Challenges in the Global Business Environment
Assignment 2: Challenges in the Global Business Environment Due Week 8 and worth 280 points According to the textbook, ongoing challenges in the global business environment are mostly attributed to unethical business practices, failure to embrace technology advancements, and stiff competition among businesses. Use the Internet to research the code of ethical conduct of one (1) of the following organizations: AT&T Hershey Company Coca-Cola Chevron Next, use the Internet to research the code of ethical conduct of two (2) similar companies in the same industry as the company you have chosen. Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you: 1. Specify, in brief, the nature, structure, types of products or service of the business you selected. Examine the information within the company’s code of ethical conduct, and choose three (3) key issues from within the document that you believe are critical for success. Provide a rationale for the response. 2. Using the three (3) key issues you selected as a benchmark, compare and contrast the codes of conduct of two (2) similar companies within the same industry as your chosen company. 3. Examine the extent to which the two (2) similar companies you researched have addressed the key issues you selected. Hypothesize two (2) potential positive outcomes for each company if each addresses the key issues in question and two (2) potential adverse effects if each company fails to address these issues. 4. Propose two (2) techniques that the original company you selected could use in order to ensure that its code of conduct will remain relevant through years of changing economic, political, social, cultural, and technological forces on business and society. Next, evaluate the effectiveness of two (2) methods that the company currently adopts in order to manage environment issues. 5. Examine two (2) approaches that the original company you selected has taken in order to embrace technological advancements for innovation and thus improve business offerings. Anticipate three (3) potential technological challenges the company could face, and recommend one (1) strategy that the company could use in order to eliminate or minimize each of these anticipated challenges. 6. Specify at least one (1) one lobbying strategy that the original company you selected has used in an effort to influence national or local government decisions in its favor. Summarize the issue in question, and ascertain whether or not the lobbying effort was appropriate. Justify the response. 7. Analyze two (2) global corporate citizenship efforts of the original company you selected, and assess the extent to which these efforts are effective in accomplishing the company’s goals. Examine the manner in which the two (2) global citizenship efforts could contribute significantly to the company’s sustainable development goals. 8. Use at least four (4) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Evaluate the influences of changing economic, political, social, cultural, and technological forces on business and society. Use technology and information resources to research issues in business and society. Write clearly and concisely about business and society using proper writing mechanics.
Challenges in the Global Business Environment
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American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) is a telecommunication company that was established back in the year 1885, in the United States and has since gone international. It was around the same time that the company established by Alexander Graham Bell, the person that invented the telephone, owned a company called Bell Telephone Company. After some time, the latter was absorbed into the former for legal issues and formed one of the most powerful companies in the United States. With its Head Quarters situated in the Dallas, Texas, the company has since acquired the status of the first telephony service provider on both the fixed lines and the mobile lines. Since going global, the company has risen through the ranks and is currently around the 20th largest in the world commanding a client base of more than 200 million. The company offers a couple of services to its customers among them, digital life which is part of the home security services, broadband, international services plans, mobile phone sales, Wi-Fi, network news, digital TV, trade-in-programs, internet bundles/internet plans through U-verse, and retail of other technological gadgets (AT&T, 2014).
At the very top of the organizational structure of the AT&T is the CEO of the company, directly below is the team of senior management, which includes the technical, financial, human resources and the administration manager. Directly below each of these managers are senior managers, assistant managers and the staff consecutively. Any persons working with the company are expected to be familiar with the code of conduct that the company has set to guide employees. The first code relates to the duty owed to the company by the employees, with reference to their integrity. All the employees are required to be honest and ethical in all their activities within and without AT&T. The second code relates to the personal interest of the employees colliding with those of the company. As such, the interests of the employees cannot interfere with those of the company especially where the employee stands to gain financially at the expense of the company.
The third code relates to the disclosure of the companies information and the officers that are given the mandate to oversee the same. All of the public disclosures should be in line with the legislations available. The fourth code requires all the employees to adhere to the various legislations that are directed at the company from within or without, with the latter case referring to the federal, state and international laws. Every other employee at the company should also be vigilant enough to report and take accountability of the violation of the various laws to the Code of Ethics Contact or the Legal Department (AT&T, 2014). At the same time, the employees are prohibited from using the company resources to disclose information to the outsider that would unfairly give them the advantage over any of the business opportunities that may arise. It follows that the employees have to maintain utmost confidentiality especially with information that is proprietary to the company. The eighth code relates to fair dealings with all the clients and the ninth states that all employees should take care of the company assets and use them in a proper manner.
Of the nine codes of conduct, there are those that stand out and are very critical for the success of the company. One of the codes is that relating to the personal interest of the company conflicting with that of the company. Where the employees have not been able to align their goals with those of the company, there is always going to be a conflict and the productivity of these employees cannot be optimized for the two parties. Essentially, where the employees have aligned their goals with those of the company, it becomes easier to achieve the corporate goals as they feel well synced with the personal goals. If the employees feel that their goals are not considered, they will lack the enthusiasm to maximize their productivity towards those of the company. The other crucial code is that relating to the integrity of the employees at the company. If the employees are not honest in their work, all the efforts of the company to develop strong work force and achieve the corporate goals cannot be materialized. Honesty goes beyond the personal accomplishment at the work place and spreads to the relationship that the employee in question will have with the rest of the staff and the clients. As such, lack of integrity does not just affect a single person, but the effects may spread, to the staff in the department and other departments with the ultimate damage affects on the clients’ base. The third code is that of fair dealings (Brooks, Weatherston & Wilkinson, 2011). This is a code that closely relates to the second one but at a massive scale. Where competition is stiff, there are chances that some of the companies will try to use unethical and illegal means to edge out the rest of the competition. This may work for a while, but when discovered, it will destroy the company in question beyond belief. Practicing fair dealing right at the individual scale levels is crucial for any company that plans to stay in the competition long enough (AT&T, 2014).
One of the key codes of conduct that comes out from the three companies relates to the issue of integrity. For AT&T, it is framed in such a way that it includes the aspect of the employees being honest and behaving in a manner that depicts they have ethical conduct. At Comcast, the code of conduct document even starts with an integrity statement from the CEO, Brian L. Roberts. According to the CEO the key to their success this far has been build upon the fact they are a company that values integrity. He further states that honesty and integrity are the foundations of the company, as they have led to the cultivation of a productive working environment leading to the strong company. For the employees working at the company, they are even provided with further information ...