Ethics Seminar
Cases involving Cooperation in Evil for 2012 Elmbrook Ethics Seminar
Here are the cases we will be discussing:
Goodyear tires and bank robbers
Bill works on the production line at a Goodyear tire plant. He knows that some of the tires he and the others are producing will be used on cars of some drug dealers and even some bank robbers. He wonders whether he can, in good conscience, be working there.Neo-Nazis and the mail
Henry is as a mailman in a small city. He notices that among the mail he delivers are some Neo-Nazi publications. He thinks such publications are evil and realizes that he is contributing to their use by delivering them to their recipients. Should he refuse to deliver them? Should he quit his job?Investing in a company that manufactures in China
Joe invests in a company that manufactures and sells a line of relatively inexpensive clothes. The company is growing and is very profitable. Joe knows that a major reason the company is doing so well is that it sells its product very cheaply and can do so because its product is produced at plants with very poor working conditions where the laborers are paid very low wages. He says that that is not his problem, since he is only making an investment and there is nothing wrong with buying shares of stock that are profitable (what other kinds of stock would you want, he says).Investing in a mutual fund
John has a 401K account which is invested in a large mutual fund. He knows that a few of the stocks in the fund are from companies that produce their products in China and that the workers are very poorly paid and work in very bad conditions. Is it right for him to invest his retirement funds in this way?Renting out hotel rooms for the night
Mr. Smith owns a hotel. He knows that some of the “married” couples who rent rooms for the night are using those rooms to commit adultery. He feels that he is aiding them to do something seriously wrong. Should he get out of the hotel business?Renting out hotel rooms by the hour
Mr. Jones owns a hotel. He has a large sign in front that advertises “Rooms rented by the hour.” He says that there is nothing wrong with renting rooms to the public, whether by the day or by the hour. He cannot control what people do when they rent his rooms.Helping perform abortions (a)
Jane, a nurse working a hospital, is asked to assist a doctor who is performing an abortion. She says that she thinks abortion is wrong, but the doctor says that all she will be asked to do is to hold the ultrasound on the woman’s abdomen and that she does not have to worry since there is nothing wrong with using an ultrasound machine. Should Jane go ahead?Helping perform abortions (b)
Steve works in the same hospital. His job is to sterilize implements used in surgery. He knows some of the implements are used in abortions which he considers to be homicide. Can he continue in this job?Purchasing for a hospital
Larry, who has a background in sales, is applying for a job works at the same hospital as the head of purchasing. He will oversee and agree to all contracts made with the vendors who sell them supplies. Among the items he for which he will solicit and set up purchasing agreements are implements used in abortions. Some of these items like anesthesia and surgical gowns are used in many procedures besides abortions. A few items are used only for abortions. Can he accept this job?Hosting some pornographic websites (a)
Bill works as the CFO at a small company that hosts internet sites. Over time the company begins to host some pornographic websites. He does not directly work on them, but is uncomfortable with the situation. He is single and could easily find another job. Should he leave the company?Hosting some pornographic websites (b)
Harry also works at this firm as an accountant. He had four children who are in local schools. If he loses his job, he will probably have to move to another city. He too is troubled by the company’s move to host pornographic sites. Should he leave the company?A tax lawyer gives advice (a)
Nancy Black, a tax lawyer, has a client, Mr. Farmer, who has recently moved to the state of Virginia. A provision of the Virginia tax law allows a person to work in the state for up to one year without paying state income tax, provided that the person does not intend to move to Virginia permanently. As they are discussing Mr. Farmer’s income tax filing, Nancy asks him is he is intending to live in the state permanently. As she asks this, she says, “Before you answer, let me tell you that if you say that you are not intending to move here permanently, you will not need to pay the tax for this year, since a person is allowed work for one year in this state without pay state income tax if he is not intending to change his residence to this state. Should she mention this last point? Is she simply an attorney doing her duty toward her client of informing him of the law, or is she helping him to possibly defraud the government? Would it be better if she did not mention this?A tax lawyer gives advice (b)
Later Nancy is discussing with Mr. Farmer a number of his expenses that may be considered business expenses (and so payable with pre-tax business income). He mentions the expenses related to the car that his wife drives. When Nancy asks him how much he drives the car, he says he uses it once or twice a year when the car he normally uses is in the shop. She says that such a use would not qualify as use for his business, so he cannot consider the expenses as business expenses. He then asks here what is the likelihood that he would be audited if he were to include it as a business expense, and, if audited, what would be the likely penalty. Should Nancy answer these questions as part of her obligations to give legal advice to her client?Designing predator drones
Henry is married and has five children, ages 3-16. He lives and owns a house in San Diego and has worked for 15 years as an electrical engineer at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which designs and produces the Predator and Reaper drones that compose the U.S. Air Force's entire armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) fleet. Originally he was excited to work on this project, since he thought these UAV would have the effect of reducing casualties. As time has passed, however, he has become increasingly concerned about the use that U.S. military has made of these drones, particularly the number of civilian casualties they cause (For example, a 2009 report from the Brookings Institute claims that in the attempts to use the drones against terrorist leaders in Pakistan, the ratio of civilians killed to targeted terrorists was 10-1). He is now being asked to take part in the design and production of the Avenger, a new and even larger UAV. Can he ethically work on this project? Could he work for the firm as long as he works on other projects?Sending a misleading fax for your boss
A junior salesperson at a large investment bank is assisting a top salesperson who is setting up a deal to finance the construction of a ship for a cruise line. He realizes that his boss is taking advantage of the cruise line company, because its executives do not understand fully all the complexities of the financing. At a certain point they because nervous about how the salesperson has been structuring the deal (fearing that they are being taken advantage of) and ask for some more information about the deal, information that will allow them to see whether or not the deal is fairly structured. The salesperson finds some information which, while accurate, will be misleading to the executives at the cruise lines. She tells the junior salesman to fax the information. He hesitates. Is it ethically right for him to send the fax? [case to be presented by an HBS M.B.A. student.]A patient asks his psychiatrist to change a prescription
A 55 year old divorced man is in treatment with a psychiatrist for depression. He has typically been withdrawing from social engagements, which leaves him with greater lethargy and more intense ruminations about how lonely and empty his life has become. After many years of having been resigned not to date, since his marriages never seemed to work out, he starts dating again. Then later, he asks whether his antidepressant—which seems to be working well, as evidenced by his increased sociability and energy—can be changed to one that does not cause sexual dysfunction. From a medical perspective, this change would be easy to make and would not imperil his progress. Should the psychiatrist do this? [case to be presented by a practicing psychiatrist]A psychiatrist asked to help a woman who wants to divorce her husband
A 40 year old mother of four with a lifelong history of anxiety comes to the psychiatrist asking for help with being "too dependent on others." If she could only overcome her tendency to be paralyzed with worry and ruminations, she says, she could carry out the divorce with which she has been threatening her husband for years. A simple medicine or a short course of therapy would be enough to treat her worrying / ruminating. Should the doctor do this? [case to be presented by a practicing psychiatrist]