Prior to beginning work on this discussion Browse the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Laws & Regulations web page attached
Suppose a manufacturing facility emits into the air a chemical that it has reason to believe is inadequately regulated by the EPA and that poses a significant threat to nearby residents even at levels lower than permitted by the EPA. As manager of the facility, would you be satisfied to meet the EPA required level or would you install the additional controls you believe necessary to achieve a reasonably safe level? Keep in mind that installing these controls would be expensive and you can anticipate resistance from corporate executives as well as shareholders. Explain why or why not.
Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts in a substantive manner and provide information or concepts that they may not have considered. Each response should have a minimum of 100 words. Support your position by using information from the week’s readings.
Respond to this post below 100 words #1:
As manager of the facility, I would not be satisfied with meeting the EPA required level of emission. Business ethics is invaluable because it teaches us to make better decisions for ourselves, the businesses we work for, and the society we live in (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). The facts are that the manufacturing facility emits into the air a chemical that we have reason to believe is inadequately regulated by the EPA and that poses a significant threat to nearby residents even at levels lower than permitted by the EPA. Although the cost of protecting the community and the environment is costly, the cost of our social responsibility is higher. “The utilitarian theory judges our actions as good or bad depending on their consequences” (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). Decisions to take extra precautions has positive consequences on the environment and on the people who live and work in the area. Utilitarianism supports benefits not to just those around you but to society as a whole. Implementing controls that have an additional benefits to the community will have positive impacts in the long run. Observing social responsibility makes the organization more attractive to potential investors. Socially responsible investing is slowly becoming the new normal. “A recent study from Oxford University found that more than 80% of mainstream investors now consider ‘ESG’ – environmental, social and governance – information when making investment decisions” (McPherson, Forbes, 2020).
Respond to this post below in 100 words #2:
As the manager of the manufacturing facility, I would install the additional controls to achieve a reasonably safe level that meets the EPA standards. While there may be a hefty expense associated with installing these needed controls, the health and safety of the surrounding area should be the main priority. I anticipate getting push-back from internal executives and shareholders and that is going to be the main message I deliver. Sometimes you have to make decisions that could potentially harm your company and its profit short-term to gain long term success. The surrounding areas that I would harm by not putting the proper controls in place could ultimately hurt my company because those are potential stakeholders and customers that would no longer trust or respect my company.
The rights theory relates to this situation because its doing whats best for the people around you and to not harm the fundamental rights of others (Langvardt, 2019). Installing the proper controls in place to meet the EPA standards is following this theory spot on. Kantianism is also theory that means to not use or manipulate others to achieve your own happiness (Langvardt, 2019). This theory also relates to this example, because I would be doing the exact opposite of installing extra controls that could impact my company to ensure I am taking into consideration the others around me and the potential impact I am having on their lives.
