Organizations and Ethical Challenges
Organizations frequently face ethical challenges in the real world. For instance, there have been debates on the morality of businesses selling bottled water when the majority of the world's population lacks access to clean water (Murthy, 2013, p.89). Organizations that must increase shareholder value face moral conundrums due to the human right to access water.
Lack of Access to Clean Water
Residents still lack access to quality water for household and personal usage even in nations with adequate internal water supplies (Patsiaouras, 2016, p.379). According to the United Nations estimates, around 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water (Patsiaouras, 2016, p.379). The situation led to the UN recognizing water as a human right. However, this has had an implication on business activities. Manufacturers of bottled water have been faced with an ethical challenge of maximizing shareholder value while ensuring that communities around them have access to clean water (Murthy, 2013, p.93).
Ethical Challenges Faced by Fiji Water
For instance, Fiji Water, the largest manufacturers of bottled water and the leading exporter of branded water to the US has in recent times faced backlash due to human rights to water issues. It has been reported that majority of the people living in the small town where the bottling plant of Fiji water is located lacked access to clean water (Naica and Ferreira, 2016, p.217). The situation is an ethical challenge for the organization because it has an obligation to make profits. At the same time, it is irrational and unethical for a privately-held organization to consume as much water as they deem fit while the rest of the population is experiencing extreme restrictions.
Ethics Based on Caring and Responsibility
An ethics based on caring and responsibility can help in guiding the subject matter, in this case, in a way that is consistent with human rights and fairness in the face of global differences. Two paradigms for ethical reasoning, that is, the morality of rights and duty of care with regard to applying the principles of human rights to water can be used to understand the challenges that bottled water companies face. In relation to the morality of rights, bottled water manufacturers are supposed to be guided by the concept of justice (Cassel, 2016, p.180). In other words, as much as private companies are bottling water for sale, they should also work towards ensuring that the rest of the country has access to clean water. However, this is not always the case as they have an obligation to put efforts into profit making. In addition, the morality of care should seek to guide choices in a way that the community's interest is catered for (Cassel, 2016, p.182). However, it is not always the case with bottled water companies given that their actions are oriented towards the economic prosperity of their shareholders. Therefore, there is no doubt that bottled water companies continue to face ethical challenges.
Sustainability and Consequentialist Theory
The unsustainable exploitation of aquifers water can result in a substantial reduction in levels of water, and can even exhaust the sources. According to the consequentialist theory, the morality of an action is defined by the outcome of an action (Thomas, 2014, p.2). The theory can be used to determine the ethics behind the operations of bottled water companies, considering that the exploitation of aquifers may compromise the communities' ability to access water. Conversely, manufacturing of bottled water is a venture that is essential in realizing profits. On that note, organizations face the dilemma as regards the unsustainable use of water resources and meeting their bottom line.
Conclusion
The paper has presented a discussion on the ethical challenges of human rights to water issues that bottled water manufacturers' face. According to the paper, bottled water companies are faced with the dilemma of maximizing shareholder value and recognizing the human right to water.
References
Cassel, D. (2016). Outlining the case for a common law duty of care of business to exercise human rights due diligence. Business and Human Rights Journal, 1(02), pp.179-202.
Murthy, S. (2013). The human right(s) to water and sanitation: history, meaning, and the controversy over privatization. Berkeley Journal of International Law, 31(1), pp.89-147.
Naica, I. and Ferreira, C. (2016). Freshwater accessibility and challenges in rural areas of Fiji: a case study of Kalabu Village. GOT – Geography and Spatial Planning Journal, 1(9), pp.213-236.
Patsiaouras, G. (2016). Plastic water: the social and material life of bottled water. Consumption Markets & Culture, 20(4), pp.379-382.
Thomas, J. (2015). Deontology, consequentialism and moral realism. Journal of Philosophy, [online] 19, pp.1-24. Available at: http://www.minerva.mic.ul.ie/Vol19/Deontology.pdf [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].
