Mini$-$Case:

Use the decision$-$making process taught in this chapter to create a socially responsible ethical decision for Smooth Ride. They know that whatever they do$,$ they will displease people they do not wish to disappoint. Yet as with all tough ethical decisions, they have little choice but to make a decision that will allow them to thrive, while being true to their ethical vision.

Smooth Ride Tires is experiencing economic hard times. Their current revenue stream is simply not covering their costs. Although the management of Smooth Ride has not made a definite commitment yet, they are leaning toward moving their facilities to Honduras. The reasons are many. The labor force in Honduras, while not as well$-$trained as the American workforce, is almost half as expensive. In addition, the Honduran government has promised that soldiers will be used to stop any effort by the Honduran workforce to organize a union. Finally, the weak environmental protection laws in Honduras will provide a much friendlier production environment for a manufacturing process that is often "dirty." The daughter of a major stockholder is threatening to go to the press to "expose" the motivations of management. How should management respond if it is going to live up to its image as "one of the most ethical firms in the modern marketplace?"

Why is the question raised by Smooth Ride's consideration of a move to Honduras an ethical dilemma?

The corporate core values could be tied somehow to the problem.