Papers on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations" and similar term paper topics

Paper #101285 :: The Ethical Obligations of Corporations
Buy and instantly download this paper now

This paper debates the moral and ethical obligations of corporations in modern society.

Written in 2008; 2,970 words; 7 sources; MLA; $ 87.95

Paper Summary:

The paper consists of two parts. Part I of the paper shows how corporations make decisions on the assumption that injury and death to innocent people is an acceptable cost for profits. The paper looks at the Ford Motor Company that did not reveal that their Pinto model had a gas tank that could explode and burn. The paper argues that the rise in white-collar crime is linked to the materialist, consumerist nature of our society, which is reflected in our legal systems. Part II of the paper analyzes these kinds of behaviors by applying normative theories to them. The paper shows how neither utilitarian, deontological nor virtue ethics theories can give a clear and definitive answer to the question of whether Ford made a correct choice.

From the Paper:

"An example of corporations putting profit before any other consideration may be found in the case of the Ford Motor Company. This company decided at one time to keep quiet about the fact that their Pinto model had a gas tank that tended to explode and burn in the event of a rear end collision. This of course resulted in injury to people inside the vehicles, and sometimes even death. Ford's reasoning was that it would be more profitable to settle resultant law suits than to recall the faulty vehicles. (Samuelson) It is important to note that this decision was not classified as a crime, even though one might expect it to be. It is argued in this essay that the reasons for this kind of thinking (both the decision Ford made, and the fact that it was not classified as a crime) go right to the root of the nature and values of our society, which in turn are reflected in our legal systems."

Tags: profit capitalism utilitarian deontological virtue ethics right wrong obligations

More papers on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations"

1. Paper #103834 :: The Ethical Obligations of Corporations ( 3,988 words; 8 sources; MLA )
2. Paper #041278 :: Corporate Governance and Corporate Law ( 2,900 words; 5 sources; )
3. Paper #059271 :: Microsoft Corporation?s Code of Ethics ( 1,060 words; 3 sources; APA )
4. Paper #031365 :: Large Corporations ( 4,900 words; 9 sources; )
5. Paper #026640 :: Ethical Issues Faced by Motorola ( 2,793 words; 4 sources; MLA )

About AcaDemon

We have thousands of high-quality term papers, research papers, essays, book reports and dissertations on every topic. At AcaDemon, you can download those term papers to help you write yours! You can be sure that the term paper, essay, book report or research paper, you download are top-quality, competitively priced and high-level work.

Look for more research papers, essays and book reports on The Ethical Obligations of Corporations

This Free Term Paper Abstract is a part of our Term Paper Library. Here you can purchase research papers, examples of essays, academic dissertations, articles, notes, analytical papers, book reports, stories and poems. We have thousands of persuasive, point-of-view, narrative, critical, compare and contrast and other types of essays in our Library. You can also find here Term papers on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Essays on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Research papers on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Student papers on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Book reports on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Dissertation on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Thesis on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Summary of paper on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations", Articles written on "The Ethical Obligations of Corporations".