Business_Ethics_-_GlaxoWellcome

Business Ethics - GlaxoWellcome INTRODUCTION Business ethics is an issue that enjoys increasing importance during the last decades. The advancing society has created a complicated market for organizations to operate in and succeed. The changing conditions have forced organizations to comply with regulations and societal pressures that demand their practices to demonstrate ethical basis and reasoning. As a result, ninety per cent of the companies on the Fortune 500 Index have introduced codes of conduct concerning ethical practices. (Havers: 1999). However, there is a significant number of especially large corporations that have attracted media attention because of their involvement in unethical practices. Organisations such as Aventis CropScience, British American Tobacco plc, BP Amoco, Ford Motor Co, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. Lockheed Martin Corp, Phillips Petroleum Co, Titan International Inc have been in the ‘ten worst organisation for year 2000’, not to mention previous years and other companies that have also been accused for misconduct (Mokhiber and Weissman: 2001). Paradoxically, the same organisations are proud for their implemented systems to monitor their codes of conduct and their involvement in community action. THE CASE OF GLAXO WELLCOME This report will concentrate on Glaxo Wellcome that has now merged with SmithKline Beecham to create GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Glaxo Wellcome has also been glaxo, wellcome, medicine, case, should, company, business, shareholders, ethical, decision, companies, people, order, world, stakeholders, drug, death, countries, take, result, patent, one, involved, individuals, different, because, time, same, number, need, legislation, however, groups, generic, been, action, way, subject, social, rights, responsibility, prices, pray, practices, pharmaceutical, per, particular, organisations, organisation, mention