Virtual Ethics

Virtual Ethics
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Virtual Ethics
Relevant facts and decision that was made
One difficult ethical decision which I have faced at the place of work entailed the introduction of new flawed products into the market. At that time, I was the Product Manager of a toy manufacturer. The company had spent $25 million, which is a considerable amount, in research and development (R&D) to produce a new toy product designed for girls. Prior to its launch, the product was tested thoroughly. Testing revealed that 5% of all the new toy products were defective and could be harmful to the users. The sample size of the defective products was very small and in fact not statistically significant. As the product manager, I had to make a decision of either to postpone the launch of these new toys until the problem is rectified or to bring them into the market and sell them even with the defects. Individuals or groups with an important stake in the outcome include consumers who are young children who would use the defective toys and the company’s management who invested considerably in the product.
This was an ethical dilemma and the decision was difficult to make considering that if the launch of these new products is delayed, the company would lose millions of money. Conversely, if the defective products are introduced into the market, the users – young children – are more likely to be harmed, the company may suffer huge fines for making unsafe toys, and the company’s reputation for making high quality toys would be tarnished and damaged (Jackson, Wood & Zboja, 2013). At long last, I chose to hold off the launch. I believe that this decision was morally right.
Ethics perspective
Utility: I placed the slider upwards close to More Good. The action of delaying the launch of flawed toy products into the market actually produces the most good and does the least harm to those who are affected, particularly the consumers who are young children. The good that resulted is that since the faulty toy products were not sold, children did not play with them, the company was not fined heavily and the company’s reputation was not damaged. The outcome is measured by financial impact. If the flawed products had been introduced into the market, the company may have been fined millions of dollars by the relevant authorities (Welker & Berardino, 2014).
Rights: I placed the slider upwards to More Respect for Rights. This is because my action of not launching the defective products best respects the rights of everybody who has a stake. The action of delaying the launch particularly respects the dignity of the consumers who would have been negatively affected by the defective toys. By taking the action that I took, I treated other people – children...