Business Final Essay
Abstract
Global warming is a serious issue that is facing the world today. Despite the tireless efforts put across by various nations to reduce the effect, it remains an issue to be addressed urgently. Many scholars have conducted research with an aim of determining the causes of global warming and have concluded that it is subject to environmental pollution by human beings. Human beings actions such as cutting down trees, burning forests, industries gas emissions, and emissions from vehicle exhaust fumes to the environment are some of the main human actions that accelerate the issue of global warming. This is to mean that despite the policies put in place, people are unable to adhere to them thus increasing the effect. It is worth to note that this environmental effect has various negative effects on the earth that threaten the survival of both human beings and wildlife as discussed in the paper (Jacob and Rabecca 3).
It is an ethical misconduct by companies and human beings to accelerate global warming despite the existence of various policies that govern environmental pollution. Ethical provisions require businesses to comply with the laid environmental regulations to foster environmental cleanliness. It is a good move through which businesses can enhance social responsibility in the regions that a business operates. Global warming is a collective responsibility of every human being. All the responsibility should not be directed to governments since their work is to enact environmental laws that everyone needs to follow. Compliance with environmental provisions is a good move through which individuals can help in reducing the increasing levels of global warming. It is a great challenge but with efforts from every stakeholder it is possible to control.
Q1 Answer
Background information
Global warming is a continuous increase in the average temperature of both the earth and oceans which is subject to various causes. In most cases, global warming is subject to release of too much carbon (IV) oxide in the atmosphere which is also referred to as greenhouse effect. The gas acts a blanket in the atmosphere which holds heat and warms the planet. When people burn fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal or even cut down and burn forests looking for agricultural land for plantation they build up carbon in the atmosphere. This increases the amount of heating on the earth which leads to global warming. Automobile manufacturing is subject to carbon release that encourages global warming. For instance, there is a lot of carbon (II) oxide and carbon (IV) oxide released during the production process of the automobile products.
According to Jacob and Rabecca (2), global warming has various negative impacts that affect both human beings and animals. For instance, the rising world temperatures lead to increased air pollution due to increased ground level ozone. These effects arise due to pollution that exists in industries and others from the vehicle pollution. The effect can be said to be a constituent of smog and hotness originating from the earth. Dirtier air that arises from the rising temperatures causes asthma illnesses that lead to increased hospital admission and death rates. Nonetheless, the pollution also worsens the health of people with pulmonary diseases. Also, the high temperatures cause’ increased airborne pollen which further affects negatively those people who are prone to allergies.
Besides, global warming also increases wildlife extinction rate. Although high temperatures affect human beings negatively, they have houses that can persevere high temperatures. However, under the circumstances of global warming wild animals face a great challenge. High temperatures destroy animal habitats forcing them to move from the hot areas to those areas with lower temperatures. It is vital to note that in most cases freshwater and ocean animal species will ever keep on shifting to areas with cold temperatures. In so doing, tourism which is one of the backbones sectors of the economy to many nations is affected negatively.
Furthermore, global warming has a great effect in reducing the agricultural yield in the world. Most of the crops require a lot of water for them to survive. High temperatures lead to increased drought thus reducing the level of water that should be used in agricultural production. In so doing, it may lead farming non-drought resistant products very difficult thus reducing the level of agricultural production. This plays a great role in increasing the levels of poverty in different regions of the world. Poverty is a global issue that lowers the standards of living of people since it reduces the purchasing power of the people.
However, global warming could also increase agricultural production in cold regions of the world such as Russia and Canada (Jacob and Rabecca 3). The high temperature in such areas would assist farmers in melting the ice thus providing them with enough water for the agricultural production. Besides, it could provide conducive farming temperatures that are required by some plants. This can assist the farmers in yielding more agricultural produce to cater for food as well as income for the cash crops. In so doing, it assists in reducing the levels of poverty in those regions.
An automobile manufacturing company accelerates global warming in different ways. Firstly, most of the automobile engines produce much carbon and nitrogen gasses to the environment. For instance, vehicles emit a lot of carbon to the environment through their exhaust. The fuels used by the vehicles burn thus releasing various gasses to the atmosphere that further lead to the greenhouse effect. In most cases, when this gasses accumulate in the atmosphere they react with water vapor forming acid rain. Also, the substances released create a blanket that holds so much heat which increases the world temperatures. Controlling gas emission in the automobile manufacturing industries remains a great challenge. Besides, the waste disposal by the company is a common source of carbon emission to the atmosphere. This is because these wastes contain some of the substances which emit much carbon to the atmosphere.
The main stakeholders who have the responsibility to reduce the levels of carbon release and other pollution substances to the environment within the company setting include the management, employees, and the government. Some of the stakeholders support the idea while others are against due to differences in reasoning.
The management plays a role in setting policies that govern the behavior of the employees in addressing environmental matters. The production manager is key in helping the company address this issue since it revolves his docket. The overall management is under pressure to take action on the issue hence it is willing to adopt some changes to minimize pollution from its production. The management feels that conserving the environment is one way of enhancing social responsibility. Thus, taking the initiative to control the carbon release to the atmosphere will assist the company to build a reputation as well as improving standards of living in the communities. Although the venture may be very expensive for the company, the management stands a better chance to benefit from the initiative.
Besides, the company employees are the other stakeholders who have the mandate of ensuring environmental cleanliness. The subordinates may be against the move taken by the management in case they are not involved in the decision-making of the company. The subordinates of the company are the implementers of the decisions hence their failure to accept them may sabotage the entire process. Thus, the management should consider involving the subordinates in making decisions thus encouraging them to support the idea of environmental conservation.
Finally, the government has the responsibility of enacting laws to govern the operation of automobile companies concerning environmental pollution. The government has the mandate to compel the companies to adhere to standard emission levels failure to which it needs to apply fines and penalties to control global warming. In so doing, automobile companies will comply with the provisions. This is a clear indication that government is a stakeholder supporting the need to reduce global warming. In fact, it impels the company to comply with the environmental provisions to promote cleanliness.
Q 2 Answer
Alternative paths
There are various alternative paths that the company can adopt to reduce the issue of global warming. Firstly, the company needs to focus much on reusing and recycling waste as one way of controlling greenhouse effect. The waste disposed decays with time thus producing much carbon to the environment that lead to the greenhouse effect. This is to mean that reusing and recycling waste is the best way of reducing carbon release to the environment. Thus, the company should focus much on reusing some of the parts that are disposed of as waste to reduce environmental pollution. Besides, recycling some of the waste parts in the company is also another good move in ensuring that the green effect is reduced. This alternative does not affect the usual operation of the company.
The move to recycle and reuse waste products by the company is an ethical practice. The government environmental provisions require companies to adhere to the provisions. The move to recycle and reuse waste products is one way through which the company will comply with such provisions. Besides, the company will also be able to comply with its code of ethical conduct that supports environmental conservation. Furthermore, it is a better way through which the company will foster social responsibility in all communities that the company serves.
Besides, the company should also foster changing its production systems to encourage the development of hybrid automobiles with low carbon emissions. The old automobile engines manufactured by the company released much carbon gasses thus playing a great role in increasing the level of global warming. Despite the policies put in place to reduce carbon emissions, the automobiles manufactured by the company continue to release many gasses that accelerate warming in the world. However, through developing hybrid engines the company will able to control such effects (Jacob and Rabecca 4).
The venture calls the company to invest much in developing the engines. In one way it can be seen to be ethical and on the other hand, it can be seen to be unethical. Ethically, this alternative will be able to minimize the global warming. Besides, the company will be able to comply with the code of ethics that require it to control the levels of environmental pollution. In so doing, the company will be able to enhance social responsibility thus building a long lasting relationship with the communities where the company operates. On the other hand, this alternative can also be unethical since it is a very expensive venture for the company. It may force the company to forgo other services to ensure production of the new engines.
Lastly, the company should foster training its employees on the best way of containing carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Training the employees about the need for the organization to reduce carbon emission through controlling waste is very crucial for the company. Ideally, this implies that the company needs to be free from any waste disposal. Employees develop their knowledge and skills regarding the need to foster clean environment. This alternative should further be supported by the policies provided in the code of business conduct regarding environmental conservation.
The move to reduce high carbon release to the environment by the company calls for continuous upgrading of the employees knowledge and skills through training. The important thing is to make sure that employees reduce any inefficiency that increases pollution to the environment. This alternative can be seen to be ethical to the company in that it focuses on enhancing the knowledge and skills of the workers. Besides, it is a good move of ensuring that there is proper waste disposal that assists in containing carbon emission to the atmosphere. In so doing, it assists in reducing the level of environmental pollution.
Analysis of the three alternative paths according to ethical reasoning methods
The three alternatives can be analyzed by following various ethical reasoning methods namely virtues, utilitarianism, rights and justice ethics.
Virtues ethics
Virtues ethics focuses on the moral character in handling things without the influence of rules and regulations. It thus concentrates on how a factor is consistent in enhancing moral uprightness. The first alternative involves recycling and reusing waste automobile parts as a way of reducing pollution. This alternative serves to promote moral uprightness by ensuring that the company is consistent in controlling carbon release by recycling and using waste parts.
The second alternative talks about the company’s move to adopt hybrid engines with low emissions as compared to old engines that release large amounts of carbon and nitrogen oxides to the environment. The alternative is consistent with the provisions of the virtue ethics because its focuses on reducing high carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions that accelerate global warming.
The third alternative focuses on training employees on the need to conserve the environment. This alternative complies with the provisions of virtue ethics that emphasize on moral good. This is because it considers developing the required knowledge and skills to the employees that would help them in conserving the environment.
Utilitarianism Ethics
Utilitarianism ethics entails the best moral action that maximizes utility. Lawrence and Weber (72) reveal that utilitarianism considers both the benefits and costs of an action thus supporting the action which have the greatest good to many people. The benefits of the first alternative which is reuse and recycling of waste overweigh the cost involved. This is because the method will assist the company to control global warming by reducing carbon emissions that arise from disposed wastes. However, this alternative may not provide the greatest good to many people because most of the carbon emissions accelerating greenhouse effect in the company do not come from the disposed wastes but the engines of the automobiles. Therefore, under this approach, this alternative may not be viable in maximizing utility (Lawrence and Weber 82).
On the other hand, the second alternative which is manufacturing hybrid engines which have low carbon release to the environment have greater benefits than the cost involved. Although this venture may be very expensive cost-wise, it can provide optimum utility to the company. Hybrid engines produced who lower carbon emissions implying it could help in reducing the greenhouse effect. As a result, the alternative would have the greatest good for many people since there would be minimal environmental pollution thus decelerating global warming.
Finally, the third alternative of training employees on the need to conserve the environment has benefits, but they may not overweigh the cost involved. Training employees may not have an impact on reducing the level of carbon emissions since their work is to provide service but not to control the pollution of the automobiles manufactured. Their skills and knowledge can also assist in waste management hence, cannot assist much in reducing carbon emission coming from the automobile engines. Thus, this method does not provide the greatest good to many.
Rights ethics
Rights ethics base its argument on the need to foster freedom by supporting fundamental human rights. The alternative is consistent with rights ethics if it helps people to make choices freely and live a happy life. The move by the company to recycle and reuse waste parts is consistent with the provisions of rights ethics because it offers a chance for the company to increase its revenues by using wastes. Besides, it helps people enjoy an environment free from pollution. However, to an extent, this may not foster enjoyment of fundamental human rights since it does not reduce global warming to a greater extent.
On the other hand, the company’s move to manufacture hybrid engines plays a great need in protecting the fundamental human rights by offering a clean environment with reduced global warming effects. This alternative allows people of the society to choose the best engines that foster environmental cleanliness. In fact, it offers the greatest happiness to the communities where the company operates.
Finally, training of employees on the how to conserve the environment is key in supporting the provisions of rights ethics because it enhances the knowledge and skills of the employees in conserving the environment. However, this alternative may not protect human rights in that it does not control the main pollution factor of the company thus exposing society to the negative effects of global warming.
Justice ethics
Justice ethics emphasizes the need for the need to ensure fairness by distributing benefits and risks according to the required provisions. The move by the company to reuse and recycle waste does not reduce global warming effects hence does not ensure fairness to all since people in warm areas will suffer while those in cold areas may enjoy the warmth. On the other hand, manufacture of hybrid engines enhances fairness since it contains the effects of global warming by reducing the carbon emissions. In so doing, it frees the community from the negative effects of global warming. Finally, training employees on how to conserve environment may not conform to the provisions of justice ethics because it does control carbon emission by automobile engines.
Recommendation
The CEO needs to adopt the second alternative of manufacturing hybrid automobile engines with low carbon emissions. This alternative appears to be very ethical as compared to the others since it controls the pollution from the automobiles to a great extent. It has the greatest good for the environment and the people of the world basing the argument on the four ethical reasoning methods.
Work Cited
Jacob, Harold and Rabecca Center. The MBA’s climate change premier. Center for social innovation: Stanford Graduate School of Business, n.d: 1-6.
Lawrence, Anne and Weber, James. Ethics & Ethical Reasoning Environment. McGraw-Hill, 2014:1-550.
