Making an Ethical Decision Scenario

Scenario:

George Cosgrove is the Senior Vice President (SVP) for Quality Control at All-in-One Pharmaceutical, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the Company), a multi-million-dollar medical supply manufacturer and distributor with offices in several states.

George has been with the Company for 25 years in a variety of positions but his current position, which he has held for the last 5 years, is by far his plum assignment and position with the Company.

George oversees all testing of products, putting to good use his advanced degree in supply chain management, with a concentration in healthcare. He is known throughout the Company, as the "go to" person on any of the Company's numerous products.

As SVP, George is one of the final Company officials to approve the launch of any its products on the market.

One of the Company's signature products is a device called "Shot-o-Vac," a revolutionary device depended upon by many consumers for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions.

The Company spent millions of dollars developing the product and the U.S. Patent Office recently extended its intellectual property rights in the product for another 5 years, which virtually guarantees that the Company will have no competition in the manufacture and distribution of this product during the extension period.

Excited and pleased over the government's action extending the

Company's intellectual property rights, the CEO, Perry Periwinkle, called George into his office to give him the great news.

Given George's prominence in the company and his work developing the Shot-o-Vac, the CEO wanted to share a toast to the great news. George was ecstatic over the news and appreciative of the CEO's acknowledgement of his efforts. During their conversation, the CEO told George that the extension of the intellectual property rights not only meant long-term stability for the Company, but also meant the green light for the CEO's plan to double the price of the device. George was taken aback by this news, as he had always believed the price was correctly set and provided a good profit margin for the Company.

Seeing the concerned look on George's face, the CEO patted him on the back and said "George-- in this business one has to strike while the iron is hot, and this will increase everyone's compensation. I know this is important to you because you have three kids in college."

Having been present at the meetings with the government discussing the extension of the intellectual property rights, George recalled the CEO's representations that the Company did not foresee any significant increases in the price of the device in the near term, and that any increases would be commensurate with any increases in the Company's costs associated with the manufacture of the device. When George reminded the CEO of these representations, the CEO noted that they were not legally binding and were just gamesmanship. Whether the representations were legally binding or not, George could not put out of his mind his belief that they played a part in the US Patent Office's decision.

While the CEO is anxious to roll out the newly priced device, he values George's advice and the concerned look on George's face did not go unnoticed. The CEO's last words to George were "if you have any reservations at all, you need to let me know." George, with many thoughts racing through his mind, including his internal pledge to himself that he would always be an instrument for good, assured the CEO that he would give him his best counsel and left the office to think about what he should do.

Purpose:

In the first assignment, students are provided a scenario in which George Cosgrove, Senior Vice-President for All-In-One Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is faced with an ethical dilemma.

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment:

1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global business environments using an understanding of ethical concepts and of legal and business principles

2. develop and evaluate alternatives to, and recommend solutions for, ethical dilemmas, taking into account ethical and legal requirements and the essential mission of the business enterprise

3. effectively communicate to internal and external business stakeholders the complexities of ethical issues, suggesting and analyzing various solutions in order to ensure appropriate business practices and accountability

Step 1: Preparation for Writing the Assignment

Task 1: Review "How to Analyze a Case Study" under Week 3 Content. You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario focusing on using this information to determine opportunities and solve problems.

Task 2: Read the grading rubric for the assignment. Use the grading rubric while writing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible points.

Task 3: Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as "I, me, my, we, or us" (first person writing), nor is there use of "you or your" (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.

Task 4: Contractions are not used in business writing, so you are expected NOT to use contraction in writing this assignment.

Task 5: You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to use direct quotes. You are expected to paraphrase, which can be learned by reviewing this link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html.

Task 6: You are responsible for APA only for in-text citations and a reference list. However, all source material must be cited and referenced.

Task 7: You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario paired with the weekly courses readings to develop the analysis and support the reasoning. No more than three (3) external resources can be used in completing the assignment. The expectation is that you provide a robust use of the course readings. If any material is used from a source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper under Week 1 content.

Step 2: How to Set Up the Paper

Task 1: Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 3-4 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page. You may not exceed four (4) pages so it is important to write clearly and concisely.

Task 2: Use the following format with headings:

• Create a title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor's name and date;
• Introduction
• Ethical Dilemma;
• The Decision;
• Compare and Contrast of Results Using Two Theories;
• Resolution of Dilemma

Task 3: Create the introductory paragraph. Within this paragraph, provide a brief overview of the scenario. Then, provide a thesis statement and tell the reader the main topics covered in the paper. The introduction comes at the beginning of the paper and tells a reader the main topics covered in the paper. View this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html

Step 3: Clearly identify the ethical dilemma George is faced with now?

Task 1: Read the case scenario located under Week 3.

Look for the ethical dilemma, which can be identified as a dilemma that focuses on matters of principle. An ethical dilemma can be seen when two principles are in conflict.

Task 2: Present the ethical dilemma as an either/or decision or as two or more alternatives.

Step 4: Explain the decision George should make?

Task 1: Students are required to apply at least two theories to explain the decision that George should make.

Step 5: Compare and contrast two of the theories used to explain the decision George should make

Task 1: Create a table with two columns. In the first column, identify the similarities of the two theories. In the second column, identify the differences of the two theories.

Task 2: Discuss each of the similarities identified in the first column

Task 3: Discuss each of the differences identified in the second column.

Step 6: Select the result that provides the best resolution of the ethical dilemma and explain why.

Step 7: Create a summary paragraph.

Task 1: It is not appropriate to leave a paper hanging so summarize the paper by telling a reader the main points covered in the paper.