Publix Ethical Dilemmas

On Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at approximately 1327 hours, FTO C. Dasher (ID #3917) and I responded to Publix, 4100 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, Florida, 32934 in reference to a Theft.

It's difficult not to be cynical about how “big business” treats the subject of ethics in today's world. In many corporations, where the

Publix not only has a responsibility to its customers but as well to their associates. Publix believes customers are the reason any business exist, and they are focused on delivering the best service at a fair price and as well providing a safe shopping environment. Associates are the source of success, and Publix associates should not accept any gifts or premiums from any customer for his or her on cause. When employed within the Publix Corporation you are responsible to the communities in which you live or work. Failure to report a violation may lead to termination and be viewed as condoning the violation. All violations should be reported to the Publix ethics hotline, and from there all calls should be kept confidential unless the individual wants to do otherwise.

It's difficult not to be cynical about how “big business” treats the subject of ethics in today's world. In many corporations, where the

With sales of over thirty billion back in 2014, Publix is an American supermarket that has been listed on the top ten American’s largest private companies by Forbes in 2010. It is also the fourteenth largest retailer in America. Publix is privately owned and operated by its 176,500 employees, with its main base in Florida. However, “Publix has 1,103 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina” (Publix Funding) as well. Publix super markets are always trying to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, they create recycling programs, make sustainable choices of where food is purchased, use reusable grocery bags instead of plastic bags, and so much more. In addition to being more sustainable, they partner with many charities, including: Feeding America Foundation, United Way, and Greenville Habitat. These are just a few of the forty affiliates that Publix has connected with.

It is easy to understand Solomon’s argument that unethical practices destroy the business and its key people. This has been proven by so many companies, such as Enron case, whose scandals have been unveiled to the public and the people who used to amass great wealth out of unethical practices are now behind bars. Even if they get out of prison, it will be difficult to imagine how they can recover from the negative image that the public already has on them.

Publix is not your quintessential grocery store, it is so much more. What is it about Publix that make it unique from all the other stores that sell groceries? What are its unique selling points that add extra value to a visit? Why are customers willing to pay more to shop there? To quote Publix President, Todd Jones, “We believe that there are three ways to differentiate: service, quality and price. You’ve got to be good at two and the best at one. We make service our number one, then quality and then price” (Jones, 2013).

Business ethics since the beginning of this decade has been slowly eroding; if we are to believe what we see and hear in the media. Several times a day, one can view some derogatory piece of information concerning a business. However, it must also be considered that these companies are contributing to that stigma. There have been a variety of companies and individuals who have figured prominently in the media concerning their unethical behavior.

The problem to be investigated is the application of business ethics. In the business world, ethics are extremely important. Ethics are prime elements that help a business to grow and to become more productive. It is by applying proper business ethics that a business can operate in a moral or ethical business environment and managed to conduct all activities in a manner that maximizes profits while not compromising all other non-economic concerns(Schwab, 1996). Businesses have over the years failed to nurture business ethics in order to fulfill shareholders' interests and to have a culture that is oriented towards profit maximization and high performance(Jennings, 2012; Sims & Felton, 2006). This has led business to have gray areas in their activities. Gray areas are those situations or problems that do not fit exactly into any ethical analysis. These are the activities which may be represented to be immoral as a result of lying and false representations on the part of the business.

Publix Super Market. Describe the type of business market, its business share, financials, size and global presence.

Within a competitive world, companies should become ethical throughout many perspectives. Ethics refers to the standards of right and wrong in an attempt to influence behaviour. (Kinicki 2015, p.83) In stating this, companies can be ethical within numerous occasions such as ethics and financial performance, ethical performance, ethics and sustainability and ethical competition such as competitive advantage. Despite the positive side, there are also some negative implications towards ethics.

While an organization is often confronted with the numerous issues in need of effective decision-making processes, their ability to utilize their code of ethics is proving more vital to their success in today’s society (The only way is ethics. 2015). Furthermore, an organization’s willingness and ability to sacrifice possible profits in order to ensure the well-being of their stakeholders, signifies both their type of ethics and the degree in which it influences their business transactions. Therefore, an ethical decision can be classified as a decision that is intended to either maintain or improve the reputation and/or welfare of an organization and their participants, as well as their prospective growth. Despite the fact that ethical decision-making

We have seen in recent corporate history a litany of corporate scandals that rocked the foundations of the business world. Huge corporations whose economic outputs are larger than most of the developing countries have suddenly imploded under the weight of stock manipulation, unscrupulous accounting procedures and deliberate enculturation of business competitiveness anchored on ‘doing whatever it takes to win’. Small ethical cracks in the business foundation had gone too many and had been widely ignored by all of their stakeholders – employees, board of directors, stockholders, regulators, auditors and analysts.

Businesses in today’s society must be aggressive and competitive to meet the demands of consumers. The corporate culture must be one of shared beliefs with expectations and values that influence and guide the thinking of individuals in a positive and ethical manner. As each organization’s success depends on profitability and productivity, the magnitude of success or failure can be controlled by a few bad apples within the organization. Organizations capable of misleading, cheating and fraud have been highly frowned upon through the collapse or disarray of many organizations.

Alexander P. (2015) argues that business ethics should not be sacrificed on the altar of profit maximization. It is the interest of shareholders to get more returns from their