Assignment: Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World

PharmaCARE (We CARE about YOUR health) is one of the world's most successful pharmaceutical companies, enjoying a reputation as a caring, ethical and well-run company that produces high-quality products that save millions of lives and enhance the quality of life for millions of others (Note: PharmaCARE is a hypothetical company that you will to compare to a real company as noted in the assignment criteria below). The company offers free and discounted drugs to low-income consumers, has a foundation that sponsors healthcare educational programs and scholarships, and its CEO serves on the PhRMA board. PharmaCARE recently launched a new initiative, We CARE about YOUR world, pledging its commitment to the environment through recycling, packaging changes and other green initiatives, despite the fact that the company's lobbying efforts and PAC have successfully defeated environmental laws and regulations, including extension of the Superfund tax, which was created by Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Based in New Jersey, PharmaCARE maintains a large manufacturing facility in the African nation of Colberia, where the company has found several "healers" eager to freely share information about indigenous cures and an abundance of Colberians willing to work for $1.00 a day, harvesting plants by walking five miles into and out of the jungle carrying baskets that, when full, weigh up to fifty pounds. Due to the low standard of living in Colberia, much of the population lives in primitive huts with no electricity or running water. PharmaCARE's executives, however, live in a luxury compound, complete with a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a golf course. PharmaCARE's extensive activities in Colberia have destroyed habitat and endangered native species.

In preparation for this assignment, use the Internet or Strayer Library to research companies that have recently experienced negative consequences as a result of the company's corporate activities. Compare the facts and consequences surrounding the companies you have researched to PharmaCare to support your response(s) to the criteria below.

Write a six to eight page paper in which you:

1. Describe the key characteristics of a stakeholder and determine all the stakeholders within the PharmaCARE scenario.

2. Analyze the human rights issues presented by PharmaCARE's treatment of the Colberia's indigenous population versus that of its executives. Recommend at least three changes PharmaCARE can make to be more ethical going forward.

3. Assess PharmaCARE's environmental initiative against the backdrop of its anti-environmental lobbying efforts and Colberian activities. Support the position.

4. Decide whether or not PharmaCARE's actions with respect to the indigenous people of Colberia would be ethical in accordance with each of the following ethical theories:

a. Utilitarianism
b. Deontology
c. Virtue ethics
d. Ethics of care
e. Your own moral / ethical compass

5. Compare PharmaCARE's actions with those of at least one real-world company, whose corporate activities led to ethical, environmental, or workplace safety issues and financial loss. Analyze the similarities and differences between PharmaCARE and the company that you chose.

6. Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable reference and proprietary Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze and evaluate laws that protect against discrimination in the workplace.
• Examine and assess employee rights to health and safety in the workplace.
• Analyze environmental protection laws and assess their impact on organizations.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in law, ethics, and corporate governance.
• Write clearly and concisely about law, ethics, and corporate governance using proper writing mechanics.