Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Ethical Issues in Decisions by Two Firms. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
The way in which businesses make decisions will reflect the ethical considerations as well as business needs. This 3 page paper looks at two companies which are face difficult decisions; Johnson & Johnson, and Royal Dutch Shell, examining circumstances within which they needed to make ethical decisions in the outcomes of those decisions. The bibliography cites 5 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TS14_TEjohnshell.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
often being seen as paying a secondary role to profit. However, this is not always the case; ethics may be good for business. Two firms, Johnson and Johnson faced major
incidences where ethics were important to both the firm and the consumers. The first case deals with loss control, Johnson and Johnson are a successful pharmaceutical company; one
of their leading brands in the 1980s was Tylenol; the brand commanded 35% of the market for over the counter analgesics in 1981, and was important as it accounted for
about 17% of the companys profits (Rehak, 2002). The company faced a major crisis in 1982, when an individual was able to tamper with some of the products on the
shelves, lacing the extra strength version of the drug with cyanide (Rehak, 2002). On the 29th September 1982 the first of seven deaths occurred as a result of the contamination
(Rehak, 2002). The contaminated capsules were each found to contain 65 milligrams of cyanide1, meaning that whoever was tampering with the drugs were ensuring that those who ingested them did
not stand any chance of survival (Tifft, 1982). In addition to there was also a spate of copycat incidences, with at least 36 known and confirmed copycat cases in the
first month (Church, 1982). In looking at the way that the company dealt with the issue there is a good case that demonstrates the use of effective crisis management and
the use of ethical considerations, the move prevented not only the original incident reoccurring, but also the copycat incidences, with a large initial cost to the firm. The initial
reaction of the company was a clear communication with a national alert to warn consumers not to use any of the Tylenol products, not just the extra strength ones that
...