Case 1

For this assignment I will analyze the Mattel case and discuss the actions and behaviors of the company in conjunction with the Global Manufacturing Process (GMP) that was implemented. Within the discussion I will identify three virtues of Honesty, Integrity, and courage that should have been used more appropriately to guide the actions, behaviors, and policies of Mattel Inc. I will conclude by considering the normative ethical theories deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics. GMP Mattel’s concept of GMP was not a novel concept. The many forms of GMP including International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and GMP have been around for decades and have worked to insure that specific industries are upheld to a industry wide standard. ISO’s model is “Say what you do, and do what you say”. When a company endeavors to become ISO qualified, it is required to document every activity as a standard operating procedure (SOP) that occurs within the company and will work without any deviation. Another important aspect of ISO qualified companies is they are subject to audit by other ISO registered companies initially audited by four such companies in order to acquire certification.
So what went wrong with Mattel? According to the authors the company created a voluntary code of conduct, implemented it, and ultimately abandoned it over a period of approximately nine years (Sethi, Veral, Shapiro, Emelianova, 2010). The code was supposed to cover and handle issue like wages and hours, child labor, safety, product quality, etc. The virtues of Honesty, Integrity, and courage could have played a vital role in guiding the behaviors and policies