How environmental friendliness could affect the green trust in green marketing? The Core Is Trust

 Preface

As global green trends became more prevalent and important for people, green marketing also developed into an important issue. How environmental friendliness could affect the green trust in green marketing? This week, the major topics are Going Green and sustainable and ethical practices. During this week's reading and assignments, I read and learned from some examples such as McDonald's, Tesla, and more. There are also some negative examples such as NIKE's unfair wages and deplorable working conditions in its factories around Asia. However, every devil was once an angel. Entrepreneurs should learn to resist the temptation of the devil. 

The Core Is Trust

I think the core of these practices and strategies is to earn trust. How do companies earn their stakeholders' trust? People tend to trade and purchase from companies they trust if affordable. However, trust is hard to build but easy to lose. That's why companies must have goals, strategies, plans, and objectives for it. Once you have goals, strategies, and plans, you can lower the chance of getting lost.

Learn from Experience

My father's food company was also trying to go green in the past few years. But, he did not make any plans and strategies. He just thinks by himself and trying to do what he can do or what he should do. And, it was no surprise that he failed. I remember I told him that why do you think those actions are going to work or absolutely earn their trust? It does not absolutely be correct only because you think it is. For example, in a beauty pageant, how would you guess who is going to win? You cannot just look around and see who is the most beautiful one. You have to know each jury's taste of art or aesthetics because what they like may not be the same as you think. 

Standardized Procedures

That's why companies must know each of their stakeholders to prepare the best solutions and to think from multiple perspectives. In addition, that's also why we need Green Certification to help consumers combat greenwashing. The standardized procedures measure what levels of Green actions that companies have taken and how well they have achieved their goals. 

Certifications and Rating Agencies Also Need To Be Trusted

However, those Green Certifications, rating agencies, and their organizations must be trust, too. The near-meltdown in 2008 was a failure of contemporary economic models' understanding of the role and functioning of financial markets. Until six days before Lehman Brothers collapsed five years ago, the rating agency Standard & Poor's maintained the firm's investment-grade rating of "A". Moody's waited even longer, downgrading Lehman one business day before it collapsed. How could reputable rating agencies misjudge things so badly? They have destroyed their reputation and caused distrust. Obviously, trust is hard to build but easy to lose. You cannot have a healthy relationship without trust. And yet, virtually all of us can bring to mind a scenario where our trust has been broken. But how do we develop trust in the first place? Can trust that’s been broken be rebuilt? I think there are four major factors, Honest, Communication, Consistent, and Reciprocity.

Communication and Educating Consumers

Finally, I want to highlight the importance of communication and educating consumers. Most of us don't how companies produce their products and where the materials come from. So, we just buy products we love. But, what if these products come from violence and harm? On PETA website(https://investigations.peta.org/vietnam-crocodile-skin-farm/), reveals the suffering and agonizing deaths of crocodiles in Vietnam to make luxury leather bags for many luxury brands. After seeing those videos, do you really want to use and buy those bags by hurting them this way? Although crocodiles are often considered very dangerous animals, I think the most dangerous animal is us, the human. However, if companies just satisfy the need of their customers and supply the products whatever how they were produced, our world would be far worse than it is today. 

The Real-to-Life Examples of Complex Ethical Dilemmas Example

 

The Real-to-Life Examples of Complex Ethical Dilemmas Example

"Our company prides itself on its merit-based pay system. One of my employees has done a tremendous job all year, so he deserves strong recognition. However, he's already paid at the top of the salary range for his job grade and our company has too many people in the grade above him, so we can't promote him. What should I do?" 

My decision

Reconsider the possible improvement of the system and try to refine the system if necessary. Apologies to him in person to admit the truth of the situation and promising to do better. Give him a fair bonus calculate based on the contribution of this event and give him an opportunity to give the company a voice of how to make things better. 

The “Method One – Ethical Checklist.”

Ethical Checklist Choose the appropriate answer on the scale; "1" = not at all; "5" = totally yes

1. Relevant Information Test. Have I/we obtained as much information as possible to make an informed decision and action plan for this situation? Score = 3

Score -1 for, while the company prides itself on its merit-based pay system and the situation still happens, it means the system may not fit the new events or there are a few bugs we need to fix. Therefore, I have not obtained enough information to make changes.

Score -1 for, although the employee is already paid at the top of the salary range for his job grade and our company has too many people in the grade above him, there are also many other ways we can do to encourage him and to appreciate his efforts. But, before announcing any rewards, we need more information to ensure it is effective without disappointing anyone.

2. Involvement Test. Have I/we involved all who have a right to have input and/or to be involved in making this decision and action plan? Score = 4

Score -1 for, clearly, I have not involved all who have a right to have input or to be involved in making this decision because the stakeholders can be the employee's family members, his friends, or any other people he possibly contacts with.

3. Consequential Test. Have I/we anticipated and attempted to accommodate for the consequences of this decision and action plan on any who are significantly affected by it? Score = 4

Score -1 for, I probably anticipated and attempted to accommodate for the consequences of this decision on any who are significantly affected by it I have considered. However, there are always not perfect if I just think about it based on my position. Therefore, I may have to reconsider it as a player, view it as a player. Like a game of chess, the decision can be made based on one piece's view, no matter it is a king or a queen.

4. Fairness Test. If I/we were assigned to take the place of any one of the stakeholders in this situation, would I/we perceive this decision and action plan to be essentially fair, given all of the circumstances? Score = 4

Score -1 for, fairness is the hardpoint. If I change the policy or rule just for him, I will lose the trust of others and make the program hard to be treated seriously. I can consider taking a position, but it seems highly inappropriate in this situation.

5. Enduring Values Test. Do this decision and action plan uphold my/our priority enduring values that are relevant to this situation? Score = 5

I think this decision and action plan brace the priority enduring values that are relevant to this situation. Most people will know that the company is trying to make things fair and good for each of us.

6. Universality Test. Would I/we want this decision and action plan to become a universal law applicable to all similar situations, even to myself/ourselves? Score = 4

Score -1 for, although I want this decision and action plan to become a universal law applicable to all similar situations, it just can't. There are no perfect plans and decisions, only better and better ones.

7. Light-of-Day Test. How would I/we feel and be regarded by others if the details of this decision and action plan were disclosed for all to know? Score = 4

Score -1 for, as I mentioned in the question 6, although I want this decision and action plan to become a universal law applicable to all similar situations, it just can't. There are no perfect plans and decisions, only better and better ones. Therefore, I must monitor the stakeholders' reactions and ensure my decision is in the right direction.

Total Ethical Analysis Confidence Score = 28 (Quite confident )

To summarize, in my decisions, reconsider the possible improvement of the system and try to refine the system if necessary. It needs much more information such as quantitative the satisfaction of each stakeholder. 

Reference

Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An ethics toolkit for managers. Free Management Library. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2021, from https://managementhelp.org/businessethics/ethics-guide.htm#anchor53723.