I would like to my begin by sharing my deepest condolences to the lives effected by global terrorism. As everyone should know by now, recent acts of terrorism have been rampant all over the world. Most recently, gunmen terrorized Paris, France, killing a total of 129 people. In response to these horrid events, Facebook made the option of tinting the user’s profile picture with the French flag. Granted that this feature is intended to unite Facebook users together to show their respect for the lost lives. However, as this is a kind gesture, it disregards the millions of other people in the world that are constantly suffering.

I believe that this is an important issue that must be addressed in order for the media to stop desensitizing other global tragedies. Despite the thousands of people dying in Syria, constantly living in fear, Facebook never added the Syrian Flag feature. This goes for the countless other countries that are experiencing similar tragedies. I don’t think Facebook is wrong in providing a system for there users to show sentiment towards France, I just feel that this should be an option for every other country as well.

Timmy

Reference: Facebook users question French flag photo tool

image

It has come to my attention that there is a fast food chain that differentiates itself from its competitors by upholding the highest quality standard of ingredients that they serve to there customers. The burger chain, Burgerville, refuses to use the mass production of livestock in order to obtain their ingredients; which most fast food chains do. Instead, they handpick the local farmers that raise and process their livestock, assuring that the animals don’t go through inhumane handling.

I completely support the amount of attention that is put into Burgerville’s ethics. They are reshaping the way society views fast food, and they’re doing it in a way that only betters our environment. By focusing they’re values on the environment, Burgerville is taking a stand against the inhumane processes that other food chains undergo. It is clear that Burgerville prefers to value their ethics over maximizing profits. This also strengthens the relationships that the company has with its customers, granted that they are aware of Burgerville’s ethical methods.

The business model that Burgerville has structured seems to sustainable, creating longevity for their presence as a company. I wish that there was a Burgerville near me so that I can personally attest to the quality and freshness of their ingredients.

-Timmy

Reference: Healthy Fast Food?

image

Abercrombie and Fitch has been under fire for the remarks made by CEO, Michael Jeffries. Jeffries commented on his clothing brand, stating that their merchandise is made for attractive people only. This point is made clear through their target customer size, selling clothing only in smaller sizes.

Naturally, I find this business model to be extremely unethical and inefficient. Given that the company is based in the U.S., a huge population of potential customers
are lost due to the country’s high obesity rate. Not only is it unproductive for Ambercrombie and Fitch to turn these people away, it is also very controversial to exclude all the people without the “perfect” body type.

I believe that this business model will not hold up in the future, progressive years.There are too many companies failing because of false ethics for Abercombie to be able to succeed. The root of this problem is the CEO of the company. His unethical values will destroy the brands reputation and prevent the company from moving forward.

-Timmy

Reference:The Abercrombie Controversy

image

I believe that the initiative Toms has started with its “one-for-one” shoe campaign, is beneficial to the company and the impoverished communities around the world. Criticism towards the company’s campaign typically contains the negative outcomes that could potentially damage local shoe makers. I agree that this could possibly be an outcome, but the trade off between that and the notion of clothing unfortunate individuals, makes the initiative worth it. However, I do understand and agree with the fact that this movement fails to address the problem as a whole. For example, providing shoes for one child in an impoverished community will not help that community lift itself out of it’s current situation.

In comparison to SoleRebels, Toms’ campaign could benefit from incorporating certain aspects of SoleRebels’ business model, in order to address the problem as a whole. SoleRebels is aware of the lack of education that people in poor communities receive, so they provide knowledge and skills that will help them provide for themselves. I feel that this is a better approach to accomplishing what Toms’ hopes to accomplish. In conclusion, I support Tom’s initiative with their one-to-one campaign; I just think that they should build upon it and focus it’s attention on helping the entire issue.

-Timmy Drabble

Reference: SoleRebels

image

The growth in Amazon, a shipping service, has gone up exponentially over the past decade, surpassing it’s competitors such as Ebay and CraigsList. Amazon is known for it’s innovative methods, and is used widely across the world. However, looking into the company’s internal corporate structure, employees of the company frequently complain about their treatment. Although Amazon is within it’s legal bounds, people are beginning to value a company’s ethics over their profitable success.

Amazon is known by it’s employees to follow a more traditional corporate structure. This means that the company favors punishment over reward, which is used as an incentive to increase work productivity. An example of this is Amazon’s policy on employee sick days. They have a system of “sick points”, which essentially boils down to limiting employees to 6 days a year which they can be sick. Amazon threatens to fire their employees if their sick days surpass this amount.

Another concern regarding Amazon’s employee treatment is their low wages in comparison to their long work weeks. Employees often have to work overtime on Saturdays, sometimes resulting in 7 day work weeks. In addition, I find it bizarre that employees must ask to use the restroom, from the permission of their manager.

Although I am usually satisfied by the quality and efficiency of Amazon’s services, I find myself uneasy to know that their employees resent their work. In comparison to a company like Zappos, it must be hard on Amazon employees to know that their poor treatment is not necessary to the company’s success.

-Timmy

Reference: Amazon Employee Forum

image

Nestle is large brand that produces a variety of items, primarily food containing chocolate. In their company’s history, Nestle has been part of many scandals, justifying the amount of criticism they’ve received from the public. These scandals stretch across so many different ethical dilemmas, it is not surprising that there has been mass discussion about boycotting the company’s products. 

Nestle is guilty of obtaining it’s materials/ingredients at a cheap price through child slaves. These children are unpaid, and when confronted about their methods, Nestle refused to change the farms from which they buy from.

Despite the drought in California, Nestle (along with other companies) continues to profit from the multi-billion dollar industry of producing bottled water. It has been stated that this industry is not sustainable, especially when the water used is coming from a state which already has very little water. This relates to Nestle’s comment regarding that water is not a given human right. Nestle refuses to disclose the amount of water being used by their company, and can get around regulations by pumping water from reservations, which are not monitored by the state.

It is absurd that Nestle continues to profit from their unethical behavior, and I stand by the notion of boycotting their products. If a company like Nestle is able to be successful through such horrid methods, it will influence other companies to follow after them, making our world a much much different place.

-Timmy

Reference: 5 Reasons to Boycott Nestle

image

Selling outdoor equipment and clothing, Patagonia rivals other brands such as The North Face and REI. The main factor that sets Patagonia apart from the rest of the brands is it’s highly ethical business model. The company’s founder, Yvon Chouinard (“mountain climber turned business man”), believes in a high level of standard when it comes to producing all-natural clothing and equipment.

One of the most significant parts of their business model is tied to how they collect feathers used for their down products. As opposed to other companies, Patagonia is the only clothing manufacturer that refuses to use the plucked feathers of live birds. Instead, all of their down comes from birds that lived in unrestricted environments, and were plucked following their slaughter.

This is an extra inconvenience to the company, and is a tedious process that rivaling companies don’t dare to bother with. To me, this is what makes Patagonia such a unique brand. As a consumer, I can tell that their business is run by an ethically sound board of members. I think that when it comes to ethical dilemmas like this, Patagonia leads by example by supporting a just cause that might not necessarily give turn the most profit.

-Timmy

image

Apple’s current business model focuses on the task of bringing fast, new technology to the homes of every individual. Primarily known for their production of computers and smart phones, Apple is redirecting their efforts into creating a smart car. By joining the automotive industry, Apple is taking an extremely large risk. Devices like iPhones, which have proven to be hugely successful, will be getting less attention from the company, possibly resulting in a drop in sales.

In a way, Apple almost didn’t even change their actual business model. I believe the company’s strategy can be defined as a differentiation strategy; most of their efforts are allocated towards product uniqueness. Since Apple is expanding into the car industry, this fits the same strategy. Although they are creating an entirely different product, their motivation is driven by the same creative force that brought smart phones to where they are today.

Apple does face competition however. Companies like Google are already in the process of making their own cars, equipped with unique features that could potentially outsell Apples model. Apple announced the car to make it’s debut in 2019, and we are all excited to see how it turns out.

-Timmy

Reference: From iPhones to iCars

image

Toshiba Corp, the Japanese based electronics manufacturer , recently had their CEO Hisao Tanaka resign from his position. This was all a result of a financial accounting scandal which reported that Toshiba’s earnings we hugely inflated. This is one of the biggest account scandals to ever take place in Japan. Toshiba stated that their profits since 2008 make up 151.8 billion yen ($122 billion).

The issue with this scandal is pretty straight forward. If you inflate your yearly earnings, you are tricking the market into believing that your company is worth something that it’s not. Not only will this damage the company’s earnings, it will ruin there reputation, preventing them from gaining support in the future.

Interestingly enough, despite Tanaka’s resignation, the company’s stock has gone up 6%. I find Toshiba to be very lucky that a scandal like this has not scared away investors. With regards to their consumer’s interest, I hope that Toshiba is able to maintain it’s growth in the stock market, hopefully benefiting the economy.

-Timmy Drabble

Reference:Toshiba just lost its CEO to a huge accounting scandal

image

Being one of the largest labels in the soda industry, Coco-Cola is recognized all over the world for it’s classic sugary taste, and it’s refreshing appeal. In most regions, it is difficult to find a store that does not sell coke by the bottle/can/jug/etc. Due to the amount of Coco-Cola products sold, plus it’s unhealthy nutritional contents, the company has been criticized tirelessly for it’s contribution to an increasing obesity rate.

Recently, in reference to this article, Coco-Cola donate $1.5 million to set up an organization, The Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN), which is intended to help spread awareness on the effects of high calorie consumption and minimal exercise.  Although Coco-Cola’s efforts are in support of their consumer’s healthier lifestyle, the company has received backlash from critics. The issue at hand is that Coco-Cola is attempting to find ways to maximize their stakeholders profit, while still keeping their product on the market; despite it’s health concerns.

As an avid coke drinker, I see their drink as one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. However, I am completely aware of the negative effects that comes along with consuming such a sugary beverage. The fact that Coca-Cola is within there legal boundaries by creating GEBN, I don’t find their actions to be ethically incorrect. Granted, if Coco-Cola products were taken off the market, obesity would decline, because the consumer would not be given the option to drink such an unhealthy beverage. But being that there are consumers of Coke, such as myself, who are not at risk of obesity due to their knowledge of calorie intake, it is unfeasible to suggest that Coco-Cola should remove their products off the shelf entirely..

-Timmy Drabble