Something's Rotten in Hondo Essay

In this case study, George's plant emission levels have been consistently above EPA guidelines and the company has to do something to avoid being shut down. A number of ethical issues arise from the case. One of the key issues is whether George's plant should have the heavy emissions work scheduled at night to mislead the EPA that Ardnak plant's emissions were within the required standards, or not. Another notable ethical issue is whether the company should relocate to Mexico which is 15 miles away and; finally, the plant's relocation would seriously affect the entire community within the town of Hondo as a majority of would lose their jobs. George, the plant manager, has been mandated by his boss Bill to decide on the current plant's situation. As such, based on the ethical issues identified in the case study, the following paper outlines what George, the sole decision-maker, should do.

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Firstly, George should decide on whether to follow the steps of his contemporaries at other Ardnak plants and reschedule the plant's operations to have heavy emissions work at night. According to the force field analysis, George can decide to reschedule heavy emissions work to ensure that it is done at night and, hence, maintaining the emission levels during the day within EPA standards. Such a decision would be based on obedience to authority as a force that pushes toward making an unethical decision. Further, by continuing to emit gases above the required levels at the expense of the community's environment and health, it is a clear that, frequently, roles and authority are necessities in organizational life, but they may lead to abuse of others without the powerholders taking personal responsibility. However, from another standpoint, this decision can be justified by the fact that misleading the EPA will help the plant survive, which implies that the jobs of hundreds of Americans would also be secured.

Secondly, the plant manager can decide to relocate to Mexico. Other than obedience to authority, this decision is also as a result of the economic pressure that the company is subjected to by the US through fines. The decision to relocate the plant is also justified by the need to avoid conflict, which is a key force pushing toward making an unethical decision. From the perspective of the Mexican town as a stakeholder, the decision can be considered unethical because the plant's new home in Mexico would also suffer the consequences of excess emissions as the company considers only a relocation rather than cutting down on its emissions. However, from an economic consequences' standpoint, this decision can be considered ethical since a significant number of Mexicans would get jobs that they could not have before. Also, in relation to avoiding conflict, by relocating to Mexico, Ardnak's stakeholders, such as George and Bill, would avoid conflicting with the EPA which has currently resulted in fines as punishment.

Thirdly, George can decide not to relocate from Honda due to the devastating effects that such a move would have on the town's entire community. As stated in the case study, several hundred workers have been employed at the plant, which translates to a significant portion of Honda's population. Therefore, a move to relocate the plant would leave these people unemployed which proves such a decision unethical as it would hurt the lives of a considerable number of Honda residents. Therefore, from a moral bearing point of view, the plant manager may decide not to relocate the plant at all costs. This will help protect the rights of people in Hondo, as they are entitled to keeping their jobs, while also preserving the company's social status-reputation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as demonstrated herein, there are several options that George can take to help the company overcome the challenges it is currently facing. Some of the identified actions include rescheduling the plant's operations to have heavy emissions work at night and relocation to Mexico. However, this paper has illustrated that every decision has its ethical and unethical side, depending on the perspective from which it is viewed.