Question Details

MGMT 325 Module 5 Case Study

Module 5 Case Study: Goodbye, Indiana - Hello, Mexico: The Whirlpool Plant Closing
Complete the answers to the six questions at the end of Case 30,“Goodbye, Indiana—Hello, Mexico: The Whirlpool Plant Closing”. pages 694-696
1. Was the Whirlpool plant closing just another “business decision,” or did it carry with it social and ethical responsibilities and implications?  Explain.
2. What are the legal and ethical responsibilities of Whirlpool in a plant- closing case such as the one in Evansville, Indiana?
3. In light of the federal stimulus funds that Whirlpool received, did it have a greater responsibility to make the Evansville plant sustainable?  Or, were the funds received totally unrelated to the plant-closing decision?
4. Was the Whirlpool division vice president- memo threatening future job opportunities an ethical practice? Was it an unfair labor practice? Explain.
5. What about the plant closing- impact on the community and related stakeholders? Did the company have any responsibility to work with the community in this decision? What should it have done and how should it have done it?
6. Should there be legislation preventing American firms from closing down and moving to less expensive parts of the world? Should NAFTA be repealed?