MKD Transportation is one of the biggest companies around the world providing cargo and transport services to its customers. As a company, one should always put in mind that a business has a relationship with internal and external stakeholders. Examples of internal stakeholders include the company’s employees, customers and suppliers. On the other hand, external stakeholders would include the community in which they operate, the government and the shareholders of the company. With the case presented on the possible leakage of oil in the coast of Belize wherein MKD claimed that they’ve exercised ethical behavior towards their employees, the three (3) important ethical values that should cover this issue would be honesty, integrity and respect for others. Honesty place a very important behavior in the corporate world as it is the bedrock of trust in every company. The captain of the ship must admit what has really happened and submit the facts to the top level management. Next is integrity, as it is the adherence of the company and its employees to moral and ethical principle. It is the highest degree of independence, objectivity and professionalism. Third is the respect for others as this include respect for the environment and to the highest authority of the land.
The company should not only consider their internal stakeholders but their external stakeholders also. Whether they’re at fault or not, they should take full responsibility with what has happened and start their investigation with regards to the matter. After the thorough investigation, they must do the next best step in order to save the environment such as cleaning the leakage as soon as possible to avoid massive damage on the ocean and fauna living there. Doing so would help them clear their name from any charges and would give the external stakeholders the peace of mind and satisfaction that they are indeed socially responsible from the damage that had caused the environment. Although it would entail additional cost due to negligence, it can nevertheless save the company’s image and it may be beneficial to them in the long run.
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There are four (4) social responsibilities that a company can take, these are: (1) the obstructionist stance, (2) the defensive stance, (3) the accommodative stance, and lastly, (4) the proactive stance (Griffin & Ebert, 2010). If the MKD Transport chooses to use the obstructionist stance, then they will refuse to make any efforts on the issue. They will just ignore it and would not care as to what the society might think because profit is the only thing that's important to them and they will not give importance on social responsibility. This kind of stance is somewhat immoral and is harmful for the company's image and growth.
If MKD Transport decides to choose the defensive stance as part of their social responsibility, then all they will have to do is follow the law and whatever orders the government has for them. They will simply abide by the rules and regulations and remain neutral towards their responsibility to the environment. Profit would still be their priority and they will do their best to protect the image of the company and their future business transactions.
If MKD Transport chooses the accommodative stance on the other hand, they will do whatever it takes to investigate and clean-up their mess on the waters of Belize as they believe that corporate social responsibility is as important as profitability. They will make sure to meet not only the legal requirements but the company's ethical requirements also.
If MKD chose a proactive stance from the beginning, it is likely that they might have taken measures to counteract negative publicity that comes with such a leakage. Managing the media at times of such crises is critical, as it could determine the future of the company. As a result, a proactive stance would have seen investigative efforts being instituted, special events being set and community services being offered to persons affected by the leakage accident. Despite short-term negative publicity, the company would have been seen to be responding in a capable manner, thereby attracting praise from the public. It is likely that the company would have bounced back from the tragedy and moved on. The social responsibility taken by the company would thus ensure is good reputation is maintained.
References
Griffin, R. J., & Ebert, R. W. (2010). Business essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
