Values, Morals, and Ethics in Corporate Decision Making
Values and morals determine the roles that individuals and organizations are likely to occupy in society and call into question the expectations that corporate associates and workers can maintain within any particular organization. What do considerations decide if a person's or a company's actions are unethical, illegal, or fall outside of traditional standards? And what degree can a violation of the code of ethics impact a person's career path? Both 'Ryan Lochte's Sponsorship Woes,' an article written by Krishnadev Calamur, and 'Ryan Lochte's Sponsorship Woes,' an article written by Krishnadev Calamur (2016), and 2016 Speedo USA tweet discuss Ryan Lochte's behavior in relation to his claims of being robbed in Rio during the 2016 Olympic Games. These articles focus on the decisions made by different companies to terminate their sponsorships. Both have used the principles of judgment and reasoning, the spirit of culture as well as the sense of pity and sadness to enable the reader to grasp the concept. While both of these articles have been effective in delivering the intended message, Calamur (2016) stands out due to combining different elements, making a more convincing argument.
Termination of Sponsorships
In summary, Calamur (2016) explains that Ryan Lochte, an Olympic gold-medal-winner in swimming, lost deals that he had with four companies due to a story about being robbed in Rio which he had exaggerated. The article names the companies involved, which are Speedo USA, Ralph Lauren Company, Syneron-Candela, a company that develops aesthetic medical products, and Airweave, a mattress company based in Japan. The article has provided tweets that indicate how Speedo and Ralph Lauren have decided to terminate their contracts with the Olympic swimmer. The article explains that Ryan Lochte and his teammates claimed to have been robbed by men dressed in police uniforms at gunpoint, while the swimmers are the ones who had actually vandalized toilets at the gas station. The authors describe that even after the gold-medal-winning swimmer had apologized, the four named companies still terminated their partnerships as they considered this incident to be a breach of their code of conduct.
Speedo's Decision to Terminate Sponsorship
In summary, the tweet made by Speedo USA (2016) has provided detailed information on why the company has decided to terminate sponsorship for Ryan Lochte. Hence, the company has decided to donate $50,000 portion of Lochte's fee to charity. The tweet further explains that despite the fact that Speedo has enjoyed their relationship with the winning Olympic swimmer, they cannot condone behavior that breaches the values of the company. The article argues that the swimmer positively learns from the experience. The article was followed by the reactions of different Twitter users regarding the issue.
Use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Calamur (2016) has made better use of ethos as he has provided detailed information regarding the Brazilian culture and the effects associated with Ryan Lochte's claims. According to the article, Rio has had a bad image of a crime-prone city. Therefore, Lochte's claim of being robbed at gunpoint by men dressed in police uniform has attracted many Brazilians' attention. Calamur employs ethos, trying to convey to the readers how much the Rio culture has been stereotyped as for the crime, and hence any form of such claims can have a massive impact on the reputation of the city. When the Brazilian judge decides to confiscate the swimmers' passports, the readers understand the need for taking such measures.
The author also employs ethos in the article due to being well conversant with the companies' needs to uphold their culture, moral and ethics under any circumstances. He has provided the explicit messages that Speedo and Ralph Lauren had announced about Lochte's claim and their further sponsorship and partnership status with the athlete. The Syneron-Candela company stated that "We hold our employees to high standards, and we expect the same from our business partners," while the Airweave company also stated in a tweet that they decided to part ways with the athlete. Calamur supports his agreements by providing the precise data regarding the effects of the athlete's actions (Calamur 1). On the other hand, Speedo's tweet has only provided information relating to their decision to part ways with the athlete after his breach of the company's code of conduct. Speedo has not offered different views from other businesses, and thus, without more information provided, their decision can be considered biased as it serves only the corporation's interests.
Both authors have utilized pathos and logos to evoke sadness and pity amongst the readers and to validate the outcome of the tone used in their articles. Calamur has inflicted fear into the readers by indicating how Lochte's claims increased the negative attitudes that Rio has always raised regarding crime. When the article further proves that the allegations were vague and it was the athlete who was wrong, the readers feel pity towards Brazil. Therefore, the judgment that the four sponsors of the athlete have made, categorizing his actions as unethical, becomes validated. Speedo has also used pathos in stating that the company has first agreed that the firm has enjoyed the winning relationship they have had with the athlete. However, the company explains that they have a code of conduct and cannot condone behaviors that are contrary to the organization's principles. The readers hence can justify such betrayal because the behavior of the athlete negatively portrays the company. The tweet hence used logos in making the users agree with the company's decision to terminate their relationship with the athlete and use the part of Lochte's payment for charity. Calamur's use of pathos and logos is, however, more comprehensive as the writer has used different sources of information that, as a result, have proven that judgments made by the four companies were right. Calamur has given the story in the perspective of the four groups, Brazilians and also in the view of Lochte, hence providing more detailed information, unlike Speedo. Furthermore, Calamur explains that the nature of the apology given by the athlete faced criticism from the public.
Conclusion
To support the claim that morals, values, and ethics are essential elements in any given company, both articles have used ethos, pathos, and logos to support their arguments. As for the tweet by Speedo, ethos, pathos, and logos have been used to make the readers understand the adverse nature of the actions of the athlete from the perspective of Speedo as an affected company. Calamur, on the other hand, has discussed the issue of morale of the athlete in a broader perspective. His article is more convincing, clearly proving that the behaviors of the athlete had negative impacts on the sponsors. Moreover, the promoter's decisions were effective as the athlete appeared to be unremorseful, negatively depicting not only Brazil but also his sponsors and partners.
Works Cited
Calamur, Krishnadev. Ryan Lochte's Sponsorship Woes. The Atlantic. 2016. Retrieved on 16th Feb 2016 from https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/ryan-lochte-speedo/496859/Speedo USA. The Official Response Regarding our Sponsorship of Ryan Lochte. Twitter. 2016. Retrieved on 16th Feb 2016 from https://twitter.com/speedousa/status/767739849420013568?lang=en
