CHAPTER 2: THEORIES OF ETHICSCASE 2.1: OPENING CASE Scenario 1: The moral side of murder Suppose you are driver of trolley car, your trolley car is hurtling down the track at 60 m.. What
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CASE 2.1: OPENING CASE Scenario 1: The moral side of murder
Suppose you are driver of trolley car, your trolley car is hurtling down the track at
60 m At the end of the track, you notice 5 workers are working on the track You try
to stop but you can’t Your brake doesn’t work, you feel desperate because you know.
If you crash into these 5 workers, they will all die, but to soon you know that’s for sure, so you feel helpless.
Until you notice there is off to the right, a side track, at the end of that track, there is
a worker working on the track Your steering wheel works, so you can turn trolley car left.
If you want to, onto the side track, killing the one, be sparing the five.
Questions:
1 How many students would turn the trolley car onto the side track? How many students would go straight ahead? Why?
2 What’s the right thing to do?
Scenario 2: The moral side of murder
This time you are not the driver of trolley car, you are onlooker.
You’re standing on a bridge, overlooking a trolley car track, down the track come the trolley car.
At the end of the track are five workers, the brake doesn’t work The trolley car is about careen into the five and kill them, and now you aren’t driver, you really feel helpless.
Until you notice standing next to you, leaning over the bridge is a very fat man, and you could give him a shove, he would fall over the bridge onto the track, right into the way of trolley car, he would die but he would spare the five.
Questions:
1 How many students would push the fat man over the bridge? How many students wouldn’t? Why?
Trang 22 What’s the right thing to do?
CHAPTER 2: THEORIES OF ETHICS
PART 2- THEORY OF MORALITY
CASE 2.2: MOTHERHOOD FOR SALE
This is a case involving market and in fact a contract in a human
reproductive capacity and this is a case of commercial surrogate motherhood,
it is a case that wound up in court some years ago It began with William and Elizabeth Stern, a professional couple wanting a baby, but they could not
have one in their own, at least without medical risks to Mrs Stern.
They went to an infertility clinic where they met Whitehead, a 29 year-old mother of 2 kids, the wife of a sanitation worker She had replied an
advertisement that the Stern had placed seeking the service of a surrogate mother.
They made a deal, they signed a contract in which William Stern agreed to pay Whitehead a $10,000 fee plus all expenses in exchange for which for
Whitehead agreed to be artificially inseminated with William Stern’s sperm to bear the child and then to give the baby to the Sterns.
Whitehead gave birth and changed her mind; she decided she wanted to keep the baby The case wound up in court in New Jersey.
So let’s take put aside any legal questions and focus on this issue as moral
questions.
Questions:
1 How many people believe that the right thing to do in the baby M case would have been to uphold the contract, to enforce the contract? Why?
2 How many people think the right thing to do would have been not to enforce that contract? Why?
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PART 2- THEORY OF MORALITY
CASE 2.3: ACTION OF SHOPKEEPER
Kant starts with example of a shopkeeper He wants to bring out the intuition and make plausible the idea that what confer moral worth on an action is that it be done because it’s right.
He supposes there is a shopkeeper and an inexperienced customer comes in The shopkeeper knows that she could give the customer the wrong change, could shortchange the customer and get away with it; at east that customer wouldn’t know But the shopkeeper nonetheless says “Well, If I shortchange this customer, word may get out, my reputation would be damaged, and I would lose business So I will not shortchange this customer.”
The shopkeeper dose nothing wrong, she gives correct change.
Questions:
1 Could the action of shopkeeper be considered as an ethical action based on Kant’s view? Why?
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P1+2: UTILITARIANISM AND THEORY OF MORALITY
CASE 2.4: CONFIDENTIALITY
You are employed as a technical communicator by Caduceus Company, a major provider of software systems for the health care industry Currently, you are working
on help-desk instructions for a new software system that operates from a database accumulated from all the records of all the hospitals, clinics, HMOs, laboratories, and physicians in your state These records carry a good deal of highly personal information on patients and are, of course, private and confidential The revelation
of some of this information to the wrong people could be seriously damaging for those patients Improper release of this information could, for example, limit their employability, damage their reputations, or restrict their access to health insurance
at affordable rates Part of your job, in fact is to ensure that confidentiality is maintained by all who use the system while preventing access to those who might misuse it.
Just yesterday, you learned of some shocking information While observing the typical daily operation of the help-desk staff in resolving users' questions, you recognized the name of one of the clients called up on a screen It is the name of your cousin's fiancé, and the entry indicates that he has tested positive for HIV and has received counseling about HIV and AIDS from a local clinic You and your cousin are very close, and you are certain that she is unaware that her intended spouse has tested positive for HIV The marriage is only a few weeks away She would be highly endangered after marriage but also in their current relations without this knowledge.
Questions:
Trang 51 Do you reveal this information to your cousin but violate the privacy and confidentiality that you have sworn yourself to and are legally obliged to maintain?
2 Or do you keep the information to yourself but jeopardize the health and life of your cousin by preserving the deception by her fiancé.
• Identifying how many choices to deal with situation do you consider?
• Justifying each your choice based on theory of Utilitarianism and Kant’s
ethics
CHAPTER 3: ETHICS AND STAKEHOLDERS
CASE 3.1: MILK PRODUCT CONTAMINATION INVOLVING THE SANLU GROUP
In 2008, a great number of babies in China, having consumed the milk powder produced by Sanlu Group, were discovered to have suffered from kidney stones Later, its milk was found to contain melamine, an industrial chemical, which can result in a heightened protein content value in tests and yield greater profit for milk farmers Adding melamine to the milk may boost its market value, yet long-term ingestion of melamine would create problems for the urinary system, resulting in kidney stones and even cancer According to statistics, up until 21 January 2009 nearly 50,000 infants sought medical consultation and was treated and recovered as
a result of having ingested the problematic milk powder; 6 died as a result There were also confirmed cases in Hong Kong and Macau After the General Administration of Quality Supervision announced the examination report regarding the presence of melamine in the baby powder produced by numerous major manufacturers, the scope of incident was revealed – the presence of melamine was discovered in the milk powder of many major manufacturers in China The event also had a disastrous impact on the reputation of China-made goods, with many countries banning the import of China-made milk products.
Later, it was revealed that in as early as 2007 there have been customer complaints about the quality of Sanlu’s milk powder The company only covered up the incidents and it was not until August 2008 when cases began to mushroom all over
@Ms Duong Thi Hoai Nhung (FTU) Page 5
Trang 6the country that Sanlu reported to the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government and the Xinhua District Government and announced the public about the presence of melamine in the milk powder A recall was subsequently conducted but there was already a surge in occurrence of kidney-stones in infants Many infants suffered kidney problems and some did not survive; later the government announced that they would treat infants freely.
The Shijizhuang Municipal Government later arrested near 20 individuals working separately at the ranches, milk cows rearing communities, operators of milk halls, and illegal sellers of the chemical The Provincial Government ordered Sanlu to cease production The company was declared bankrupt and the persons responsible were punished.
Questions
1 Who are stakeholders of the Sanlu Group?
2 How did the stakeholders impact on the Sanlu Group?
3 What lessons do you learn from the case?
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PRACTICE 4.1: ETHICS IN MARKETING AND ADVERTISING PRACTICES
(CONSUMER-RELATED ISSUES)
What is ethical issue in the following cases?
1.The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong
Kong conducted a study of the safety and
effectiveness of 10 major injection and external use
medical beauty treatments They discovered that 5
of these treatments were not supported by
sufficient clinical evidence and poses possible
safety hazards There is a chance that the
consumer may suffer possible bacterial infection
and even die.
2 A bank sold complex financial products to poorly-educated elderly citizens, attempting to
convince them to make high risk investments.
3 A certain advertisement was promoting a “fitness shoe” that claimed reduction of weight upon wearing but did not provide any evidence.
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Trang 84 A supplier sold goods to large corporations at very low or sub-product cost prices; meanwhile it sold the goods to small merchants at prices that exceed the production cost The aim was to help
large corporations expand their market share.
5 A certain mobile phone manufacturer launched a new phone At sales launch a great number of grey goods traders queued outside the store making it impossible for real consumers to buy the phone.
CHAPTER 4: MARKETING ETHICS
CASE 4.2: ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN FASHION ADVERTISING
Sarah has recently been hired as a creative director at one of the hottest agencies in the country It is her dream job She is leading an award winning team that is working on the agency’s largest and most lucrative account—a world renowned women’s fashion brand Her team is currently under a great deal of pressure to prepare a dynamite campaign for a new product introduction—a new line of fashions for teenage girls Since sales of its flagship women’s fashion brand have been stagnant, the client believes that this campaign is crucial to the continued viability of its business Furthermore, the client has hinted that if the campaign is not
an unqualified success (that is, truly sensational), then the entire account will go out for competitive bidding, and a new agency will likely be selected.
Sarah is eager for the team to continue its winning record under her leadership, and she knows that losing this account would be devastating to the agency However, an issue related to the campaign has begun to concern her The issue is this: the models selected for the campaign are young and exceedingly thin—heroin chic thin (they look almost anorexic) Sarah recently has read some research regarding the negative effects that ultra thin female images in the media can have on teenage girls and their conceptions of beauty, and she feels uncomfortable about the images of beauty
portrayed in the campaign.
@Ms Duong Thi Hoai Nhung (FTU) Page 8
Trang 9When she questioned one of her staff about this, he told her that the client liked this type of model, which had been used in its previous campaigns, and that it was the client’s prerogative to use any type of model he wanted Sarah knows that any questions that she raises could have negative effects on her staff Since she is new, Sarah very much wants to win the respect and confidence of her team She does not want to tinker with the team’s winning formula, and she does not want to do anything to constrain their creativity.
Questions to discuss:
1 What does ethical issue raise?
2 What should Sarah do and what should her advertising firm do?
(Don’t discuss what the client should do (I don’t want you to be overwhelmed with issues to discuss).
CHAPTER 5: HRM AND ETHICS
PRACTICE 5.1: WHAT IS ETHICAL ISSUE IN THE BELOW CASES?
a A certain music school asks its new employees to sign
a 3-year contract, which stated that if the employee
resigns before the contract ended, he or she must pay the
company 3-years’ worth of salaries There are also
unreasonable clauses including the deduction of one
dollar from the salary upon every minute of being late,
and $300 from the salary for every day’s absence from
work – every if one takes a sick leave.
b.A certain book store asks its staff to clock in 7 hours of
overtime per day during the book fair – making a total
of 15 hours of work per day They were also only
allowed 30 minutes of meal time.
c A company’s employee becomes pregnant, she would
Trang 10be given a difficult time by the company under various
pretences, until she resigns voluntarily.
d A certain restaurant in Hong Kong is used to paying its staff later than usual – salary is paid usually10 days
after the month end.
e The staff at a famous Japanese home electronics brand
complains about the company violating their personal
privacy The company would closely monitor their
activities in the office.
f A certain Korean enterprise has established a factory
in Shenzhen During a theft incident, its management
forcibly searched the bodies of 56 female workers
making them feel humiliated Also there was once when
a production line failed to meet its production quota, the
staff of the entire production line was punished by
having to kneel at the entrance of the company The
incident has drawn media’s attention.
Trang 11CHAPTER 6: BUSINESS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
CASE 6.1: SHOULD TOXIC WASTE BE EXPORTED?
Tons of toxic wastes are created every day in the production and disposal of countless goods and services Business and government must decide what to do with such leftovers as the radioactive wastes created in nuclear power plants, the fly ash from industrial and municipal incinerators, chemical residues from industrial processes and consumer goods, and heavy metals in computers and other consumer electronics Consumers are challenged to find ways to dispose of toxic chemicals in household cleaners, lawn and garden pesticides, home appliances, and consumer electronics.
Ordinary waste disposal is a serious enough public policy challenge for every level of government Newer landfills soon reach their capacity; many older and closed landfills contaminate groundwater; and incinerators spew noxious pollutants But the challenge is compounded when the wastes entering into the disposal system are themselves highly toxic and dangerous.
Historically, industry has disposed of wastes into the easiest and least desirable sites For decades, industry simply dumped waste into the air and water or buried it underground Landfills, trash dumps, incinerators, and other socially undesirable activities were located either in out-of-the-way and unattractive locations, or in the most convenient location to ease disposal Such decisions seemed to make economic sense; if land values would be degraded because of proximity to a toxic waste dump,