BPS 4305.001
8 October 2014
Skeleton in the Corporate Closet
General Parkelite Company was founded by Hudson Parker, who invented and patented the formula for Parkelite. Parkelite is a synthetic polymer that could be easily molded or extruded. Parkelite was used for many things like engines, switches, radio boxes, and many other things.
The strengths of the company were the pride in the products Parkelite Company was producing. Also a strength would be its own CEO, Parker was known for his persona of being a great businessperson, philanthropist, and just fair. The company General Parkelite was known for its honesty and integrity. The employers also embodied a good sense of work ethics throughout the company which displays the biggest strength.
However, the problem that General Parkelite Company has is that the discovery of the invention of Parkelite was not Hudson Parker but Karl Gintz. This information would ethically ruin the reputation of the company and Parker. From managers to executives, they were concerned how ethically wrong this was and how the idea that their founder is a thief is morally straining. With this information, the competitive streak will be gone due to bad publicity and damage the image of their products causing the sales to decrease as well as possible lay-offs for its employees.
Should a company be completely honest when such discoveries are uncovered or should it be kept from the public? Will Parkelite Company have a stronger research and development in order to come up with more products before time tells and the truth has been