Case study 200 words

2

An Evaluation of UPS

An Evaluation of UPS's Approach toward Sustainability

An Evaluation of UPS's Approach toward Sustainability

The ethical dilemma witnessed in UPS provides an essential point of focus in determining the application of strategies in tackling different stakeholder's interests to achieve the objectives of the company. The dealing with the needs of the company must put the interests of stakeholders at stake to ensure that each group is satisfied with the operations of the organization. In the analysis of UPS, it is possible to explain the emerging issues by focusing on various forms of ethics to handle. Examples of ethical factors relevant in this discussion include the utilitarian, virtue, Kantian, and rights approaches (Herschel & Miori, 2017; Kalokairinou, 2018). Solving the ethical dilemma at UPS is possible by an emphasis on identification of the problem, balance sheet approach, engaging people, and the application of ethical reasoning to accomplish the misunderstanding.

Internal and external stakeholders have divergent views regarding the support of sustainable activities to society and the environment. Internal stakeholders include shareholders, the management, the chief financial officer, and other employees while the external stakeholders include the government, environmental agencies, suppliers, and competitors, among others. The major challenge regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) lies in the use of resources that may not have the required returns from the perspective of the shareholders (Kolk, 2016). The internal environment of the business is likely going to focus on the financial aspects of the firm and the benefits of the shareholders to an extent of suspending sustainability activities as evident in the case study where other workers do not understand the CFO's commitment to CSR. The existence of different ideas regarding the problem in the company makes it necessary to apply approaches that help solve ethical dilemmas.

The four aspects applicable in UPS include debating the moral choice, using the balance sheet approach, engaging individuals at different levels in the organization, and integrating the final resolution into the strategic activities of the management (Herschel & Miori, 2017). It is essential to note that the application of these steps must use provisions of various ethical theories and approaches such as utilitarian, virtue, or Kantianism, depending on the factor that is affecting the organization. According to Kalokairinou (2018), CSR mostly applies the ideals of virtue and utilitarianism because the business enterprise such as UPS must engage in activities that are beneficial to a large number of people to make such an engagement a right. The public, therefore, is an example of the beneficiaries of environmental initiatives that ensure conservation and sustainability.

In the case study, the CFO should debate the moral choices of providing benefits to society and the environment as a way of showing the responsibility of the business. Secondly, the balance sheet of the approach provides an opportunity of evaluating the pros and cons of engaging in a particular initiative, and in this case, it is the measurement of the positive and the negative sides of CSR (Kolk, 2016). The subsequent stage is to engage internal stakeholders in different levels of the organization to gather insights and perspectives before making the final decision. Finally, the CFO should encourage the management to integrate the ethical decision in the strategic development of the company. The positive side of engaging in CSR is to help the organization create a positive image because the activities act as a source of product promotion. Over-emphasis on profit generation in the company will have a negative image that will affect the ability of the firm to conduct its activities.

References

Herschel, R., & Miori, V. M. (2017). Ethics & big data. Technology in Society, 49, 31-36.

Kalokairinou, E. (2018). Kantian Virtue Ethics Approaches. In Disasters: Core Concepts and Ethical Theories (pp. 217-227). Springer, Cham.

Kolk, A. (2016). The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the environment to CSR and sustainable development. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 23-34.

Case Study Analysis

Guidelines for the Case Study Analysis

The case study assignment is an opportunity for the student to apply the concepts from the course material to a “real world” management issue. There will be a question(s) posed in regard to the information related in the case study. The question will require that the student adopt a specific point of view. The student will state his/her point of view (thesis) and support that point of view using the course readings and the information in the case. In addition the student will supply references from other sources to further support his/her argument. APA format is required for citing references. The student will conclude with his/her findings and/or a recommendation as noted in the instructions for each case. The criteria for the case study in noted in the grading rubric