In my recent findings of the business world, it appears that businesses and organizations only behave ethically if they are caught having unethical practices. After news of the Sauder rape chants, I made comparisons with businesses, like Joe Fresh Clothing, who similarly suffered in the media after tragic incidents. Employee safety became a prime concern after the collapse of a Bangladesh factory. This issue was only addressed due to negative attention from disturbed consumers, which brings into question whether businesses really care about ethics or are willing to force improvement in order to restore a positive reputation.
Currently, factories are being monitored and Canadian employees of Loblaw Companies Ltd. are meeting with officials in Bangladesh to discuss the legitimacy of labor unions and safety. Loblaw has also created funding for victims of the factory collapse. Doing damage control on the company’s reputation is costly, and this proves that the costs are worth it when consumer concern is involved, but not when overseas worker safety is the initial problem. I think the lesson from this incident is that when consumers are educated about the operations of companies from whom they purchase products, this is when companies have the greatest incentive to behave ethically.
Post factory collapse
Sources: thestar.com