Kellogg’s Ethics

Kellogg’s Ethics

Kellogg’s Overview

The Kellogg’s company shows a serious commitment to ethics. In 2007, they were the top U.S. company for ethics in the food and beverage industry; third globally.[1] Their role in the food and beverage industry has been maintained for over 100 years, and they produce their products globally, spanning 180 countries. They produce food items such as cookies, crackers, cereal, baking needs, and many other snack items commonly consumed.

Ethics is a large part of the Kellogg’s organization; they firmly believe in social responsibility, as well as maintaining their employee’s satisfaction. They have strong core values as a whole which they relay on their website as their K Values™. These values are very important to the company because they strive for customer satisfaction balanced with employee satisfaction, all while providing quality, nutritious food across the globe.

Setting a High Standard for Ethics

The K Values™ that are practiced company wide from high management, to factory labor workers, are the manual for Kellogg’s business practices. These core values include integrity, accountability, passion, humility, simplicity, and results. The first value, integrity, refers to a strong commitment to ethics, having respect for diversity, and speaking positively of coworkers even when they are not around. Accountability puts an end to people diverting blame. If people are accountable for their actions, results become the primary focus. Passion is one of the values, and is practiced by employees having pride in their brand, as well as passion to continually improve and innovate. Humility is a very important value in that it stresses the importance of admitting to mist...

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...2007), www.ethisphere.com/2007-worlds-most-ethical-companies (accessed April 7, 2008).

[2] Stephan Feldman (2007), “Moral Memory: Why and How C h¿Ah'.º6?h kh'.º5? h k5?hªá

hompanies Manage Tradition,” Journal of Business Ethics, 72(4), 395 - 409.

[3] Mike Schminke, Maureen Ambrose, and Donald Neubaum (2005), “The Effect of Leader Moral Development on Ethical Climate and Employee Attitudes,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97, 2: 135-151.

[4] Dov Seidman, “You Are How You Eat,” Forbes, June 26 2007, www.forbes.com/opinions/2007/06/25/seidman-kelloggs-image-oped-cx_ds_0626seidman.html (accessed April 7, 2008).

[5] Catherine Holahan, “Is Online Marketing Making Kids Obese?” Business Week, May 17 2007, www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070517.htm (accessed April 7, 2008).