I agree with the main points of the provided discussion and consider the described decision ethically good. However, I would like to further the final thought by adding that the decision benefits the customers as well and impacts their perception of the company’s ethics. Decisions that companies make to support their employees are meant to improve overall performance and customer satisfaction. A recent study suggests that customers value business ethics highly and that ethical brands can be distinguished by sustainability and improving customer welfare (Ferrell, 2019). HCSC contributes to the brand’s sustainability by building “a culture of life-long learning” (Renfrow, 2019). The company can improve customer satisfaction by providing more ways to educate employees so they can continuously deliver high-quality products (Renfrow, 2019). Moreover, with the company’s support, the curricula will be able to teach employees business ethics through its courses on leadership, collaboration, and service delivery, contributing to employee decision-making (Renfrow, 2019). Investing in employee education will benefit the employees, the company, and the customers who will be getting higher quality service.
In my opinion, the provided discussion summarizes well the article’s description of tariffs concerning international trade in Texas. There is only one thing I would like to add which is that government agencies involved in international trade must not only work together but adapt to the changes of modern days. In the US, International Trade Administration (ITA) is meant to “foster economic growth and prosperity” and ensure fair trade following laws and agreements (International Trade Administration, n.d.). Arrangements that ITA supports are important for international commerce in Texas and include the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (Green and Halbrook, 2020). The two arrangements are not fundamentally different, with USMCA not aimed at changing present business flows but at solidifying partners’ relationships (Green and Halbrook, 2020). For example, USMCA modernizes the relationships by focusing on e-commerce and digital trade that NAFTA did not cover at the time of its implementation in the 1990s (Green and Halbrook, 2020). Special government Agencies such as ITA are supposed to strengthen international trade by regulating laws and agreements following the demands of current events.
References
Ferrell, O. C., Harrison, D. E., Ferrell, L., & Hair, J. F. (2019). Business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and brand attitudes: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Research, 95, 491-501.
Green, D. & Halbrook, S. (2020). Texas’ international trade. Comptroller.
International Trade Administration. (n.d.). About ITA.
Renfrow, J. (2019). HCSC launches new employee education program: Blue University. Fierce Healthcare.