Integrating Values - The Legality, Morality, and Social Responsibility Essay

Integrating Values - The Legality, Morality, and Social Responsibility of Nike - Essay Example The criticisms that were leveled against the organization bring to light the legal implications of carrying out business. It is necessary for a business to have a strong legal framework. The legal framework of a business compromises of the nature of work that is to be performed, the financial assets of the business and the long- and short-term goals that the business aims to achieve (Nathanson, 1995). The legal structure of the business gives rise to legal expectations that the society has from the business. Thereby, there are certain legal responsibilities that all businesses are required to meet as a constituent of the social contract that it has with the society. The legal responsibilities of a business are in effect manifestations of the society’s perception of â€Å"codified ethics† and reflect the primary perceptions of just conduct as defined by the law. The business is accountable to the society for the fulfillment of this role; failing to do so, the business is subjected to a political process where the dissidents are dealt with. Thus, public companies are liable to certain legal responsibilities and are required to comply with them as part of their role in producing goods and services for the society. Nike, however, has been the subject of criticism due to the fact that its policies and practices have not been observant of the laws and legal responsibilities set forth for businesses. It was in the early 1990s that criticism against Nike’s practices began to come to light.... The legal responsibilities of a business are in effect manifestations of the society’s perception of â€Å"codified ethics† and reflect the primary perceptions of just conduct as defined by the law (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2008). The business is accountable to the society for the fulfilment of this role; failing to do so, the business is subjected to a political process where the dissidents are dealt with. Thus, public companies are liable to certain legal responsibilities and are required to comply with them as part of their role in producing goods and services for the society. Nike, however, has been the subject of criticism due to the fact that its policies and practices have not been observant of the laws and legal responsibilities set forth for businesses. It was in the early 1990s that criticism against Nike’s practices began to come to light. Nike has been a famous name in the clothing and sports items industry. Seeing the large market share that it had abroa d and the appeal of lesser manufacturing costs, Nike outsourced to a number of countries more than a couple of decades ago. There was nothing wrong in subcontracting work to other factories in the Southeast region. Nike did not violate any laws and argued that it provided jobs to many people in the poor countries (Hill & Jain, 2009). However its prime motive was to increment the profits it made and to bring down the costs of manufacturing. For many years before the criticism being levelled against the organization gathered substantial support, ethical and legal aspects of business conduct did not enter the cost-profit equation of Nike. Nike’s factories overseas had poor working conditions despite the