Does peanut corp. have a conscience What responsibilities does peanut Essay

Does peanut corp. have a conscience What responsibilities does peanut corp. owe society to self regulate their actions in pursuit of profits Did they follow CSR - Essay Example As the paper declares every time consumers walk into a supermarket or retail store they rarely pose to contemplate whether the products they are about to put into their shopping baskets are health hazards. There is an implicit trust that consumers have in the producers putting these products on the shelves, especially those who deal in food products. After all there are bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are meant to ensure that food products are safe. A corporation is not a thinking, feeling being, hence the corporation in and of itself cannot be termed as having a conscience. However the corporation is made up of individuals who are held responsible for the actions that the corporation takes part in. these individuals are the ones who act as the corporation’s conscience because they are the decision makers. This discussion explores that building a good corporate culture entails in part ensuring that the individuals within a corporation who are responsible for the corporation’s actions are morally upright in that they can factor in the human component into the making their decisions. Though corporations are out to make profit, it should never be at the expense of their own consumers or the society within which they are based. There are repercussions that come with not observing the fundamental principles of business ethics and corporate social responsibility as will be seen with the case of Peanut Corporation of America.... sions that come with not observing the fundamental principles of business ethics and corporate social responsibility as will be seen with the case of Peanut Corporation of America. Salmonella in peanut butter; a modern day tale of greed and tragedy There have been eight deaths and now almost six hundred cases of infection related to the salmonella bacteria that has been found in peanut butter as well as other peanut products ranging from roasted peanuts, peanut granules, and dog food. It has become apparent that the contaminated peanut can be traced back to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). These cases have been reported through forty five American states and across the border in Canada (Steenhuysen, 2009). According to a report complied by the Food and Drug Administration, there were tests run by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) that found traces of salmonella while conducting tests in its own labs in Blakely, Georgia. This did not happen once or twice, but an incredible twelve times between 2007 and 2008. Which means that PCA was presented with multiple opportunities to take action on the tainted peanut such as avoid shipping it all together. However, PCA did not opt to take what should have been the most natural and approvable cause of action, they opted to 'lab shop', that is, look for an outside laboratory that would be willing to state that the results for salmonella had come back negative. When the second results came back negative, PCA went ahead and shipped their products, an action which goes against standard protocol that demands that the first tests saying positive are the ones upon which further action is supposed to be decided (Steenhuysen, 2009). Another action that the company should have taken upon discovery of contamination was a