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Multiculturalism and Inclusion. Our management philosophy: We believe that companies should be more sensitive towards other cultures values and beliefs in all aspects of their business. . Team Members Drew Piland Marketing Concentration Graduating May 2012 Edmund Buckman
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Multiculturalism and Inclusion • Our management philosophy: We believe that companies should be more sensitive towards other cultures values and beliefs in all aspects of their business. Team Members Drew Piland Marketing Concentration Graduating May 2012 Edmund Buckman Entrepreneurship Concentration Graduating December 2011 Chase Johnson Supply Chain Concentration Graduating May 2013 Trey Broome Finance Concentration Graduating May 2011
Burger King Insults Hindu Goddess • BK in Spain used the goddess Lakshmi sitting on a burger(Hindus don’t believe in eating meat) • Lakshmi is goddess of wealth, prosperity, wisdom, and courage. She also embodies beauty, grace, and charm. • Caption literally means “A sacred snack” • Mihir Meghan, head of Hindu American foundation, wrote a letter to BK to stop the advertising • BK quickly pulled the ad from circulation
BK Code of Conduct • BK’s code of conduct was amended after this advertisement occurred • “Our goal is to be the most inclusive company...bar none. That’s why we’ve EMPOWERED our employees to actively promote inclusion and diversity in the selection of our workforce, franchisees, suppliers, vendors, community involvement and sponsorships.”- BK Code of conduct 2009 • Utilitarian benefits • Religious injunctions • Distributive justice
Implementation of BK Code of Conduct in this Situation • ISO26000- respect for stakeholder identification and the questions that should be asked • BK Code for Directors under performance of duties- “Act in good faith in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, including acting responsibly with due care and diligence in the performance of his or her duties.” • Code of Conduct primarily focuses on employee rights but should also take into consideration the customers as well • Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes, “race, color, gender, age, RELIGION,NATIONAL ORIGIN…. And may include unwelcomed teasing” • By being insensitive to Hindu’s values/beliefs, BK risks losing customers and being viewed unfavorably by others • The ad itself violates our principles on the previous slide
Advantages • By understanding your stakeholders you can avoid embarrassing situations like this • By not focusing on controversially attention grabbers can focus more on positives of your product • Utilitarian benefits • Religious injunctions • Distributive justice
Disadvantages • BK strives to be an “edgy” company in terms of advertising and by changing tactics would lose this uniqueness • By not being able to use attention grabbers in their ads, such as the goddess, they find it difficult to attract new customers • Cost of having to refocus your entire ad campaign
Recommendations • BK should focus on its products attributes through a redefined ad campaign. • The company should implement a system of “checks and balances” in order to provide recommendations of approval or revision for each advertisement. • The code of conduct should be more thorough and detailed to address potential ethical dilemmas.
Works Cited • "Burger King Ad Outrages Hindus." ABC 7 News, 7 July 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. <http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=6904129>. • "Code of Business Ethics and Conduct." Investor Relations. Burger King, 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. <http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTA0NzN8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1>. • "Guidance on Social Responsibility." Draft International Standard ISO/DIS 26000 (2009): 12-14. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. • Hosmer, Larue T. "Brief Summary of 10 Ethical Principles." The Academy of Management Review 20.2 (1995): 396-397. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. • "Spanish Burger King Ad Denigrates Hindu Goddess Lakshmi." Eat ME Daily, 8 July 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. <http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/07/spanish-burger-king-ad-denigrates-hindu-goddess-lakshmi/>.