Professional Values and Ethics Paper

Professional values and ethics are the main factors that hold a company strong. These factors enable a company to influence and attract customers. It is important to realize and understand that a business in order to stay firm and be successful in the long run must not only work for the interest of its company but also for the interest of their management teams as a whole (Martin, 2000). Also the kind of treatment it provides to its customers and how considerate the company is towards them is what determines its professional values and ethics.

Below are stated few companies’ whose professional values and ethics have been in jeopardy. Nike Nike as we all know – a multi-billion dollar sportswear and equipment supplier based company of United States Of America have been regarded of having its professional values and ethics in jeopardy. It is said that Nike has been involved in serious child labor by employing poor children of the third world countries. Also the level of wages paid to them was extremely low compared to what they should be paid had it been some other multi-billion company like Nike.

Children as young as 10 were employed and were making shoes, footballs and clothing in countries like Pakistan and Cambodia. Nike has also been accused of providing low and sub-standard goods to third world countries. There standard of goods varies a lot in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan as compared to other countries they provide their goods to. Issues related to workplace standard have always been a part of Nike but the child labor issue proved to be extremely risky and provoking for the company.

Nike in defense does admit to be guilty of what it has been accused for but says that their age standard are the highest comparatively all over the world that is for foot-wear production its 18 years and for equipment and apparels its 16 years but in third world countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh the age standards are almost impossible to authenticate as the birth certificates or records either don’t exist at all or are easily forged.

Nike recently have also been claimed and accused of child labor in Cambodia but again it puts the entire blame on the system of the country saying that fake evidences there can be easily bought for a minimum amount as $5 there. Also the company’s critics have claimed Nike for paying low wages to its employees whereas Nike claims to have a decent level of wages for its employees because it believes in good conditions for workers but its critics say that a very little fraction of the huge amount they charge for its product goes to the employee or the worker who actually makes it.

If Nike wants to retain its success and position in the world it must clear all the accusations it is charged with. Johnson & Johnson’s Johnson and Johnsons is another multinational New Jersey based manufacturers of therapeutic, surgical and pharmaceutical as well as other goods of personal hygiene and also offers a variety of baby products. Few years back Tylenol, the most widely used pain killer in America which was also a product of Johnson and Johnson’s was reported of taking lives of seven people in Chicago.

The death occurred soon after taking Tylenol capsules. The company in defense said that some unknown suspect had added an extra 65 milligrams of lethal cyanide into the capsules which was reported to be 10,000 extra than what can cause death to a human. They also said that the company hasn’t been responsible for action as the tampering was done after the pain killers were delivered to the retail shops and once were kept on shelves for sale. It was then immediately removed from the shelves and was sent for testing.

Tylenol had 37% share in the market and was the most widely used pain killer but after the accusations its market share went down at 7%. This proved to be a very big loss for Johnson and Johnson’s and also it was a big threat to the reputation of the company as it made them lose the confidence of it’s customers in reliability of its most profitable product. References Martin,M. W. (2000). Meaningful Work: Rethinking Professional Ethics (Practical and Professional Ethics Series):Oxford University Press

Sample Essay of Eduzaurus.com