Ethics Game Simulation

Matt Rogers

Week 4 Individual assignment – Ethical Game Simulation

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ethical Issues

Some of the ethical dilemmas that where confronted in the Game Simulation included the question of whether or not to disclose or make public important information regarding the contamination of healthcare supplements that were manufactured & distributed, but later found to be infused with contaminants that were below internal safety standards in terms of product quality, also posing a potential risk to adults with less of a tolerance or compromised immune systems. The contaminated products were clearly within (or below) FDA guidelines & health-safety standards, but the company was concerned with the potential risks of contaminated products affecting certain groups of “high-risk” consumers, as well as the potential legality issues they would face if they didn’t recall the affected products, or at least disclose or make public important information related to the Lab Results.

The company evaluated the decision to notify the consumers and took into consideration the advantages and disadvantages, or the pros & cons, associated with the outcome of their decision. As part of this evaluation, the primary stakeholders were identified because they are the ones who would be most impacted by the announcement of the contamination. The primary stakeholders in this case were the consumers, shareholders, the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, as well as the front-line Management – Quality Control Management & Operations Director. They used the rights and responsibility that they have to their consumers to support their decision.

The second ethical dilemma involved the company’s decision to expand to International markets and to sell its products outside of the USA that don’t meet or comply with FDA guidelines and consumer safety requirements. Increased FDA guidelines prompted the discussion, as well as the fact that foreign markets had less...