If Kafluk prevented fifty Asian people who were infected with bird flu from dying, would Arnetts conduct
Question:
If Kafluk prevented fifty Asian people who were infected with bird flu from dying, would Arnett’s conduct in this situation be ethical under a utilitarian model of ethics? Why or why not?
Isabel Arnett was promoted to chief executive officer (CEO) of Tamik, Inc., a pharmaceutical company that manufactures a vaccine called Kafluk, which supposedly provides some defense against bird flu. The company began marketing Kafluk throughout Asia. After numerous media reports that bird flu could soon become a worldwide epidemic, the demand for Kafluk increased, sales soared, and Tamik earned record profits. Tamik’s CEO, Arnett, then began receiving disturbing reports from Southeast Asia that in some patients, Kafluk had caused psychiatric disturbances, including severe hallucinations, and heart and lung problems. Arnett was informed that six children in Japan had committed suicide by jumping out of windows after receiving the vaccine. To cover up the story and prevent negative publicity, Arnett instructed Tamik’s partners in Asia to offer cash to the Japanese families whose children had died in exchange for their silence. Arnett also refused to authorize additional research within the company to study the potential side effects of Kafluk.
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Business Law Text and Cases
ISBN: 978-0324655223
11th Edition
Authors: Kenneth W. Clarkson, Roger LeRoy Miller, Gaylord A. Jentz, F