1. Would you call honesty part of the corporate culture at Finer Bags? Yes, no, or both? Explain.
2. Corporate cultural dissonance occurs when what actually happens on the ground doesn’t jibe with the principles supposedly controlling things from above. Do you suspect that dissonance is occurring here? Why or why not?
3. This company is selling counterfeit purses, bags designed to trick people into thinking they’re real when they’re not. No one denies that. Could you use a utilitarian argument (bring the greatest good and happiness to the greatest number) to justify this corporate culture and business endeavour as ethically respectable?
4. Could you use either a basic duties argument (right and wrong are defined by preexisting
…show more content…
Their website is clear that the handbags are copies or replica of the original and the prices are 10 times less the original ones.
The fact that Fine Bags expressly informs the buyers that their bags are a replica is a good sign of honesty as a corporate culture, I, however, would also say they are not honest since they are selling a replica of some one's idea although they caution the customers, the fact that others are doing the same is not a right to do like them, but a utilitarian would argue it is for the good of many who can afford the bags at an affordable rate and yet the difference is not so clear to a common buyer, therefore there is both yes and no honesty in Finer Bags.
Corporate cultural dissonance occurs when there is a clash between the top and the bottom, in the case of Finer Bags and the given information, there seems to be no dissonance to me since the company states very well that it deals with replica bags and that is what they offer for sale, they also justify their position by stating that many others do similar business but do not state it and some buy replicas at the price of the original, as such there is, therefore, harmony in their
2) The cause must be just. This is jus ad bellum because you decide if
It is a very different motivation from what psychologists are used to dealing with but, as we shall see, nonetheless powerful” (p. 3). A few different factors determine the amount of dissonance individuals experience, including the degree to which one’s belief systems deviate from the regularity. Different cognitions, or types of knowledge, determine the overall strength of dissonance, for instance cognitions, which are connected to personal beliefs and the self, tend to result in stronger dissonance. Furthermore, the relation between dissonance and consonance could also play a role in the degree of strength of dissonance: the greater the dissonance, the more pressure there is to reduce it and reach consonance. When cognitive dissonance occurs, it often results in a conflict between a “person’s two beliefs or a belief and an action” (Festinger 1957, p.), and it is influential to individuals’ actions and behaviors. When a conflict arises, there are different steps individuals take to reduce the consequent dissonance. Festinger suggest three key strategies to minimize cognitive dissonance: (i) changing a behavioral cognitive element, or the focus is put on more supportive cognitive elements that outweigh the dissonant behavior; (ii) changing the environmental cognitive element, or the importance of the conflicting belief is reduced, and (iii) adding new cognitive elements, or the conflicting belief is changed in order to be consistent with other
American social psychologist and original developer of the theory of Cognitive Dissonance Leon Festinger breaks down his theory into two main parts. First, the presence of dissonance, inconsistency or unpleasantness, will psychologically motivate a person to achieve consonance, consistency or pleasantness (Festinger 3). Psychologist Elliot Aronson, key researcher in the 20th century of this theory, expands on the definition of dissonance to be more straightforward. Dissonance occurs when a person holds two ideas, beliefs, or opinions at the same time that are contradictory with one and other. Part two of the theory states that a person will attempt to avoid situations or knowledge that would possibly or pro...
In these two readings the two texts are similar in is that they are willing to do whatever to get what they need. For example, in the text “what isn’t for sale?” a single mother got a tattoo on
Cooper, Joel. Cognitive Dissonance: Fifty Years of a Classic Theory. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2007. Print
Since the theory was published, cognitive dissonance has made a big impact in the way that people view attitudes and behaviors. To have a clear understanding of the cognitive dissonance theory it important to clearly understand the term cognition. A cognition is the knowledge a person has about something. They can relate to emotions, thoughts, facts or values (Barker, 2003). People hold a vast amount of cognitions with them and many of them are not conflicting with each other. But when cognitions do conflict or contradict with each other dissonance occurs and it leaves an individual in a state of uncomfortable distress. It is evident that people do not like being in a state of dissonance but researchers even argue the desire to hav...
If dissonance is experienced it is almost always uncomfortable, so the individual is motivated to reduce it. This causes the individual to identify the magnitude of their discomfort and, it is possible to predict what we can do to reduce dissonance. There are three basic ways to reduce dissonance. First are changing cognitions, an example is if two cognitions don’t relate we can change one to make it relate to the other; or change each cognition in the direction of the other. The second is adding cognitions, if two cognitions cause a certain degree of dissonance, adding one or more cognitions can reduce the degree of dissonance. The third is altering importance, attempting to justify the behavior by adding new cognitions. Th...
Materialistic things consume today’s society, whether it is cars, clothing, or jewelry, in a sense we rely on these objects for our happiness. Companies such as Nike, Gap, and Toms, have all had major success do to their loyal customers, who seek the name brand logo of their company. These companies have continued to grow tremendously, making billions of dollars; the companies strive to find ways to outsourcing its manufacturing, in hopes of making more and more profit. Profit is not the only thing that rises, many questions and investigations have occurred, exposing the poor ethical choices these businesses have made. Nike, one of the most well- known and profitable companies have experienced this heavy scrutiny first hand. Throughout this essay the reader will gain a better understanding of Nike’s poor ethical business decisions and what actions they took in order to repair their image.
c. What is the ethical "rule" that can be drawn from this situation? (Write out the ethical rule, in your own words, in the form of a sentence that includes the words ought or ought not. The ethical rule should make some reference to the context or situation involved with the type of situation being described here.)
- The two ethical justifications for the economic model are the utilitarian and individual rights or private property defenses. The most significant challenges facing the utilitarian justifications are: those that focus on the adequacy of free markets as a means to the ends of maximally satisfying consumer demand, and those that focus on the appropriateness of these ends as legitimate ethical goals. Of these, market failure is a popular challenge that is raised when considering situations in which the pursuit of profit will not result in a net increase in consumer satisfaction. The two significant challenges to the private property defense are: recognizing that property rights are not absolute, and understanding that historically, corporate property rights differ from personal property, questioning the understanding of stockholders implied by this defense.
This paper examines the ethical foundations of two companies operating in very different markets. Starbucks’ is a chain of coffeehouses specializing in gourmet coffee lines. Starbucks is based on sound ethical principals permeated through the central core of its business operations. The result of several probes leads to a conclusion that Starbucks does business in a profitable and morally sound manner.
In today’s fast paced business world many managers face tough decisions when walking the thin line between what’s legal and what’s socially unacceptable. It is becoming more and more important for organisations to consider many more factors, especially ethically, other than maximising profits in order to be more competitive or even survive in today’s business arena. The first part of this essay will discuss managerial ethics[1] and the relevant concepts and theories that affect ethical decision making, such as the Utilitarian, Individualism, Moral rights approach theories, the social responsibility of organisations to stakeholders and their responses to social demands, with specific reference to a case study presenting an ethical dilemma[2], where Mobil halts product sales to a garage, forcing the garage owner to stop selling solvents to young people. The second section of this essay will focus on advice that should be given to any manager in a similar position to the garage owner with relevance to the organisational strategic management, the corporate objective and the evaluation of corporate social performance by measuring economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. It will address whom to think of as stakeholders and why the different aspect could cost more than a manager or an organisation could have imagined.
However, the dwindling interest in dissonance theory did not have a long run. Motivational processes were combined with cognitive processes in mini-theories, which indicate reminiscent of dissonance theory in 1980s (Aronson, 1992;
4. Write out specific statements that will assist you and others in making day-to-day ethical decisions.
Everyone has heard a cashier one time or another mumble, “Paper or plastic?” as he put their groceries in a bag, but do shoppers know the effects of each vessel in which they carry their comestibles? There are many issues and benefits to both paper and plastic. The making and recycling of both paper and plastic bags can harm the environment. One must also look at the costs of making each bag. The convenience of each is also something to look at. Many people jump to conclusion that paper bags are better for the environment without knowing the facts. Since plastic bags are preferred by customers and plastic bags actually do not hurt the environment as much as paper ones do, consumers should feel at ease when choosing plastic.