Ethical Issues in Packaging Practices Research Paper

Ethical Issues in Packaging Practices - Research Paper Example Ethical issues arise when businesses use unfair or deceptive practices while advertising, packaging, promotion, pricing, and distribution among other activities. However, the concern of this paper is the ethical issues in packaging practices. The paper will begin by discussing what is packaging and its purpose. It will also discuss the practices involved in packaging such as labeling and the regulations in place concerning packaging and labeling of containers. The paper will also discuss what ethics is and the ethical issues involved in packaging as well as how they can be dealt with for businesses to be ethically responsible. Being ethical can save the business costs associated with suits and also improve on its sales revenue, brand and company image and royalty. Packaging is the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages to protect products for distribution, storage, sale and use (Boone & Kurtz, 2012). Packaging products enables them to be transported easily to vario us market segments without any harm. Packages in this sense offer physical protection to products such as protection from shock and vibration. It also protects products from water and dust among other harmful effects. Some containers are designed in such a way as to extend the shelf life of products and also ensure products remain fresh, clean, and safe. Another purpose of packaging according to Shimp (2007), is to transmit information to consumers through labeling. This ensures consumers are aware of the contents that make up the product, product quality and quantity, how to use the product, and how to dispose off the package after use. There is also government requirement that consumers be made aware of the side effects of consuming certain products such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other items hence packaging offers this service to consumers allowing them to make informed choices. This is especially so in an era where cases of child obesity are on the increase and people mo re aware of the need to reduce cholesterol intake and to eat healthy foods. Packaging is used by companies as a way of advertising products. When designing packages, manufacturers therefore take into consideration the needs of clients and the target markets. However, while taking advertising into consideration, laws and regulations in place are supposed to be adhered to avoid lawsuits (Padilla, 2004). Packages also are used for containment of products for efficiency especially by grouping small items together. Items such as liquids and powder are also easily contained in a package. This also enables apportionment of the items into small quantities for convenience in distribution. Packaging enables goods to be secured especially for shipment whereby a seal is inserted to avoid theft. Packaging is therefore a very important activity for businesses as it directly affects sales hence should be handled with care. The government and other agencies are keen on packaging practices to ensure ethical standards are maintained and that consumers get value for their money without being deceived. Ethics is a term commonly used in every aspect of our lives as it determines the behavior of individuals and firms in the market. However, it is also a controversial term as it depends on people’s perception of what is right or wrong or moral; what is considered

Global Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Operations Management - Essay Example For a manufacturing company like PPQ Parts Manufacturing Company software enabled supply chain management is the most needed for sustainability in the industry. Materials Requirement Planning For managing the inventory which is needed for the producing the end product materials requirement planning is needed, which is mainly software based in the companies in these days. It is required to maintain the right level of inventory; company should make sure that there is no shortage of raw materials or no excessive materials (Chase et al, 2006, p.675-676). A manufacturing company should be more focused in this area to increase efficiency of business. Capacity Requirement Planning Capacity requirements planning is the process of evaluating that the company can meet the current need and projected need of production with the installed capacity or not. If there is need for additional capacity then the concerned authority takes the remedies (Heim and Compton, p.209). For a manufacturing company like PPQ Parts periodical analysis is necessary and this would be more effective if software tool is used for assistance. Enterprise Resource Planning Enterprise Resource Planning is a system which integrates the departments of an organization to make the management system more effective. For a manufacturing company it is needed to improve the efficiency of the work process which includes management of production, sales management and the financial affairs of the company (Leon, 2007, p.14). Pros and cons of the Software Systems To effectively manage the process of the organization the management of the company should take help of a software system instead of doing it manually. The management should take care that the software product is best for their organization which depends on many factors like the size of the organization, the cost of the software product, the user-friendliness of the product and the compatibility of the product with the current systems. PPQ parts manufacturin g company wants a software package to make efficient their overall process. To suggest efficient software package the factors which are necessary for an analyst are the size of the firm, the employees working in the company, how many users would use the software directly, which information are not given. The six software systems selected by the analyst and their pros and cons are as follows: Software Cost Compatibility with Current Systems Functionality User-Friendliness Other Factors Remarks Intuitive (Consona) Average. The system used is Microsoft .Net and database is SQL server 2003 Administration and installation much easier (as .Net used). Simple process in the ERP package. Easy to use. Efficient Business Intelligence. 10% MS Access used. Internet compatibility outside the server environment requires MS terminal Server and Advanced Configurator Efficient but cost may be higher for some companies SAP Business One (SAP) Per User Licensing Model ($20000 for 5 users). Depend upon c ustomization Compatible with basic systems Provide accurate information, help to take