Sample Essay On Kellogg

Kellogg: Is the Two-Tier System Ethically Problematic

The basis of the ethical conflict comes from the hiring of temporary workers by Kellogg. From the perspective of Kellogg’s, the company is trying to save money by using temporary workers who are cheaper to employ. This means that per person, a temporary worker is cheaper and most likely works the same as a permanent worker. From the perspective of the permanent workers, they are afraid that they all might lose their jobs because of these temporary workers.
The impact of legal pressure on the situation is the 30% versus the 100% restriction. The company made an agreement with the Union that they would be able to use temporary workers for 30% of the workforce. This is contradictory to what the Union is saying. The Union is saying that the company is pushing to use all temporary workers.
Societal pressures are also issue. The main issue here is that people who have been working for Kellogg are potentially going to lose their jobs, lose their benefits, or take smaller wages. Society does not look favorably upon companies that take advantage of the working man. Kellogg is pressured by society to not look like a corporation that does not take into account the needs of their workers.
The act is of course not illegal unless the company had legally binding documentation. However, it is up to debate whether or not it is unethical. It could be seen as unethical if the welfare of the permanent workers are taken into account. Workers’ rights and fair pay are included in this issue. However, it could also be unethical from Kellogg’s perspective. The unions may be unfairly putting pressure on the company to pay the workers a price that is not competitive; in this case the union is being unethically. They could be forcing, unjustly, the company to pay more money than the workers deserve.

Works Cited

Coutermarsh, P. (2014, March 11). AUTOZONE: Employee Theft, Coercion, and False Confessions. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.scu.edu/r/ethics-center/ethicsblog/business-ethics-news/19122/AUTOZONE:-Employee-Theft,-Coercion,-and-False-Confessions#sthash.LQuYUbvV.dpuf