Business Ethics

Case 2 The Avco Environmental

Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders

Employees | Federal Government |

Shareholders | State Government |

Managers | Local Government |

Executive Officers | Environmental Organizations |

Suppliers | Customers |

| People who live in near the landfill |

| Competitors |

| |

As with any complex environmental issue, there are many stakeholders involved in the resolution of this case. A stakeholder is anyone that can be affected by a company’s actions and policies. There are more stakeholders in a waste disposal company than in many other kinds of businesses. Illegal practices of waste disposal organizations can do great damage to the environment. As in all environmental issues the amount of pollution put into municipal landfill can have a detrimental effect on the state of the public health in an area with a population. The hospital that is responsible for producing the medical waste certainly expects the provider of the medical waste disposal service to follow and obey all legal restrictions on the disposal of its medical waste. All the employees of Avco Environmental Services have a stake in the company’s ability to follow the laws and regulations that involved the appropriate disposal of medical waste. If the company were to lose the contract with the hospital, the company would suffer a severe financial setback. Many employees could lose their job. If employees in environmental business violate laws and regulations, those people could be subject to criminal penalties.

Chantale certainly has several ethical issues about which she must make decisions about, like how she will deal with those issues. She can resign her job, and with the evidence she does have, and relay that information to the news media. Another choice she has is to refrain from discussing this issue with anyone in the company and remain silent. She has to figure out whether she will take the right action and release the...