General Mills:

We are doing an assignment on General Mills and how ethical/non ethical they are. We are using the "COVER IT" model to further describe the issue. The assignment goes:

Read the model first and then you are to use the trigger questions (Appendix B) as your guide. By answering the questions in Appendix B, you are essentially following the COVER It model. You may not be able to answer all the questions as they may not fit with your topic.

The model for "values" (my section) states:

The Values analysis is rooted in many different philosophical theories which are discussed more fully below. Most of these theories are known as deontological, or duty-based, theories. In doing this analysis, students are asked to look at a number of different sources of values. Corporations commit to their values (at least on paper) with their mission statement, strategic plans, goals and similar documents. There may be a company motto related to the treatment of customers. In this section, students may be asked to analyze conflicting values, such as a mission statement that would direct one result, but corporate culture that may lead to a separate result. For example, a corporate mission may support a market orientation (deliver customers the highest quality goods, but the underlying culture may be indicate a profit orientation (maximize profit and shareholder value). The questions that students are asked to evaluate in this section of the model relate to those stated commitments as well as more personal feelings about the situation.

The Divine Command theory of ethics, for example, is rooted in teaching of religion.33 In essence, this theory states that we determine right and wrong based on the commands of a higher being. Students are asked to look at how their background and religious or philosophical teachings (if any) inform their beliefs about the ethical dilemma at hand. In teaching the philosophy, or implementing this section of the model, instructors need not make their own value judgments nor support any particular religious or philosophical belief. The model simply asks students to reflect on how these issues inform their decision. There are problems with the Divine Command theory in that it relies on an individuals beliefs, and if two individuals beliefs are in opposition, there is no way to moderate between the two.

Rights-based theories address fundamental rights that we believe should be supported. These rights can be found in company mission statements and are also found in our nations documents. For example, the preamble to the Constitution states, We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.34 Our Declaration of Independence declares, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.35 Philosophers John Locke and Robert Nozick declared that all humans have the right to life, liberty and property.36

Finally, we put the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the values analysis. CSR is the idea that corporations have a duty to go beyond obedience to the law, profit and minimal ethical standards to affirmatively reach out and promote philanthropy. It is in the Values analysis that the students look to the culture of the corporation and its approach to social responsibility. Many corporations have established CSR programs such as the Disneys Voluntears, promoting social responsibility with a very Disney-esque name.37

--------------------- My section is "Values". The following questions are:

1. Values
   1. What is my companys mission statement and how does each alternative support or advance that mission?
   2. What rights do I value (i.e. maximum profit, freedom, speech, etc.)? How are those rights affected by each alternative?
   3. Which alternative best protects the rights of the stakeholders that are most important?
   4. Do any of the alternatives violate rights that you or your company feel should not be violated?
   5. How does each alternative promote positive traits in the people affected?
   6. For each alternative, would a good person or a bad person make this decision?