Ethics At Kfc

Introduction				according to UK law, beak trimming is allowed for
The word ethics is derived from the Latin				only thirty percent of the bird population in order
language where it denotes a moral philosophy. In				to stop them from hurting one another using their
the English language, ethics is the study of values				beaks. It is very clear that KFC ‘s suppliers
and customs governing a given social group. Ethics				have breached this law as they trim almost all
requires a differentiation between wrong and				their chicken. Besides that, the suppliers have also
right, acknowledgment of responsibility and				exceeded the maximum allowable bird density for
knowing what is good or evil. Ethical norms assist				chickens as stipulated by the Department for
human beings in the process of judging rightful				Environment. They recommend a maximum of
acts. Consequently, the concept can be applied in				thirty chickens per meter squared. Again, these
the practices and policies used by large				are all laws that have been ignored by KFC
organisations. (Walton, 1992)				suppliers. In addition, the twelve thousand
The company chosen for analysis is Kentucky				demonstrations that have been conducted against
Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food restaurants. The				KFC's suppliers also indicate that the company is
company's headquarters are found at Kentucky in				going about the issue in an unethical manner. KFC's
the US. Additionally, it is one of the most well				other outlets should follow the example made by
known restaurant chains in the world especially				KFC Canada who only contract suppliers using
with reference to chicken. It boasts of over				controlled atmosphere killing. The outlet also looks
eleven thousand restaurants located in over				out for the welfare of chicken in their respective
eighty countries of the world. Examples here				farms. (AOL, 2008)
include, UK, China, Thailand, Kuwait, Spain and				KFC has faced a lot of moral discord for their
Barbados, Puerto Rico, Pakistan and many more.				wage conditions. The latter is a characteristic that
The company's major product is chicken. These				is synonymous with most fast food restaurants
are served in various forms such a Chunky				within the country and the rest of the world. The
chicken hot pie, chicken fillets, chicken sandwiches				company has been accused of employing a
among others. On top of these, the company also				substantial number of young employees who
serves a variety of burgers and other				receive above minimum wage. Although the
non-chicken related foods. In total, there are three				company pays its employees slightly above
hundred products that the company offers the				minimum wages, the company's huge profits are
public. KFC is part of a global restaurant system				not reflected in the incentives offered to its
known as Yum! This is the reason why the				employees. As if this is not enough, a substantial
company normally teams up with other				number of KFC employees have not been
restaurants under the Yum! brand like Taco Bell				unionised. This gives the company undue
and Pizza Hut.				advantage because they have the capacity to
Ethics at KFC				change what employees earn without getting any
Constructive aspects of ethics at KFC				resentment from them. These poor employment
Kentucky Fried Chicken is very keen about ethical				practices have been concentrated in some
standards both within and without the company				particular outlets such as New Zealand and
as asserted by their company representatives.				Canada. In New Zealand, the Company offered
For instance the company is strict about is vendor				different rates for youths compared to the rest
engagements. Before a supplier can secure a				of the employee base. This caused a strike in the
contract with Kentucky Fried Chicken, they have				year 2003 after which the company agreed to
to comply to similar ethical standards as KFC. This				reduce their levels of employee treatment. In this
means that the supplier must not utilise under age				regard, they asserted that they would eliminate
labour to producer their commodities, they must				those youth rates but they never did. (The New
pay fair wages and must also avoid placing				Zealand Herald, 2005)
harmful chemicals in their commodities. These				After examining these issues, one can assert that
concepts have governed the way KFC chooses				KFC have demonstrated unethical behaviour in
other business partners too; they include				some selected outlets. The company even
contractors and manufacturers. By doing, this, the				expects its suppliers to have good working
company is protecting human rights.				conditions but they have not managed to clean up
(Montgomery, 2003)				their house in all their outlets around the world.
The company also looks out for the health and				(Cragg, 2002)
safety of their workers. Since KFC is a fast food				KFC has also been in the news for their poor
chain, then its workers are very busy, the				environmental policies. According to some
company's representatives affirm that they are				activists, KFC has not demonstrated good
always trying to protect their respective				corporate responsibility because of the type of
employees from detrimental hazards in the				suppliers who provide them with soy. Soy is part
workplace. In line with this, KFC always ensures				of their chicken ingredients; a company known as
that their employees work for them voluntarily.				Cargill supplies it. According to the environmental
This means that the company detests forced				activists, most of this soy is sourced in an illegal
labour. They also believe in according their				manner according to large number of the
employees justice in case of any eventuality.				reporters. Some of these claims were as a result
Their disciplinary measures have always been fair				of investigations made by the environmental
and few employees complain about how their				group Green peace organisation. In response to
administration handles such unusual occurrences. It				these allegations, KFC asserted that they source
is a known fact that some employees in the				their soy from Brazil and not from the illegal
corporate world utilise mental punishment as a				operations of Cargill. However, the
way of repressing their employees and keep				environmentalists still insists that that is not the
them subservient. However, this is not the case				case, their soy comes from the Amazon forest
with KFC as no cases have been reported in the				and KFC is demonstrating that they are not
media.				committed towards creating sustainable
Kentucky Fried Chicken employment practices are				environment. There is no way of knowing for
also ethical. This is due to the fact that the				sure whether these accusations are true,
company does not discriminate against individuals				however, one cannot ignore the fact that the
on the basis of race, gender, disability or any				environmental group did their own investigations
other factor. The company's recruitment practices				and found that there were some problems with
largely focus on the capabilities of the potential				the illegal logging. (Brazil Magazine, 2006)
candidate rather than on their respective race,				KFC has also been accused of utilising the
cultural backgrounds etc. In line with these				founder's names for a substantial number of their
practices, the company usually offers overtime				commodities even when the founder did not
for employees who decide to work beyond the				approve those commodities. KFC's founder was
normal working hours. Besides that, the company				known as Sanders and he is one of the individuals
has created shift arrangements so that it can				who came up with a unique recipe for creating
avoid overworking employees at any given time.				KFC' chicken. At that time, the founder was in
(Bowie & Beauchamp, 1983)				charge of only a small portion of the restaurant
The issue of wages is also top on KFC's list. The				chain. However, with time, the company began
company believes that workers should be paid				expanding and he lost ownership to other groups.
according to their efforts. Consequently, there is				The new owners have been using Sanders' name
an element of fairness when it comes to the way				in most of their commodities even when their
the company treats its employees. The company				recipes were not created by the latter individual.
depicts this attitude in some of its restaurant				It is therefore necessary for the group to come
outlets such as the ones here in the UK and also				up with honest advertisements and assertions
in Canada. The company has exceeded minimum				about who was the true chef behind some of
wage by close to eight pounds per hour. Also, in				their commodities. Otherwise, this is misleading
the Canadian outlets, the company pays most of				advertising and marketing. They are not adhering
workers a favourable amount and has even				to the ethical rules of marketing. (Howell, 2000)
allowed for unionisation of employees. All the latter				Another issue that the company is currently
deeds go to show that KFC is committed to				grappling with is firmly tied to the nature of the
providing its employees with good working				industry that the company operates in; fast food
conditions.				restaurant. According to health experts and other
Despite the positive moves made by KFC				nutritionists, the type of fats utilised when cooking
Canada, with regard to chicken products, the				foods highly affects the nutritional and health
company has still been grappling with controversial				value of the food. One particular type of fat that
issues owing to their vegan burger. The company				has received so much attention from the
faced a lot of opposition from animal rights				corresponding individuals is Trans fats. Trans fats
activists who were trying to protect the rights of				are those types of fats that are emanated from
chickens. Consequently, those activists suggested				oil during the hardening process. The purpose of
that KFC should provide non-chicken alternatives				these trans fats is to prolong shelf life and to
in their diets. KFC responded to these law suits by				make commodities prepared through baking last
creating a vegan burger made of eggs. However,				longer. Despite these good qualities, trans fats can
many consumers still complain about the				bring about complicated health diseases that many
ingredients in the burger and they also assert that				people in the UK are fighting, these include;
there are problems with the way the company				- Obesity
prepares the burger. According to some				- Diabetes
consumers, the vegan burger still has eggs and				- Coronary heart disease
some dairy products which are still made from				- Other disorders
animals. Additionally, other people complain about				Consequently, companies that take their social
the way the company places the ingredients of				responsibility seriously should look for cooking oil
the vegan burger in a grill that was used to cook				that is either very low in trans fats or has no
meat. (Montgomery, 2003)				trans fats at all. (Zwillich, 2006)If this alternative is
However, it can be argued that the latter				not possible, then companies ought to tell their
consumers have lost the point; the purpose of				consumers clearly that they are using trans fats
introducing the vegan burger was not to provide				so that consumers maker conscious choices. The
an alternative with no animal products, but it was				company under study; KFC has tried adhering to
to save the lives of the chickens that were being				these ethical norms in some outlets but in others,
killed to create their meals. Consequently when				the company still continues cooking its
the vegan burger contains some eggs, then it is				commodities with these trans fats and has not
still okay because there is no chicken there.				looked for alternatives. It should be noted that
Besides this, the issue of cooking its ingredients in				the UK government has been particularly
the same grill as chicken has also generated a lot				interested in fighting obesity. Consequently, the
of controversy for nothing. This is because using				government has set up some regulations that are
the same grill does not in any way affect the				aimed at reducing this problem. Given the interest
taste or the contents of the vegan burger. As a				that trans fats has generated from the public and
matter of fact, the arguments made by these				the governor, it is KFC's duty to comply so as to
consumers would have been valid if the products				demonstrate good corporate citizenry and
were cooked in animal grease. Since the cooking				adherence to ethical principles. The company
oil is not made from animal grease, then it does				needs to improve; the simplest way it can do this
not contaminate the chicken. The arguments				is by revealing the amount of fat contained in
made by such consumers could simply be a case				their products.
of too much emphasis on detail.				There is serious cause for alarm in with regard to
Controversial aspects about KFC's activities				the trans fat issue because there are hundreds of
KFC ethical activities have been put to the test				thousands of people who die annually as result of
when some animal rights activist challenged KFC'				fast food related complications. Consequently, KFC
treatment of chicken. In the month of June 2008,				is contributing towards poor health in the UK. If
the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals				they are not careful, the company could keep
(PETA) together with Hollywood actress Pamela				loosing a substantial number of their consumers
Anderson sent written complains to the KFC				thus loosing business in the end. The company
managing Director in the UK for unethical				should realise that the western world has been
treatment of chicken. According to this group,				taken over by the fast food culture. Individuals
Kentucky Fried Chicken is not keen on the way				are so committed to their work places that they
their suppliers treat their chicken in their farms.				have little time to cook at home. They are
The group asserted that these suppliers make				therefore depending on fast food restaurants to
the chicken grow too fast thus preventing them				feed them. Such an enormous responsibility for
from walking. (AOL, 2008)				fast food restaurants comes with enormous
The latter activists also asserted that KFC'S				sacrifice. KFC as one such company ought to give
suppliers normally mistreat chicken in the slaughter				precedence to the health needs of their clients
houses. They claim that the chicken are chained				otherwise the company will be operating in a
by metal shackles and placed in electric water				selfish manner. (Sternberg, 2000)
baths. These groups also complained about the				Conclusion
way chicken are still alive during the process of				As a restaurant operating under the fast food
de-necking them. They believed that chicken's				industry, there are some ethical issues that come
living and dying conditions should be improved.				into play when considering the nature of the
These assertions were further justified by the				industry itself. This is especially since the Health
latter group when they claimed that KFC Canada				Ministry in the region announced a battle against
followed suit by changing some of their policies.				obesity. Also, KFC also has to deal with different
According to the animal rights activists, the				ethical issues in their capacity as a business
Canadian chain opted to consider how chickens				corporation. Any company worth its salt should
were bred before purchasing them from suppliers.				have a code of ethics and must be prepared to
They even offered vegetarian alternatives for				stick by it KKC has breached a substantial number
their respective clientele. Consequently, the				of their ethics codes. However, one must not
celebrity Pamela Anderson- who was speaking on				assume that the ethical issues facing KFC are one
behalf of PETA asserted that she would stop				sided. Most times, individuals tend to focus on the
consuming KFC ‘s products until they complies				negative aspects of ethics and fail to look at
with their suggestions.				things from another angle. The purpose of the
Another closely linked media report was with				essay was to provide an in-depth analysis of the
regard to reports made by undercover reporters				fast food industry through two contrary ideas;
working for PETA. The latter reporters had made				the moral and legal obligations that KFC has
video cameras of the way KFC treats its animals.				adhered to and also the ethical misgivings that the
Some of them were quite disturbing as they				company has engaged in too.reference:
depict chickens being thrown against walls, being				AOL (2008): Pamela Anderson Writes to Fast
beaten and being slaughtered mercilessly. The				Food Chain KFC Over the Treatment of Chickens
latter group also claimed that KFC suppliers				retrieved from accessed on 14th Aug 2008
overcrowd their chickens and make the lives of				Walton, C. (1992); Corporate encounters - Ethics,
those respective animals very miserable. Some of				law, and the business environment; Dryden Press
these suppliers also engage in beak trimming;				Sternberg, E. (2000): Ethics and virtue in the
which is the process of cutting off chicken's				conduct of business; McGraw-Hill
beaks. In response to these allegations, KFC				Cragg, W. (2002); Business ethics and stakeholder
company asserted that they had formed a				theory; Business ethics Review, Vol. 12
committee to tackle the issue of animal rights.				Bowie, N. & Beauchamp, T. (1983); Ethical
However, this committee was not collaborating				theory and business; Prentice-Hall
with any of the animal rights movements. Besides				Zwillich, T. (2006): KFC pledges to Fry Chicken
that, the company was also quick to reply that				Without Trans Fats; WebMD Publishers
some of their suppliers who engage in beak				Brazil Magazine (2006): Green Peace says KFC's
trimming were only doing what normal chicken				Secret Ingredients Include Soy That's Destroying
farmers are doing too. Additionally, the company				the Amazon; Brazil Magazine, 2nd June
claimed that their suppliers were not mistreating				The New Zealand Herald (2005): KFC staff to
their animals either. (Howell, 2000)				strike; New Zealand Herald, 16th June
However, ethical experts would agree that KFC				Montgomery, D. (2003): Small But Mighty Rights
has breached its own ethical policies. The				Group Tries Gentler Approach; The Chicago
company believes that all their suppliers should not				Tribune, 28th October
engage in any sort of malpractice. Nonetheless,				Howell, W.

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Ethics At Kfc