Essay on global business standards codex in the tobacco industry

ESSAY DEVELOPMENT SECTION 1: ESSAY PLAN

Assessment question

Thesis
Statement
Long plagued by a negative public image the tobacco industry can apply the Global Business Codex (GBS codex) through corporate social responsibility to revamp its public image.

Main argument 1:

The tobacco industry should comply with the transparency principle (Barraclough & Morrow, 2008)

The transparency principle is one of the eight global business standards that all global companies should adhere to.

Descriptive ethics
The transparency principle urges global companies to uphold ethics by being open and truthful especially when dealing with the customers to help them make informed decisions about products.

Tobacco use harms the health of the users by causing diseases such as cancer. It is therefore important that tobacco manufacturers disclose such information to avoid creating false impressions among the consumers while intentionally exposing them to life-threatening conditions.

Analytical and normative ethics

Analytical and normative ethics dictate what people should do. In line with this, tobacco manufacturers should not hold back any information regarding the harmful effects of their products from the consumers (Palazzo & Richter, 2005).

It would be appropriate and in accordance with the principle of transparency if tobacco manufacturers would embark on a corporate social responsibility campaign to provide adequate information about their products to their consumers.

Main argument 2:

The responsiveness principle is the second principle of Global business standards codex.

The principle of responsiveness dictates that corporate bodies ought to address all public concerns in their domain and get involved as well as give back to the society through corporate social responsibility.

Descriptive ethics

Tobacco companies operate in an industry labelled as unethical. They should therefore respond to issues of public concern adequately and timely to avoid causing harm to the public, (Otanez & Glantz, 2011).

In case tobacco consumers in certain region complain of unusual health occurrences after using tobacco the company involved should intervene by providing medical support and cease operations in the region until the issues are resolved.

Analytical and normative ethics

Normative ethics demands that companies should treat their clients with utmost respect and concern.

Conclusion

It is imperative that tobacco companies launch corporate social responsibility programmes to encourage their clients to voice their concerns over harmful products, (Friedman, 2009). The companies should also be well prepared and willing to respond adequately to their clients’ concerns.

Main argument 3:

The third principle among the Global Business Standards Codex is the dignity principle.

The dignity principle dictates that companies should respect the wishes of individuals, their health and safety concerns, their privacy as well as their privacy and confidentiality.

Descriptive ethics

Tobacco companies should never use force or underhand means to coerce people to become tobacco consumers (Hirschhorn, 2004.)

Respecting the will of the consumer is a cardinal principle that all companies should uphold. Constitutionally, people have among others the right to expression, association and fair treatment. Moreover, employees in tobacco industries have a right to learn and develop as well as enjoy employment security.

Analytical and normative ethics

Respect for the freewill and the freedom of choice for individuals should be upheld by all people.

It would be a laudable move if tobacco companies launched a campaign based on the dignity principle to avoid being branded as unethical.

Tobacco companies can redeem their tainted image by upholding these three principles of responsiveness, dignity and transparency.

ESSAY DEVELOPMENT SECTION 2: REFERENCE LIST

Reference 1: Scholarly Magazine (Quasi-scholarly)

Barraclough, S. Morrow, M. 2008. A grim contradiction: The practice and consequences of corporate social responsibility by British American Tobacco in Malaysia, Elsevier Science B. V., Amsterdam. Vol. 66; Pp. 1784-1796

Reference 2: Journal Article (Scholarly)

Hirschhorn, N. 2004. Corporate social responsibility and the tobacco industry: hope or hype? Tob Control. Vol. 13(4): 447-53.

Reference 3: Journal Article (Scholarly)

Otañez , M, Glantz, S. 2011. Social responsibility in tobacco production? Tobacco companies’ use of green supply chains to obscure the real costs of tobacco farming. Tob Control. 2011 Nov; 20(6): 403-11. Epub 2011 Apr 19

Reference 4: Journal Article (Scholarly)

Friedman, L. 2009. Tobacco industry use of corporate social responsibility tactics as a sword and a shield on secondhand smoke issues. J Law Med Ethics. Vol. 37(4): 819-27.

Reference 5: Journal Article (Scholarly)

Pallazo, G & Ritcher, U., 2005. CSR Business as Usual? The Case of the Tobacco Industry.   Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 61(4), 387 – 401.