agreed code and reasonable standards of behavior in the places of work. This style of management ensures that workers in any organization achieve the desired objectives with little or no regards to their welfare . Workers have to do what they are expected to at all times, follow rules and deliver their targets at all costs and always when engaged in their respective work places.
Answer 2
There are numerous ethical issues that are related to McWane Corporation . One such issue is the health and occupation ethics. The company does not seem to mind the health and working conditions of the workers in all the plants that it operates. In an instance, the managers make deliberate effort to delay health officials from gaining access to the premises of the company as they know they do not uphold the health and safety ethics of their employees. Moreover, the company pollutes the environment which is contrary to the environmental ethics. Though there is a legal suit and it is fined, these does not make the act right.
Answer 3
Though the corporation has been painted in bad picture by the article, the corporation has also contributed positively to the society. The corporation offers employment to individuals in various capacities. The translation is that it improves the livelihoods of the people by paying salaries to fund decent living. The corporation also has also contributed to various charitable courses. The owners make huge donations that give back to the society and improve the livelihoods of individuals.
Answer 4
The company is highly profitable. By instilling the disciplined management technique, the company focuses on raising enough funds that maximize the profits and make it possible for the company to fund all the fines that it is ordered to pay by the court. If the company must continue with this trend, the plants must be profitable enough to support the court fines.
Works Cited
David Barstow & Lowell Bergman. "At a Texas Foundry, an Indifference to Life." The New York Times (2003): 1-11.
Frontline. Two Companies, Two Visions. 10 October 2014. 10 October 2014 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/workplace/mcwane/two.html>.
McWane. Achievements. 10 October 2014. 10 October 2014 <http://blog.mcwane.com/category/achievements/page/2/>.
