Nissan Motor Co. Ethics Essay
Nissan Motors is a Japan-based vehicle manufacturing corporation. Since 1958, when Nissan entered the United States, it has been a major competitor among cars and trucks. Nissan now has headquarters for all of its major divisions all across the country; from Tennessee to California. Just a few of its divisions are Nissan Logistics, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation, Nissan Data Center, and Nissan Design America. As companies expand and conduct business in other markets, a question arises, how can it stay profitable? This question can drive a company to make two types of decisions: ethical and unethical. Just as all large corporations and industries have major ethical issues to confront or avoid, Nissan is no exception. In particular to the automotive industry, a strict focus has been placed on companies to cut down on carbon emissions in an effort to counter global warming. Global warming has led to many changes within the manufacturing of vehicles. Such changes are fuel economy, alternative fuel sources, and a higher demand for smaller vehicles. This is an ethical issue because it is believed that vehicles have been a huge contributor to global warming through their carbon emissions. These emissions come from fossil fuels, which is the primary source of fuel for almost all vehicles. Theoretically, the excessive carbon builds up so-called greenhouse gases and trap heat. Another recent issue the industry has faced is vehicle safety. After Toyota had to recall millions of vehicles because of safety issues, other companies began to be proactive regarding the safety of their own automobiles to avoid lawsuits. Because the safety of human lives is involved, this becomes an ethical issue in why such problems would be accidentally or deliberately left unfixed for such a long period of time. The automakers’ duties of early detection and warning of malfunctions are now under close observation. This means there is constantly an effort to keep an eye on new models, while