Chiquita’s Ethical Banana
If you like bananas then it’s very likely that you have had a Chiquita banana. Chiquita Brands is one of the world’s biggest banana suppliers based in America. In the recent years, Chiquita agreed not to use fuel from Canadian tar sands to be environmental friendly. It has also tried to promote social responsibility, business ethics, and sustainability by working with activist groups. Moreover, Chiquita signed agreement with local and international food unions; and promoted more women and ensured their safety on the plantations.
Nonetheless, it is usually difficult to please all the stakeholders. From the environmentalists’ point of view, Chiquita is being ethical refraining from using fuel from Canada, but this is a lose of business opportunity from the perspective of Canadian oil companies. The SWOT analysis (class 2) shows that everything has its opportunities and threats. Chiquita’s story demonstrates how these opportunities and threats depend on the perspective. Therefore, in business, ethics and versatile perspectives are equally important.