Discussion Case: Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice

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Discussion Case: Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice Nicholas Goldstein BUS250: Corporate and Social Responsibility Instructor Margaret Browne August 13, 2012 Discussion Case: Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America) has a very strong values based culture and ethical work climate that wants their employees to live by the values that encompass integrity, environment, health and safety, customer, accountability, excellence, people, and profitability (Lawrence & Weber, 2011). In this case their main concern in their ethical work climate is the health and safety of its employees. The ethical criterion that seems to be most apparent in this case is that of “Principle” know as the integrity approach. It also seems from the case that benevolence (concern for others approach) could also fit the mold, but principle seems more relative. Top management in the Alcoa, CEO Paul O’ Neill, played an excellent and critical role in the development and implementation of the ethical work climate and organizational performance in the company. O’ Neill made it imperative to identify the importance of health and safety within the company’s practice. “The emphasis on safety had deep meaning to Alcoa’s management team. The company’s management firmly believed that no employees should be forced to work in an environment where their safety and the safety of other employees might be jeopardized. Alcoa’s management supported the ethical principle that no employees should leave work in a worse condition than when they arrived” (Lawrence & Weber, 2011). Alcoa showed they cared about being compliant with the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and would never jeopardize employee safety for anything, not even money. This was relevant in the case when O’ Neill decided to terminate a manager who had continuous increased sales and

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