United States Tubing, Inc., employed Stuart Wildman as a salesman to sell oilfield tubular products to businesses in the oil and gas drilling industry. Wildman believed that one of U.S. Tubing’s new products, a tubular casing for high-torque and high-pressure oilrig drilling applications, had not been adequately tested and therefore was a very serious danger to anyone who used it. Wildman performed his sales duties to the best of his ability, but he continued to complain about and express his reservations about the company’s new tubular casing. Wildman alleged that, because of his complaints, he was summarily discharged without notice. Given these facts, and considering that Wildman was not a safety expert and had bypassed ordinary company procedures in his complaints, fully discuss the following questions:

Did the employer act wrongfully in discharging Wildman? Why?

Did Wildman have an ethical duty to raise concerns about the new tubular casing product? Why?

Does an employer’s need to maintain internal administrative order and harmony in the company outweigh its duty to do all it can to ensure product safety? Should it? Explain.

Suppose that you were a manager and Wildman raised the matter with you. How would you act, and what ethical factors would influence your decision? Explain. How would duty-based ethical standards impact your decision? Explain. How would utilitarian ethics impact your decision? Explain.