And More

And More

Explain the ways in which external pressures have influenced your decision.

    In the case of Ford pinto, I believe external pressure played a huge role in the decision made by the organization. In today’s competitive and diverse market, businesses find themselves putting their business ethics at risk, just so they can keep up with this fast-paced environment and to make sure their goods and services stay in top of the line. What many of them fail to realize is how much damage this can cause and how huge the impact can be to their business reputation. Many businesses are in just for the money. Making money itself is not the problem; it is the manner in which businesses conduct themselves that brings up the question of ethical behavior.  
    Customers are the roots of a business without a customer a business cannot be successful. To maintain a strong relationship there should always be trust and confidentiality. “Customer confidence issues include a range of topics such as confidentiality, safety and effectiveness, truth in advertising and special fiduciary responsibilities” (Trevino, 2006, pg.77). In this case, Ford violated all those rights. The company allowed the external pressures manipulate their decision putting first profits and sacrificing safety.
    The cost/benefit calculation was totally unethical in my opinion, especially when is a matter of life or death. Is it possible to set a price for all things, especially a human life? Instead of a monetary system, sire should adopt an ethical system that balances conflicts between certain unspecified duties and rights according to "deliberate reflection. It was a poor and irresponsible decision and after all it end up costing the company a lot more than what they estimated. As it turned out, suits brought against Ford and the amount it had to pay (estimated at more than $50 million) far exceeded what it saved ($20.9 million) by not correcting the defect—not to mention the cost of bad publicity...