The Dumping Of The Waste Case Study

Even if it hadn’t been illegal, it still would have been unethical for Lupo to order the dumping of the waste. Ethics are the morals that guide a person’s actions. People have different morals that guide their behaviors, which makes ethics a subjective area. By looking at some ethical frameworks, we can see that Lupo’s order was unethical. First, consequentialism looks at the result of an action in determining if a decision is ethical (Lightle, Susan). By dumping the toxic waste, the creek became void of life (Hardrock Case). That area can no longer support wildlife, including any fish that lived in that creek. The creek also spills into the Mahoning River so the toxic waste also affects any areas along the river’s path. Since the action leads to a negative result, the dumping of the waste was an unethical decision. Second, deontology states that behavior is dictated by rules based on a duty to do what is right (Lightle, Susan). Lupo had a duty to the people, the wildlife, and the environment to not pollute the environment with toxic waste. The right thing to do would have been to dump the waste responsibly. As a result of dumping the waste, people,

By looking at the same ethical frameworks (consequentialism and deontology), it can be determined that their behavior was unethical. First, the employees dumped the toxic waste, and the creek became void of life. Since this was a negative end result, their action was unethical. Second, the employees had a duty to do what was right. The right thing to do was to not comply with the order so that they could protect the environment. Since they failed in their duty to protect the environment, their action was unethical. Finally, the employees knew that dumping the waste was the wrong thing to do as evidenced by them trying to talk Lupo out of dumping the waste. Hiding behind the fact that they were ordered to dump the waste is not a defense for their