Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World

Assignment 3: Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the

World

Due Week 7 and worth 250 points

PharmaCARE (We CARE about YOUR health) is one of the world’s most successful

pharmaceutical companies, enjoying a reputation as a caring, ethical and well-run

company that produces high-quality products that save millions of lives and enhance

the quality of life for millions of others (Note: PharmaCARE is a hypothetical

company that you will to compare to a real company as noted in the assignment

criteria below). The company offers free and discounted drugs to low-income

consumers, has a foundation that sponsors healthcare educational programs and

scholarships, and its CEO serves on the PhRMA board. PharmaCARE recently

launched a new initiative, We CARE about YOUR world, pledging its commitment to

the environment through recycling, packaging changes and other green initiatives,

despite the fact that the company’s lobbying efforts and PAC have successfully

defeated environmental laws and regulations, including extension of the Superfund

tax, which was created by Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,

and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Based in New Jersey, PharmaCARE maintains a large manufacturing facility in the

African nation of Colberia, where the company has found several healers eager to

freely share information about indigenous cures and an abundance of Colberians

willing to work for $1.00 a day, harvesting plants by walking five (5) miles into and

out of the jungle carrying baskets that, when full, weigh up to fifty (50) pounds. Due

to the low standard of living in Colberia, much of the population lives in primitive

huts with no electricity or running water. PharmaCARE’s executives, however, live in

a luxury compound, complete with a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a golf course.

PharmaCARE’s extensive activities in Colberia have destroyed habitat and

endangered native species.

In preparation for this assignment, use the Internet or Strayer Library to research

companies that have recently experienced negative consequences as a result of the

company’s corporate activities. Compare the facts and consequences surrounding the

companies you have researched to PharmaCare to support your response(s) to the

criteria below.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. Describe the key characteristics of a stakeholder and determine all the

stakeholders within the PharmaCARE scenario. 2. Analyze the human rights issues presented by PharmaCARE’s treatment of the

Colberia’s indigenous population versus that of its executives. Recommend at

least three (3) changes PharmaCARE can make to be more ethical going

forward.

3. Assess PharmaCARE’s environmental initiative against the backdrop of its

anti-environmental lobbying efforts and Colberian activities. Support the

position.

4. Decide whether or not PharmaCARE’s actions with respect to the indigenous

people of Colberia would be ethical in accordance with each of the following

ethical theories:

a. Utilitarianism

b. Deontology

c. Virtue ethics

d. Ethics of care

e. Your own moral / ethical compass

5. Compare PharmaCARE’s actions with those of at least one (1) real-world

company, whose corporate activities led to ethical, environmental, or workplace

safety issues and financial loss. Analyze the similarities and differences

between PharmaCARE and the company that you chose.

6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia is

not an acceptable reference and proprietary Websites do not qualify as

academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with oneinch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or schoolspecific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name,

the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the

reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Analyze and evaluate laws that protect against discrimination in the workplace. Examine and assess employee rights to health and safety in the workplace. Analyze environmental protection laws and assess their impact on

organizations. Use technology and information resources to research issues in law, ethics, and

corporate governance. Write clearly and concisely about law, ethics, and corporate governance using

proper writing mechanics. Points: 250 Assignment 3: Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and

the World

Unacceptable Fair Proficient Exemplary Below 70% F 70-79% C 80-89% B 90-100% A Did not submit or

incompletely

described the key

characteristics of a

stakeholder, and

did not submit or

incompletely