Presentation of the CEO's Position
As the CEO of Kardell Paper Company, it has been brought to my attention that there is a link between the sonox contamination in the Cherokee river and high incidences of miscarriages, birth defects, and respiratory disorders in the community (Brooks, 2007). According to Kardell’s legal counsel, there is not sufficient evidence tying the two together, but there is a possibility that the sonox is the cause of the health problems that is on the rise and could be proven later. In 1985 a water quality test was performed by a student which strongly suggests that Kardell is a main contributor to the contamination and pollution of the Cherokee River by sonox discharge (Brooks, 2007).
Sonox is an industrial chemical used by Kardell Paper Company to manufacture bleach kraft paper (Brooks, 2007). Kardell Paper Company provides hundreds of people with jobs and is the town’s biggest source of income. Should the Ministry of Environment conclude that Kardell is the source of the cause; the outcome will be very costly and resulting in serious consequences. As CEO, it is my responsibility to make a decision that is for the good of the people at Riverside as well as for our employees. I too have become greatly concerned about the situation and will make a just decision after reading the Stakeholders Presentation provided by Kardell Legal Counsel, The City of Riverside and Residents, Kardell Investors, and Kardell Union Employees. I assure to you, the employees and residents of Riverside will be the first I take in to consideration when a decision is made.
The presentation submitted by the Kardell Legal Counsel states, that in the past there have been environmental concerns with litigations against K...
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...ces in the long term. Many people have become more concerned with the environment and have become eco friendly or as newer terms put it “green”. “The technology is already in use by many plants in Europe, has enabled the plants to operate in a ‘closed cycle’ that not only protected the environment but reclaimed waste material, which was then sold to chemical producers” (Brooks, 2007, p. 372).
I the CEO of Kardell Paper Company concur that the plant be refitted. All presentations submitted, was carefully considered and the decision made was thoroughly thought over, taking into consideration of any negative or positive impacts that will be caused by the refitting of the plant. Thank you for time.
References
Brooks, L. J. (2007). Business & Professional Ethics for Directors, Executives, &
Accountants (4th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson Southwestern.
Moncrief Company agreed to pay Jim Lester 20% of the gross profit made from the 2013 sales of the Zelenex. Between January 1, 2013 and December 28, 2013, Moncrief’s total available units for sale were, 50,000 units of Zelenex for $30.00 per unit ($1,500,000). Also in addition to the former activities, Moncrief sold 35,000 units for $60.00 per unit ($2,100,000). Moncrief Company uses periodic LIFO inventory method as a result, Jim Lester was to receive $210,000. (Textbook pg.469)
The Grassy Narrows people have a long, deeply rooted history in the environmental justices movement. Rodgers (2009) points to a number of environmental justice struggles such as the fight against the harmful effects of mercury poisoning and the Minamata disease associated with it (para. 1-3), the Ontario Hydro dams that destroyed part of the wild rice harvest and degraded the habitat of fish and fur animals, as well as the displacement of the community (due to relocation into prefabricated houses where electricity and running water were promised) and the culture shock it created (para. 4). He also discusses the successful blockade in 2002, which is the longest-lasting blockade in Canadian history (para. 28)—an example that shows how employing legal methods were critical in the struggle against environmental injustices for this community. There are a number of other issues that will be discussed in the following paragraphs; the above are just a few of the injustices the Grassy Narrows community face.
The many stakeholders in this case include George, the city of Hondo, current employees, environment and the company. George relocated his family and stands to lose his position if the company is moved to another location. He is faced with the decision of continuing to allow the emissions to soar above the EPA guidelines, at the current location by scheduling the heavy emissions work at night, therefore causing more damage to the environment. Furthermore, should he instruct the company to relocate to the new location the environment would still be affected on the U.S. side. By continuing to be above the benchmark of emissions the environment, employees and citizens are affected. “The environmental issues managers face are not simply about trees and water and birds. These issues affect all people, including the managers themselves.” (eGuide, p.2) In addition, the employees are stakeholders because they face losing their source of income. Lastly, the company is a stakeholder because they stand to face the cost of relocating or continuing to suffer from fines. The interest for each stakeholder is a loss of monies and the environment continues to be affected.
Toxic substances and Areas of concern: includes pollution prevention, clean up of the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes. Although many so...
On January 9th, 2014, it was reported that a chemical spill has occurred from a storage tank owned by Freedom Industries. The spill occurred on the banks of Elk River in West Virginia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without tap water. The company first reported that 7500 gallons of the chemicals had spilled into the river through a one-inch whole but had found that two weeks later, there was an estimated 10000 gallons of the toxic chemical in the river. The chemicals released include 4-methylcyclohexane (MCHM) and PPH. Methylcyclohexane is a chemical that is used in coal to reduce the amount of ash it produces(Field & Catherine, 2014). The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection are still calculating the exact amount of how much of the chemicals were spilled.
They try to prove that the emission of chemicals from the Shell company are actually hazardous and are released at unsafe concentrations. With respect to the Ecological Model of health, the focus here is the relationship between the citizens and their environment, so any change in the environment can affect the health of citizens (Drummer. 2008). Another focus is the location relative to the Shell company that is an issue. The residents of this town are faced with health problems due to the location of the Shell company, which enforces that Health Geography is a big influence here (Drummer. 2003). Citizens within the Diamond community report increasing rates of asthma in children, along with machines in their house to help prevent/cope with allergies. The location plays a major role as to why these negative health effects are occurring since the chemical plant is emitting these chemicals nearby. When the air was tested, multiple chemicals were found but one that stood out was Benzene which is known to have cancer causing effects (WHO. 2018). Even with this knowledge, the Shell company continued to claim that the living conditions within this city were adequate (Grunberg.
This case focuses on corporate obstacles to pollution prevention. Pollution prevention can complex especially for large corporations. There are many different forms of pollution prevention including emissions control devices and incremental changes in existing technology. The author reviews the impact of emissions controlled devices, however the focus of the case study is on incremental changes in existing technology. Incremental changes include substituting one or two steps in a production process or relationship changes between production steps. One example of incremental changes that was provided by the author was eliminating chlorofluorocarbons and saving energy by replacing a refrigeration process with a heath exchanger that can exploit waste cooling from another part of the process. There are three critical decision-making stages for incremental changes; identifying a pollution prevention opportunity, finding a solution appropriate to that opportunity, and implementing that solution. The author discusses the three aspects of an organization (culture, ability to process information, and its politics) and how they impact the decision-making stages.
The Criminal Process in Environmental Regulation. (n.d.). UH Law. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from http://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/thester/courses/Environmental-Practicum-2014/syllabus/chap6.pdf
Within the Gilbane Gold case, the major problem is the contribution of water pollution by dumping chemicals to speed production for Z CORP. However, there is doubt as to what extent the company violated city regulations. Tom Richards believes that Z-CORP broke regulations repeatedly but Professor Massin believes that it is not solid evidence. Part of the problem is that two different tests are involved: an older and a less sensitive test which does not break regulations but there is also the newer and more sensitive one which does. The newer test was said that the company just broke city regulations, but not by a large amount.
For example experts argued that the siting of landfills in Warren County made no scientific sense. This explains that the pollution sources are purposely placed in the vicinity of minorities despite the knowledge of the fact that it will the residents drinking water. Also, as shown in the article, “Environmental justice: Income, Race, and Health, “... Asthma prevalence in the U.S in significantly higher in minority and low-income populations than in the general population. Unequal exposure to environmental factors that triggers or exacerbate asthma may play a role.” This shows how the government places hazardous companies in minority dominant communities, which exposes them to toxic hazardous and unsafe conditions. This demonstrates how environmental racism is marked by contamination from different sources of
Do you agree with Schmeltekopf that business schools are not preparing students well for the for the ethical challenges they will face in the workplace? Why or why not?
The term “ethical business” is seen, by many people, as an oxymoron. This is because a business’s main objective is to make as much money as possible. Making the most money possible, however, can often lead to unethical actions. Companies like Enron, WorldCom, and Satyam have been the posterchildren for how corporations’ greed lead to unethical practices. In recent times however, companies have been accused of being unethical based on, not how they manage their finances, but on how they treat the society that they operate in. People have started to realize that the damage companies have been doing to the world around them is more impactful and far worse than any financial fraud that these companies might be engaging in. Events like the BP oil
Explain the connection between the economic model of corporate social responsibility and “free market” or “neoclassical” economic theory.
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The Facts: Kermit Vandivier works for B.F. Goodrich. His job assignment was to write the qualifying report on the four disk brakes for LTV Aerospace Corporation. LTV purchased aircraft brakes from B.F. Goodrich for the Air Force. Goodrich desperately wanted the contract because it guaranteed a commitment from the Air Force on future brake purchases for the A7D from them, even if they lost money on the initial contract.