Nike Case Study: Western Values

Nike Case Study Student’s Name Institution Nike Case Study Question One Inflicting western values on a different society is not such a bad thing, provided that the imposition of these values also considers the basic rights of the said society. However, this was not the case for the Indonesian factory workers who had to survive on a dollar per day. Nike could have been trying to impose the idea that people have to work in exchange for wages, yet the company failed to consider the working condition and well-being of that community. Social responsibility is about enhancing the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the society while in pursuit of economic growth and sustainability for the company (Belak & Duh, 2017). Nike failed to do any of the above. In a way, they failed to consider the ethical implications of their decision to exploit Indonesian workers who had no other option than to keep working for a company that made their lives even more miserable. In the video, it is revealed that Nike’s waste management had a negative health impact on the children playing close to where they dumped their waste. From this perspective, Nike did not only exploit the workers but also put future generations at the risk of poor health due to exposure to toxic waste. In addition, positing that the workers would have lower standards of living is the same as saying that there was nothing more Nike could have done to increase the economic and social benefits. Nike also lacked integrity in its dealings because as revealed by Belak and Duh (2017), integrity is about relating to all stakeholders with commitment and consistency. Nike was committed to some individuals such as golf players and the shareholders but neglected other stakeholders such as the factory workers. Question Two From Nike’s standpoint, the video presents a fair assessment of their ethical standards because it highlighted some of the ethical issues that Nike had ignored for long. Ethics and ethical practices ensure that a company is able to deliver good outcomes not only to the shareholders, but also to other stakeholders, including the public and workers (Schwartz, Harris, & Comer, 2015). One of the major ethical issues relates to environmental protection. In the video, it is revealed that Nike’s factories in Indonesia dumped waste on open ground and burned them, thus releasing toxic substances into the environment. The worst part is that children play in those open spaces and are thus exposed to carcinogens. Their waste management practices were thus unethical because they did not account for the negative implications they would have on society. The other ethical issue relates to Nike’s labor practices. As revealed in the vi...