Category Archives: Ethics

These posts will be added to our Student Work menu item. This category should be used for submitting posts for our Segment E Assignment.

Old Navy

Old Navy is a popular and affordable brand loved by many families. I, personally, shop there for much of my business casual clothing; my toddlers’ wardrobes are also ninety-nine percent Old Navy. Known for their affordable priced items, it begs the question of how they can maintain these prices without sacrificing sustainability and ethical codes of conduct.
According to Good on You’s rigorous rating system, Old Navy ranks at an “It’s a Start”, meaning they aren’t fully sustainable or as sustainable as they should be, but are heading in the right direction. Old Navy utilizes low-impact materials which include recycled materials when manufacturing their clothing items. They have also taken the initiative to manage their water use in their supply chain by implementing water reduction initiatives. Panaprium gives them a three out of ten on their sustainability rating, largely because of their use of synthetic materials, which are terrible for the environment. Their clothing is not 100% organic or vegan, but they use recycled materials to manufacture their products, which is an initiative to lower their harm to the environment.
On the other hand, Old Navy is unfortunately known for not paying their workers a living wage. With factories in countries like Cambodia, Bangladesh and India, workers have protested the company because they have no union rights, are paid less than half of the living wage and work over sixteen hours a day. Old Navy has also been under fire in past for using child labor. In 2022, the Fashion Transparency Index gave them a 44% for their social and environmental policies and practices. Also, their supply chains do not possess any labor certifications that ensure a safe, fair, and ethical work environment.
Their goals to improve their overall sustainability practices include the elimination of unnecessary plastic packaging by 2030, sourcing 100% of their cotton from more sustainable sources by 2025 and reduce its GHG emissions by 90% in Scope 1 and 2 and by 30% in Scope 3 by 2030. There are no updates on how they plan to address their underpaid workers and repair their ethical violations.
Based on my recent understanding of Old Navy’s goals, it seems that they are headed in the right direction regarding becoming more sustainable within the next five to seven years. However, it seems as though the ethical portion of their business needs some insight. I would suggest paying their workers equal living wage, since the living wage is significantly lower than the US in the countries where their workshops are located. This may mean that Old Navy’s prices would increase, but for an ethical and good reason.

Sources:
https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/old-navy#:~:text=It%20works%20with%20international%20and,materials%20are%20cruel%20and%20unethical.

How Ethical Is Old Navy?
https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-old-navy/

starbucks

For this assignment I will be speaking about Starbucks, a familiar small restaurant where coffee is served chain. Starbucks has happened widely acknowledged for allure obligation to CSR and  sustainability, making it an entertaining party to study.  Starbucks live well meaningful traipses in including SR into allure movements. The party focuses on four main extents: moral sourcing, tangible management, society date, and designing a  helpful business. Starbucks has achieved miscellaneous pushs to guarantee the righteous sourcing of allure cappuccino beans. They have settled the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, that specify directions for trustworthy buying. Through C.A.F.E., Starbucks aims to advance laborer support, save the atmosphere, and correct cappuccino condition. Additionally, they have dedicated to sourcing 100% fairly garnered caffeine by 2025. Starbucks is  hardworking to underrating allure tangible impact. The guest has set energetic aims to decrease water custom, strength devouring, and waste creation. They have achieved reusing programs in their stores and have fashioned exertions to expand tolerable bundle resolutions. Furthermore, Starbucks has dedicated to realizing a 50% decline in element issuances from their direct movements and supply chain by 2030. Starbucks energetically undertakes accompanying local societies through miscellaneous pushs. One notable program is the Starbucks Foundation, that supports instruction, minority authorization, and society happening projects. They too plan out variety and addition by promoting a approachable and all-encompassing surroundings for two together laborers and clients. Starbucks has set a aim to bring in 25,000 experts and military spouses by 2025. Starbucks places a powerful prominence on providing a definite work atmosphere for allure members. They offer inclusive benefits whole, containing healthcare and stock alternatives, to fit laborers. In addition, Starbucks supplies excuse for course incident and progress through their “Pathways to Opportunity” program. The party has set a aim to gain pay impartiality for all members, however grammatical rules applying to nouns that connote sex or race. In conclusion, Starbucks has displayed a powerful obligation to allied public accountability and tenable trade practices. The association’s exertions contain righteous sourcing, material management, society date, and generating a definite institution. Through drives in the way that the C.A.F.E. Practices, referring to practices or policies that do not negatively affect the environment aims, society programs, and operator benefits, Starbucks has arranged itself as a manager in CSR inside the cappuccino manufacturing. Their obligation to these practices not only benefits the party but still definitely impacts the societies and atmosphere at which point they manage.

BUS 104:INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS (ETHICS WRITE UP)

TARGET is a corporation with which I frequently interact. Target maintains 1,948 stores in the United States as of 2023, and is rated 32nd on the 2022 Fortune 500 ranking of the top U.S firms by total revenue. Target Corporation is an American retail corporation headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the 7th largest retailer in the United States. The company is one of the largest American owned private employers in the United States. Some of the product I get from them are: Clothing, footwear, beauty products, groceries, electronics, home decor, toys, furnitures, hygiene product and pharmacy supplies.

The corporation regarding social responsibility, pursing sustainable business practices Target redesigned its shopping cart. The new cart is made of lightweight recycled plastic to make it easier to handle, and the old wire backrest for kids has been replaced by smooth plastic. That year, Target also recycled 1.4 million pounds of obsolete electronic equipment. Target is the only national retailer employing a garment hanger reuse program, which keeps millions of pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills. In 2006, by reusing its hangers, Target kept 385 million hangers from going to landfills. In 2007, this amount increased to 434 million hangers kept from landfills, and in 2008, that amount was 407 million. When hangers break, Target recycles the plastic and metal and uses them in products like plastic flowerpots and other gardening supplies. In 2011, Target collected and recycled:

  • More than 1,000 tons of plastic, glass and aluminum bottles and cans
  • More than 7,000 tons of shrink-wrap and plastic bags
  •  More than 7 million pounds of electronics
    While Target certainly has many challenges to continue and step up its sustainability efforts, the company is doing a pretty great job. For more information, visit target.com.
    Target receives National Energy efficiency award.

    Reducing carbon footprint, philanthropy, energy conservation and sustainable supply chain TARGET reported total CO2 emissions (Direct & Indirect) for the 12 months ending 31st December 2020. There has been a consistent declining trend in reported emissions since 2016. They have a 5 step energy star upgrade with extensive daylighting to achieve a 24 percent energy reduction with a 5 year payback.
    Employee Relation the company includes a wide spectrum of attributes such as personal style, age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and etc. But in 2004 Target was fail to hire people of color but by 2020 they workforce indicated that 50% of 350k employees are people of color. Target raise minimum wage to $15 per hour. $200 bonus for employees that work during COVID. They invest in $200 million to pay off student college debt.

    TARGET Corporation is currently working with CARE and key suppliers to design and implement bundled in factory interventions to address multiple barriers to gender equality through a harmonized approach.
    Target donates around 5% of it pre-tax operating profit ; it gives $3 million a week (up from $2 million in years prior) to the communities in which it operates. They also give percentage of changes from Target VISA to schools. to-date Target has given over $150 million to schools across United States, Salvation Army, St. Jude Children Research Hospital and they often donate its unused, returned or seasonal merchandise to goodwill.

    My recommendation to create a more ethical socially responsible and sustainable business is making it easier for all person to apply for the jobs regardless of race or disability. Continue to reduce carbon footprint and work with employees to further their education. Evaluating the factories that do business with Target for quality, labor rights and trans-shipment issues.
    The practices I recommend Target to pursue is continuously reflect on their progress and make adjustments as needed to achieve everyone’s goals. Complying with all applicable laws and conducting business ethically. Upholding their values and deliver on their purpose by doing what’s right for Target, their team and guests.

Starbucks- Ethics Assignment

Being an everyday New Yorker, means having to wake up early in the morning, catch a cab or train, walk through a crowd of people and more simply get the morning coffee to get your day started and that’s where I begin my research on the ethics of Starbucks. Being one of the most profitable companies in delivering it’s number one seller, Coffee whether it’s a Latte, Frappuccino or ice coffee, brings in customers daily for a pleasant, atmosphere and provided serivces. In all of it’s accomplishments, it’s a company that has a well established social responsibility and pursued sustainable business practices.

To start off with Starbucks Social Responsibilities are in fact a huge benefit for the company’s way of introducing and welcoming new workers and customers everywhere around the world. Having committed to Global Human Rights due to the lack of support from other stores, they have stepped up and made sure no employee or customer is ever turned away for anything either it’s religon, race or freedom is respected upon yet bringing a work place where staff are seen for the their hard work and dedication, thus all being one for humanity. To add on is the remarkable Sustainable Supply Chain the company has made for the environment, as of record that the company had been a huge innovator in the movement into cutting back harmful materials and working close with other global activist to turning the tide on global warming, yet contributing to new idea’s to tech giants wanting to change the world whether it’s wind turbines, machinery for recyclable waste, reducing plastic and working with the U.S and EU to reduce carbon foot print and moving more to organic material in there stores in energy conservation to better help the world in facing excessive pollution, making Starbucks one of the most influential businesses to change their ways in exchange for a better future. For philanthropy is The Starbucks Foundation which is more towards supporting communities such as hunger relief, Creating jobs with the Biden Administration, volunteerism for the increase in homeless in Los Angeles California and lastly is the fair trade Starbucks had made for there coffee beans that have been distributed from different counties thus providing fair pay.

With a business like Starbucks having so many resources in it’s organizational structure, shows the amount of effort they have pursued, but it goes without mentioning the major diversity problem the companies leader’s need to evaluate, another problem I have seen is the amount of strikes the company has face for not address orientation and not supporting through the past years leading to over 150 store strikes near republican states. though this issue may be the only controversy, it’s a problem the company should really look through to prevent it from happening again.

In conclusion, the ethics of Starbucks means more than just coffee, it means to bring joy and comfort to those who walk into the store feeling that it’s a place to talk, work or relax and it’s with great commitment the customer feels welcome.

To learn more about the Ethics of Starbucks, here is the link.

https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/reporting-hub/

McDonald’s ethic

A restaurant that I’ve been going since I was a kid was McDonald’s . McDonald’s is known for providing fast food and entertainment for kids. This is the first company that came to mind since my family has worked in this company before and still is till this day. I have noticed that the social responsibility’s have changed over the years . Currently McDonald’s is finding ways to reduce, recycle and reuse in all their businesses . They are using paper straws instead of plastic straws , I also noticed they are using paper bags and stopped using plastic bags. McDonald’s has also been using low LED energy light as well as energy saving equipment in most of their businesses . McDonald’s has been recycling their cardboard boxes , their packaging is also made of renewable resources . A ethical way McDonald’s has contributed in is working with variety of charities as well as helping community’s and people’s need. McDonald’s also provides protection for health and safety, any type of harassment and discrimination. I would recommend for the business to participate in organizations such as helping people who starve around the world. I would also recommend for McDonald’s employees to not be exploited , the workplace seems very rushed and stressful which is why I noticed that many people don’t like working in fast food companies because of the environment.