Case Study Number 1 Essay examples

Submitted By ctill611
Words: 1175
Pages: 5

I would describe the corporate culture at Auchan as one that works hard to be profitable and ethical in their decisions. In reading this case I found it refreshing that this family-oriented corporation has stayed true to their roots and the foundation in which the company was built. I also find their corporate culture to be very thorough in the pursuit to break ties with any unethical aspect in the business' transactions and obligations. In the roots section of Auchan, I found it incredible that the leaders found it unfair that they did not expand the position of being a shareholder to their fellow associates. The lack of greed and selfishness is something that should be worldwide in every corporation. This showed me that they truly care about the well-being and equality that everyone deserves. I think that as a people of Catholic faith their underpinnings are made clear. They mention Catholic Social Teaching in the study. With this is mind they make it a duty to stick close to those ideas and it seems to ensure a positive measure of quality in every decision. They sound like a company I wouldn't mind working for in the future. The principles of Catholic Social Thought heavily influences the corporations thought process and way of business. They believe in the common good of others. In their business subsidiarity plays a crucial role in the decision making process and the input in which employees of all levels can take part. Worker's rights is another principle from CST that Auchan practices in the opportunities they give to employees by allowing them to take part in the continuous rise and evolution in the company. The solidarity can without a doubt be seen in the establishment of the ethics committee. This committee encourages the constant growth and evaluation of employees, employers, and consumers. I found four ethical theories that Auchan applied in the reaction of the five scenarios. For the first one I found utilitarianism in their interest to benefit the greatest amount of stakeholders and the consumers who are blind. Utilitarianism deals a lot with the long term and short term and so does this company. They worked hard to benefit people with this disability and as a result benefited themselves by setting a standard in which they won several prizes for in the end. I think that the Duty theory can be applied to scenarios two and three as Auchan decides to stand their ground ethically even in financial uncertainty. I think that this is an excellent example of this company because they always take the higher road even when it can be potentially harmful if they do so. In the second scenario, with the violent video games they stuck to the ethics committee's advice that came with a loss of profit and the sale of these popular games from their competitors. In the third scenario they acknowledge their social standing and make an initiative to make a positive impact. Again, they do this without exactly knowing how it will affect them financially. In the duty based theory they do not believe that money should be made in the process of something that is morally wrong. I think in the fourth scenario can be related back to CST which applies worker's rights and also to Duty based. According to the first categorical imperative there are universal moral standards. Auchan has applied their principles to the firms in Asia and set up ethical requirements. They apply this periodically and systematically to ensure acceptable working conditions. As for the the fifth and sixth scenarios seem to be commercial issues that can only be tweaked so much without causing a problematic atmosphere. I think that these may be applied to the social contract because they can be seen as the norm. Alcoholic drinks and credit cards can be applied to the hypernorms in the social contract theory in the sense of judgement. As long as it is not in a negative way and I think that Auchan does all that it can to ensure positive