Research Paper on Heineken: Guiding Principles for Responsible Consumption & Sustainability

Introduction

Heineken is a liquor company that has grown from a single brewer to the world's most international brewer. Heineken is guided by principles that all employees must follow when acting on behalf of the company. Heineken advocates for responsible consumption of alcohol, they also care for the planet and respect people. They are against any form of discrimination and harassment; they acknowledge the effect they are making on the environment. Therefore, Heineken has created a sustainability plan, observed integrity and fairness when conducting business and always advocate for healthy competition, and they do not allow any form of bribery to take place under their roof. They do offer and accept gifts, entertainment and participate in charitable activities. They do not engage in money laundering or trade with entities that violate economic sanctions. The company avoids conflicts of interest between personal and business interests, and they aim to partner with firms that share their values and commitment to their business conduct. They also safeguard their company's assets and do not allow any form of fraudulent activities in their business. They ensure all data about their consumers are protected and they respect confidential and intellectual information. Heineken does engage in insider dealing and always advocate for responsible communication.

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Avis budget group code of conduct is very much similar to Heineken's. They advocate for respect; they appreciate diversity; they believe in fair treatment at the place of work. They also conduct business lawfully because they practice healthy competition, respect the privacy of others, Avis budget group does not tolerate bribery or corruption, and they protect all inside information. Their actions prevent money laundering, and they do not evade tax or have illegal financing. They also comply with trading laws. Avis strives to maintain a healthy workplace, and they stick to their word when it comes to promises made to business partners and customers. They also conduct ethical business and are honest in their support for the protection of human rights.

In both companies, they use an authoritative tone. In my opinion, it is demanding to ask employees not to let their interests come in the way of business interests. Many times, employees are affected by their own lives and the company should make sure that they give the employees a proper balance between the workplace and home. The code in Avis indicates that the company should encourage an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable to approach the manager in the event they want to raise concerns affecting ethical issues. (Garegnani, Giovanni, Emilia, and Angeloantonio, 541-557). They also ensure that once the violation is reported, addressing it is immediate, and there is a section that instructs on how to deal with such issues appropriately. I think the Avis code of conduct is better compared to Heineken's'. I have used the Code of Conduct Evaluation and Benchmarking Tool developed by HCCA select committee that helps to identify critical components of the evaluation. The codes of conduct should be readable, the format should be attractive, and the tone should be consultative and not threatening. The statement of values should be easily understood, and they should provide directions for when questions arise, and issues need to be reported (Leipziger, 356-364).

Employees spend most of their time at their workplaces; hence having an ethical workplace will make the employees feel more at home and have a purpose for their jobs. However, some employees might find it difficult to adhere will the company's code of conduct. Those in leadership should take it upon themselves to encourage them to follow the code. Trevino, Linda, and Katherine (123). They can do this by leading by example. Employees often follow or rather imitate their leaders. The leaders can create a code of ethics that they follow, always communicate the importance of having and following ethics during employee meetings and even via mail and emphasize on proper ethical behavior when hiring employees.

Encouraging the employees to follow the code can be done by rewarding employees that follow the company's code of ethics. The reward might be in the form of a gift package of a promotion. Rewards will encourage the employee to adhere to the code. Another way to encourage the employees to follow the code is to ask of them to write their code. The company's code is aimed at large transgressions and may overlook other minor ethical transgressions that may damage the company's reputation. According to Arce & Gentile (535 - 542), we think ethics is a test of our moral identity, and this makes us emotional, less effective and vulnerable to self-delusion. Asking the employees to write a list of what they term as unethical and wouldn't do prompts them to write how they would react to the situation. The listed personal code of ethics will help the employees to act with more integrity which leads to a robust company culture that drives good ethical behavior.

The company can hire ethical employees. A naturally ethical employee tends to behave ethically naturally and follow the company's code and may also encourage other employees that are unethical to behave ethically. This method of employing ethical employees can be done by issuing personality tests and situation specific questionnaires. Creating a whistleblower hotline for employees to report acts of misconduct, fraud, impropriety, violation of company rule and regulations, sexual harassment and abuse with guaranteed anonymity will also help maintain the code of the company. (Trevino, Linda, and Katherine, 143).

Recently Heineken was accused of fraudulently using the brand name 'Tequila' on one of its product that did not contain any tequila in it.

Heineken was also sued by a man who got violently ill after drinking their beer that contained two dead geckos.

Heineken was fined US$30 million (A$39.8 million) for 'antitrust' violations committed by Athenian Brewery (AB), a subsidiary of Heineken located in Greece.

A doctor in Texas filed a lawsuit against Avis Rent a Car and Avis Budget Car Rental accusing them of a wrongful grand theft auto charge that was filed against him.

Raymond Baroldy, a former employee of Southern Auto Detail, LLC and Avis Budget Group, Inc. filed a complaint against the companies using them to recover his allegedly unpaid wages.

Works Cited

Arce, Daniel G., and Mary C. Gentile. "Giving voice to values as a leverage point in business ethics education." Journal of Business Ethics 131.3 (2015): 535-542.

Garegnani, Giovanni Maria, Emilia Piera Merlotti, and Angeloantonio Russo. "Scoring firms' codes of ethics: An explorative study of quality drivers." Journal of Business Ethics 126.4 (2015): 541-557.

Leipziger, Deborah. The corporate responsibility code book. Routledge, 2017.

Trevino, Linda K., and Katherine A. Nelson. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.