If a well-known company was faced with a lawsuit that ultimately effected me or my beliefs I would have a lot of questions about the entirety of the accusations, and depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, it would definitely affect the way I felt about the company as a whole. This applies to individual people as well. Being unethical is not an excuse for any company or single person, and to exclude a member of a protected class says a lot about morals and values of a company and the people that work within it.
If the outcome of a lawsuit was that the company did commit these allegations of discrimination, I would feel that I would never want to work there or do business with them again. I would lose all trust in the company, and my engagement with that company would diminish. The company would lose my support in all areas of employment, investments, and sales. They would damage their reputation as a company and lose any sort of talent that employees could have potentially given to the company as an employee.
Whether or not the company is found guilty of these allegations, I would question the morals and ethics of the company for them to be brought a lawsuit in the first place. I really would think twice about using the company or purchasing from the company and especially about applying for positions within the company because I would not want to compromise my own morals and beliefs. Losing business and future talent would be a collateral consequence of the company’s actions and a direct reflection of the internal works within the company.
One reply on “Experiences with Discrimination”
Hi Mindy,
I understand your blog post, although in some of your arguments, I would like to disagree. Although ethical concerns and corporate accountability for actions count, in my opinion, sometimes the result of a lawsuit is not guaranteed. Charges of discrimination can be serious. However, sometimes they stem from complicated scenarios that do not always represent open motives and operations of an organization. One has to consider everything within its context while making judgments.
An organization can be unfairly tainted and can respond initially in reactive manners in case of an accusation., and such a reaction can prove to be an indicator of maturity and responsibility. If an organization owns up and attempts to correct its error, in my view, one can ask oneself whether one can write them off. Just assuming litigation portrays an organization in its totality as immoral can prove to be simplistic (Smart and Street 16). The organization deserves to have a detailed investigation to determine the claims.
While scrutinizing the ethics of an organization it is wrong to fully dismiss them without all of the facts. This can suppress possibilities for improvement or even for changes. Every organization is not perfect, yet they do try to correct. In my opinion, balance should be found in rebuking companies when they have erred while allowing them an opportunity to do better in regard to such events.
Works Cited
Smart, Geoff, and Randy Street. Who: Solve Your #1 Problem. Ballantine Books, 2008.