Tesla Ethics and Social Responsibilities Essay Example

Elon Musk is a prominent American businessman who is known for his taste in technology. He is the brains behind Space X which is a company that deals with space exploration. At the same time is the head of Tesla which is cooperation that specializes in the manufacture of automobiles (Eberhard & Tarpenning, 2006). Recently, there has been the need to solve the existing crisis on environmental pollution. This has been the leading cause of concern for the motor industries, and Tesla is working hard on the same. Like any other business cooperation, Tesla has adopted a variety of ethical standards that are pivotal in the day to day running of the business. At the same time, there have been several issues that are emerging from the business and its role to the society. There is the argument that the company is causing more harm than good to the American economy.

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Academy of Management Learning and Education (Giacalone, & Thompson, 2006), every business has its set code of conduct that guides through the activities of the enterprise. The Tesla has its principles that provide the guidelines on what and what not to do. First, there is the requirement that the workers have to work diligently with little or no manipulation form the leaders. At the same time, it is upon everyone to act with integrity and honesty to safeguard the organization. The primary mission of the organization is to offer a solution to the transport sector. This is to mean that Tesla aims at producing vehicles that will promote better and effective transport. At some point, they created the automated cars which suggest that the cars would not require drivers but commands. As if that was not enough, the company has substantially invested in the manufacture of electric-powered vehicles to take the place of gasoline automobiles.

Environmental pollution is one of the menaces that is affecting the globe. There are issues of global warming, rising ocean tides among many others. The hurricanes that have been experienced recently can be attributed to environmental pollution. At the same time, there is the problem of food security. Due to the changing climatic conditions, it has become difficult to produce enough for the increasing population. All these problems date back to the issue of environmental pollution. Fossil fuels are known to contain lead which is a leading air pollutant. Lead is harmful to the health of human beings. When the fuels are burnt, they release poisonous gases to the environment and thus pollution. This is one of the issues that Tesla cooperation is solving by coming up with the electric cars. From an ethical perspective, the company is looking forward to tackling issues affecting the environment.

On the same note, the company has adopted the use of natural sources of energy. Through this, they are in the process of mass producing solar-powered vehicles. This means that there will be a reduction in the dependence on fossil fuels. If anything, Tesla is doing all it can to ensure that the environment is clean. At the same time, there is the aspect of speed. Electric cars are superfast meaning less time is used during traveling. The good thing with the vehicle with autopilots is that they can help to reduce the occurrence of road accidents. It is such fun driving in cars that require less control and their speeds are incredible. It is through the work plan and ethical background that the company is accomplishing its goals. The other positive thing about the company is that it has not confided the idea to themselves alone. They have invited other companies that are interested in using the same idea to save the environment to do the same. This means that the company is fully determined to counter the problem of environmental pollution. The company focuses on helping the society to eradicate pollution issues without having to consider aspects of competition making it ethically accepted (Journal of business ethics, 2004). This is one of the facts that has put the company on a global scale.

On the other hand, several ethical concerns have emerged from the operations of the company. For the longest time, the safety of the auto-piloted cars has been questioned. To some extent, it is not right to trust these technologies as they are faulty at times. The fact that these cars are entrusted with the lives of human beings is a cause of worry, but then it is the world we live. Technology has kicked in, and it has to be embraced. Away from that, there have been issues in the management of the company. There have been complaints that the management does not connect well with the rest of the workforce. Numerous cases of racism and discrimination by their sexual orientation of individuals have been reported. These complaints put the ethical standards of the organization into questioning and are negatively affecting the organization.

Additionally, there is the concern that the company is 'biting more than it can chew.' This is to mean that they keep boosting of their production capabilities but in the end fail to deliver. Their promises prompt customers to preorder similar models. To make matters worse, the customers have to part with some large sums of money to place the order. It is unfortunate that the cars are taking longer than expected to be delivered. It has reached a point where customers are complaining of the services of the company. According to the European Journal of Marketing (Singhapakdi, Karande, Rao & Vitell, 2001), ethics have a direct relationship with the success of a business. Ironically, it is the same organization that has set the bar too high regarding integrity and honesty yet they do not seem to put it into practice. Such unjust business is likely to lead into a collapse of the organization since there will be no customers to buy their commodities.

Similarly, there have been complaints about the funding that the organization receives from the government in the form of grants. There is the public outcry that the company is receiving large amounts that they do not deserve in any way. There is the feeling that taxpayers are being defrauded their hard earned cash in the form of taxation. Perhaps the funds should be directed to other projects that the society sees as helpful to the society. At the same time, people have to open their eyes and see the long-term impact of the funding. Whatever the government is doing is that it is investing in environmental conservation. On the short-term, it is difficult to identify any positive progress. It is also possible that the public cries are justified. The company may be misusing public funds. The fact it is taking too long to do mass production means that the public might be correct. The company has to do more so save its image from the mud that it is being dragged.

Conclusion

Ethics provide the basis through which an organization is run. Good standards mean that the business will end up being profitable. Levels of integrity and honesty are important parts of ethical standards. These are some of the areas that the company has failed. However, it is hard to ignore the good things that the company has done to the American society. It is seen as a way of conserving the environment through the prevention of air pollution. This is a significant contribution to building a better America. At the same time, it is wrong to view the grants as waste cash. This is because the government is doing it to ensure that the cars are accessible so that those that depend on fossil fuels are dropped. At the same time, the Tesla cooperation must account for all the cash that is directed to them. The company has to do all it takes to ensure that the demands of the public are met or else the company will continue making losses since customers will look for other options.

References

Eberhard, M., & Tarpenning, M. (2006). The 21st Century Electric Car Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors.

Garriga, E., & Mele, D. (2004). Corporate Social Responsibility Theories: Mapping the Territory. Journal of Business Ethics, 53(1-2), 51-71.

Giacalone, R. A., & Thompson, K. R. (2006). Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Education: Shifting the Worldview. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 5(3), 266-277.

Singhapakdi, A., Karande, K., Rao, C. P., & Vitell, S. J. (2001). How Important are Ethics and Social Responsibility?-A Multinational Study of Marketing Professionals. European Journal of Marketing, 35(1/2), 133-153.