Darkie toothpaste: Colgate

Essay by np4friendsUniversity, Master'sC-, May 2006

download word file, 10 pages 4.1

Introduction

This paper addresses ethical issues associated with Colgate's distasteful toothpaste named Darkie. Initially I discuss about what is ethics, how it affects, and ethics in business. In the second part, I discussed about options for Colgate to handle the situation. With continuing, I focused on importance of brand name and customer loyalty in business. At last this document indicates important of managerial rights. Finally I have given some recommendation and conclusion.

Ethical Issues of Colgate

Ethics is the study of morality and standard of conduct. Ethics norms and guideline changes from one country to the next. This has a relative effect in terms of culture, religion, and individuals. Sometimes some thing which is ethical in one culture may be unethical in other culture (Hodgetts, Luthans, and Doh, 2006). Ethics is all about choice. It reflects behavior of person in terms of what kind of he/ she is? The Greek philosopher Socrates claimed that "the unexamined life is not worth living" and this statement capture the essence of ethics of life.

The word ethics itself is derived from Greek word ethos, meaning custom. Business ethics means actual custom attitudes, values, and rules that operate within the business world. Ethics also refers to an intellectual and academic discipline, which studies and evaluates that custom, values and rules by which people actually live. In this sense, business ethics is understood as academic discipline that evaluates the customary values and behavior of business. Ethics in first sense describes how people behave while ethics in the second sense is normative. Ethics basically represent thinking of human being that what is right or wrong. Ethics is subject to perception. One cannot rationally claim that the ethical values of one particular culture are better than those of another. Whatever action or decision categorized as 'right' or...