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The Ford Pinto Ethical Dilemma

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The Ford Pinto Ethical Dilemma
Written by Learning Team B; C. Riley, F. Foster, K. Jankoski, M. Riner, & R. Price
Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility
16 Aug 2010
Paul A. Kramer

The Ford Pinto Ethical Dilemma
In this presentation, a very important case that transpired from 1971 to 1978 with the Ford Motor Company, under the leadership of Mr. Lee Iacocca, CEO will be explored. During that time the CEO of Ford wanted to manufacture a vehicle to keep up with the competition that was going on with other manufactures. The Ford Company experienced many tragic issues with this vehicle having to pay millions of dollars in lawsuits. This was due to their negligence in not following the proper inspection procedures.
It will be observed how this company was affected by the ethical and unethical issues regarding the Ford Pinto along with Ford and the Department of Transportation being the blame for every accident that transpired for not following the normal inspection procedures. A comparison of utilitarianism, deontological and virtue ethics in whistle blowing will be discussed to display how any business today can experience the negative or positive effects of such behavior. The risk taken stirred up a lot of talk nationwide regarding Ford’s action. The question of discussion will focus on whether or not Ford was actually the total blame for each incident that took place. First a possible solution will be looked at for the situation if one was to find themselves in the position of Mr. Iacocca.
If one were involved in an ethical dilemma such as the Ford Pinto Case, first and foremost, the solution would be based on doing the right thing, because it is good for the business and the consumer. Although that sounds simple, doing what is right is hard to act on. Be aware that these decisions will stem from some difficult psychological reasoning,

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