5. Should Ford oppose or support tighter environmental standards that would apply equally to all vehicle manufacturers? How should Ford react to varying environmental standards in different countries? The Ford Motor Company issues a Corporate Citizenship Report each year. The first, Connecting with Society, was issued at its annual shareholders’

meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia in May 2000. That report was unique in its recognition that the company face a dilemma because its most profitable products, sports utility vehicles, contribute to environmental problems and may be considered not socially responsible.

In spite of these recognized problems the company stated that it intended to continue to manufacture and sell these vehicles. In an interview, Chairman William C. Ford, Jr. cited the Ford Explorer as an example: ‘If we didn’t provide that vehicle, someone else would, and they wouldn’t do it as responsibly as we do.’