Q1.
Selling Defective Products
The first ethical dilemma that Stanton Wong faces is on the issue of selling products that are defective. If he chooses to disregard the defects, he would have knowingly participated in a disobedience of the company’s policy that requires test failures to be reported. His decision to report the problem or stay silent has profound consequences for the military service and the civilians as well. If a missile misfires, U.S. servicemen and innocent civilians could die.
Going Against The Boss
The second ethical dilemma is going against the instructions of the superior officer in the management of the company. As a junior employee, he is supposed to follow the directions of the plant manager who is also the vice president of the operations. Harry wants Stanton to stay silent if the inspector does not find the inconsistency in the cables. However, he can still go against his boss’s instructions and inform the inspector about the defects in the cables.
Be Silent To Protect His Job
If Stanton openly defies the boss and exposes the faults to the inspector, he risks losing his job. He is the breadwinner and as such he is obliged to protect the interests of his family, which means he might consider staying silent just to keep his job. He has had a stable income for two years and had even bought a house for his family. He is known for being a loyal employee and is respected by his colleagues, including Harry. These are reasons enough to allow the sale of defective cable to save his job.
Q2.
It is not right to sell the cables because the consequences are more negative than those of not selling. Conversely, it goes against the principles of a responsible human being, and the duty to provide quality products and protect the lives of other people. Based on the utilitarianism theory, selling the defective cables will serve to safeguard the interests of the operation manager, and the jobs of Stanton and that of the production manager. However, if accidents happen during combat, there would be an inquiry that would lead back to the three individuals involved. In the end, the negative consequence will be greater because they will lose their jobs and face jail time as well.
Equally, selling is wrong when argued from the Kantian perspective which requires one to act according to their duty. In this case, Stanton’s duty is to ensure that all the products sold are of high quality and devoid of faults. The overall duty of the company is to ensure that it provides high-quality products to list customer. Most importantly, the parties involved are bound by the tort of negligence that requires them to perform their duty of care in protecting the lives of the US servicemen and civilians. This case agrees with the ethics of virtue that obliges Stanton to do the right act and recommend that the products should not be sold. Selling defective products will always be wrong, even if the consequences are positive or if it is one’s duty to obey superior directives.
Q2.
Stanton should not stay silent, but should make it clear that he will not be part of a breach of quality and trust that endanger lives. His actions will include:
Explain to Harry the consequences of staying silent, so that he can understand why he is unwilling to side with his decision.
Inform Harry in advance that he will point out the defects to the supervisor so that it does not appear that he maliciously went against his directives.
Inform the supervisor of the defects discovered so that the necessary actions can be taken
