Comments on Kameel’s blog

Upon reading Kameel’s blog on the topic of ethics, I not only strongly agree with his agreement but I also think this is a great example of a full-marks blog. A primary reason why his blog is full-marks arises from his coherent structure and effective resources. His writing is easy to follow and is backed up with evidence and a lot of personal opinions. At heart, I was really convinced by Kameel’s pragmatic argument that business needs to focus on business ethics because it directly correlates to its brand image and profit.

In his blog, Kameel argues that business should aim at more than simply increase shareholder value and backs it with an interesting example of Volkswagen’s emission scandal. One thing to note is that he only uses one small paragraph to summarise the news, which allows him to focuses more of his writing on his opinions. As for his evaluation of the news, he ties it to concepts from the Performance Management lecture. He notes that Volkswagen’s fast-growth oriented goals were one of the reasons why the scandal occurred. Additionally, Kameel’s blog also spurred up my thought on how short-term oriented business often fail to add any values. In Volkswagen’s case, focusing enormously on hitting the quarterly goal would ultimately disrupt its management culture. If Volkswagen were to focus more on long-term oriented directions, such as investing in electric and self-driving cars that are aligned with their value proposition, they would be much likely to be successful. Another thing to note is that when reading students’ blog is that their image isn’t effective. Often, other students use image of a brand logo/products, which is related to their chosen news, but not to their argument. For Kameel, his image is simple and direct: a diagram that shows Volkswagen’s stock plunge after the scandal. From the diagram, it shows that ever since the plunge Volkswagen was unable to recover and it also highlights the practical effects of undermining business ethics.

Another reason why I admire Kameel’s blog is the relevance of the topic. Recently, the Japanese corporate giant Kobe Steel admits falsifying data on 20,000 tonnes of metal, which has serious effects on many other businesses that rely heavily on metal (Boeing, Toyota, Ford and more). Although no accidents have yet occurred, Kobe Steel’s market shares dropped by a third, which is around $1.6 billion US dollars.

Figure 1.1. Kobe Steel market shares plunged after accusation of falsifying data.

These types of scandal occur more often than we expect. To me, the recurring theme seems to be a result of misleading short-term goals and transparent leadership.

Word Counts: 450 words

Citation

Kameel Ladak’s blog link

https://blogs.ubc.ca/kameelladak/2017/09/13/a-lesson-in-business-ethics-volkswagen/

Kobe Steel admits falsifying data on 20,000 tonnes of metal. (2017, October 12). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://www.economist.com/news/business/21730244-it-latest-long-list-scandals-have-befallen-corporate-japan-kobe-steel-admits

Image

https://finance.google.com/finance?q=TYO:5406

6 thoughts on “Comments on Kameel’s blog

  1. Vebers

    Kobe Steel admits falsifying data on 20,000 tonnes of metal. (2017, October 12). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from economist

    Reply
  2. Myrtle Pierce

    Kobe Steel’s market shares have dropped by a third since the company was found to have falsified data on the strength and durability of its products, raising fears of a wider scandal in Japan’s manufacturing sector. The steelmaker’s shares fell by as much as 34 percent on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday, after it admitted that it had falsified data on the strength and durability of some of its products.

    The news sent shockwaves through Japan’s manufacturing sector, which is highly reliant on Kobe Steel for supplies of steel and other metals.

    Kobe Steel is Japan’s third-largest steelmaker and one of the world’s biggest suppliers of aluminum and copper products.

    Its products are used in a wide range of sportscollaborator products, from cars to trains to airplanes.

    The company said it had found cases of falsified data at its plants in Japan, China and Malaysia.

    It is not clear how many products are affected or whether any of them pose a safety risk.

    But the revelation is likely to shake confidence in Japan’s manufacturing sector and could damage the country’s reputation for quality.

    Kobe Steel is the latest Japanese company to be embroiled in a scandal over the quality of its products.

    In 2015, Mitsubishi Motors was found to have falsified fuel economy data.

    Last year, Takata, the maker of air bags, admitted to falsifying test data.

    The scandals have raised questions about the quality control of products made in Japan.

    Kobe Steel said it would investigate the matter and take “necessary measures.”

    It did not elaborate on what those measures might be.

    The company’s shares were down by about 30 percent in early afternoon trading in Tokyo.

    The drop wiped out about $1.6 billion of the company’s market value.

    The scandal comes as Japan is trying to shore up its manufacturing sector amid a slowdown in the global economy.

    The country has been struggling to compete with China and other low-cost manufacturers.

    In recent years, Japanese companies have been accused of using cheap labor and materials to cut costs.

    The government is under pressure to increase oversight of manufacturing.

    The scandal at Kobe Steel is likely to add to those concerns.

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  3. Audrey

    Kameel’s blog on the topic of ethics presents a compelling and well-structured argument about the importance of business ethics in maintaining brand image and profitability. His use of the Volkswagen emission scandal as a case study effectively highlights how short-term profit goals can undermine long-term success and corporate integrity. By incorporating concepts from Performance Management lectures, Kameel provides a deeper analysis of why unethical practices lead to detrimental consequences. Furthermore, his choice of a relevant and impactful image—a diagram showing Volkswagen’s stock plunge—visually reinforces his argument. The recent example of Kobe Steel’s data falsification scandal further emphasizes the timeliness and significance of Kameel’s insights, demonstrating that ethical lapses can have widespread and severe repercussions.

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