1. Determine the Facts:
What this case is about is the safety concerns that were raised regarding the rupturing of the fuel tanks. These tanks were bring produced by Ford and used in their cars during the 1970s. At this time, they lobbied in order to challenge the legal opposition to their doing so. The problem revolves around the discussion of two particular cases. To start, during the 1960s, the president of the Ford Motor Company Arjay Miller had gotten into an accident and his gas tank had ruptured. Despite giving a moving speech about the need for better safety standards in cars, ten years later it is evident that while they had the capability to provide better standards for a lower price, they failed to do so. This is most highlighted in the case discussed involving the woman and boy who got into an accident. The woman was died from burns and the boy survived but was horribly maimed.
2. Define the ethical issue:
(a) list the stakeholders
The major stakeholders in this case seem to be both the general public and Ford Motor Company. While the public has a general concern for their well-being and safety Ford Motor Company has a concern for their bottom line. Furthermore, the government entities such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also have a state in this issue as it is their duty to present regulations in regards to these incidents. The relationship between these three major interests is important to consider as it provides a basic framework for understanding the ethical issues that are involved.
(b) define the ethical issue
This demonstrates a major ethical concern. The case brings to light an important ethical consideration regarding the obligations that Ford had in providing the safest possible solutions to the safety issues that they knew were present in their products. This demonstrates a major ethical conflict in regards to the standards that should be presented to those whose products are liable to cause accident, death, or injury. The conflict is therefore between the rights of consumers to be provided with the most safe standards possible and those of businesses to pursue their bottom line and implement their own cost-benefit analysis in order to make decisions.
3. Identify Major Principles, Rules, and Values:
The major principles involved in the case demonstrate the basic conception, from the Ford Motor Company's point of view, that business have the right to pursue their own best interests despite the harm that this might cause the public. This demonstrates the notion of harm and the obligations that companies have to promote products that implement the lowest level of harm necessary in order for that product to function. The values that the company should have are therefore evident. In light of this, application of Kantian ethics and presentation of an obligation to morality as an act of duty seems to be an evident step in mitigating these issues. The major values that have been considered in this case by Ford have been Utilitarian, mainly concerned with profit and the ability to maximize profit. In relation to the public and those that were harmed, the major principles that seem evident are responsibility, obligation, and ethical consideration. In this sense, it is evident that there is a desire on the part of the public to establish rules and regulations that mitigate the potential dangers of products that they purchase. On the other hand, the primary desires of the business seem to be the reduction of cost.
4. Specify the Alternatives:
The major choices that seem to be presented within the case are those of the Ford Motor Company and those of the general public and their concern for safety. In regards to Ford, it seems that their purpose is to develop ways to maximize their profit by reducing the level of regulations that are able to dictate how they build their vehicles. This presents a fundamentally utilitarian perspective in regards to their ethical considerations. The public on the other hand would most benefit from the establishment of these regulations. The application of a Kantian notion of universal principles. This would mean the establishment of a basic maxim or regulation that would condition Ford to act in a particular way. It would seem that the most likely solution to these concerns would be to ensure that people are aware of the safety standards that are built into vehicles. In this sense, it seems important to establish transparency so that buyers know if they are getting vehicles that might have safer alternatives in regards to the way that they were produced. In presenting the issue in this light, it would seem that there is a basic alternative to nothing being done about the issue and too much regulation being established in regards to the manufacturing of cars.
5. Compare Values and Alternatives:
The major concern in this case is diminishing the chances of the defect causing harm or injury to human life. In doing so it is evident that the Ford Motor Company would have to be coerced into providing these changes as they apparently will not make the changes through ethical considerations alone. It would seem that the most effective means of mitigating loss of life would be to implement a policy that would require the regulation of vehicle safety moving forward. Car companies would have to utilize the products that are known to provide the most measurable amount of safety to those who use them. It is therefore evident that there would have to be either a recall or a marketing campaign to let those who purchased the cars with safety issues know of the danger that they face. There are major ethical implications to there being products that pose a threat to human lives. In demonstrating strategies related to virtue ethics, the Ford Motor Company should consider their personal goals and considerations. It should not be the obligation of a company to act out of the need to adhere to a rule or regulation but instead they should act in moral ways out of their own character. This demonstrates the need for major reforms in regards to how the roles of those in businesses view themselves and their relationship with the rest of society. In challenging those in business to act out of principle rather than due to preexisting regulations or through the application of structured analysis of the issues a more considerate framework for the carrying out of decisions can be achieved.
6. Assess the Consequences:
The major short term consequences of these alternatives would be the establishment of values that mitigate harm. Through the application of methods that can develop virtue ethics towards the personal responsibilities that leaders in business environments have it is conceivable that the short term decisions that are made could potentially limit accidents such as those that occurred in the Ford Pinto. In developing personal ethics that are evident in the very actions that leaders take a more moral framework for the responsible consideration of public safety can be developed. Long term consequences of implementing these alternative solutions are a major restructuring of how business are organized and how they perceive their responsibility towards the general public that purchase their products. The major positive outcomes of implementing such ethical considerations would be an increase in basic public safety and an overhaul of values regarding the responsibilities that businesses have to the public well-being and safety. The major negative consequences would be loss of revenue for the Ford Motor Company which would present a major challenge to the logistics of developing new and better technologies.
7. Make Your Decision:
It is evident that loss of human life or injury should not be superseded by the projected value or favored outcome of a business or organization. For this reason, the decisions made regarding the public well-being should be done so in light of non-utilitarian values. The bottom line or profit should not be the major consideration of a business whose product, when safety is not accounted for, can result in such devastation or loss of life. For this reason, the leaders of Ford Motor Company should seek to develop more moral value in regards to their personal responsibility towards the public. This obligation should not be the result of established laws or regulations but rather the result of the personal moral or ethical considerations that the individual making the decisions has made. While many aspects of business from design and production to implementation can be considered on a utilitarian basis those decisions, such as safety, that can have a major impact on the public's safety or well being should not be considered on such grounds. Instead, it is evident that those in the positions capable of making these decisions should seek to develop a greater sense of personal responsibility. For this reason, it is evident that there should be a major recall of those cars, such as the Pinto, which have been marketed to the public and there should also be a campaign for public awareness so that people who may purchase these vehicles in the future are more likely to understand the potential hazards to their safety.
References
Dowie, M. (2007). Things Fall Apart: Pinto Madness. Honest Work: A Business Ethics Reader. Oxford Universtiy Press. 345-348.
