Opal Leung's Blog

Thomas Coughlin, former vice chairman at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., was accused of committing a financial misconduct of misusing large sums of corporate funds for personal profits.  He defended that the money was used to control union activity in Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has publicly opposed unionization, which is believed to reduce efficiency of the company by introducing unnecessary labour policies. Wal-Mart previously closed down a store that had enlisted in a labour union, but claiming the store’s lack of profits to be the main cause.

This case can be viewed as unethical from two aspects. Firstly, Coughlin prioritizes his self-interests before the interests of the company. These misconducts often lead to significant consequences because the individual responsible tends to cover up his mistakes by following up with more unethical decisions. Coughlin’s actions may also influence others to commit the same crime, so the issue of ethics should be taken seriously.

Secondly, Wal-Mart’s opposition to labour unions may be considered unethical because the workers’ perspectives are often neglected. Business ethics is a strong player in the controversial debate regarding labour rights. Although I recognize the company’s perspective, workers should be able to voice their thoughts and unions should not be oppressed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9086-2005Apr22.html

The controversy of labour unions and their rights can be further investigated on this site: http://reportermag.com/article/04-17-2009/union-controversy-brings-both-sides-to-table