Paper Topic: Are companies in the tobacco industry unethical? Ethics: while defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the discipline dealing with what is good or bad [through] moral duty”, this concise phrase does not seem to encompass the word’s full connotation. The way ‘ethics’ is defined in the dictionary alludes that there is a black-and-white answer to whether an action, belief, or opinion is ethical. Unfortunately, when applying this term to real life, decisions are almost never as clear cut as right or wrong. Why then, are we so quick to judge things as right or wrong, good or bad, ethical or unethical? As a race, humans are easily persuaded and quick to judge others who do not follow their beliefs. This leads to people not spending time evaluating whether something has both right and wrong facets. Many highly debated issues, such as abortion, drinking-age and religion, are controversial because there are ethical arguments for each side. These ethical dilemmas are not confined to personal situations, but spread to politics, governments, and businesses as well. A highly controversial debate in business ethics is the production and distribution of tobacco products. Many people will debate that the selling and promotion of tobacco products is unethical due to the threat these products pose to consumers’ health. While this health risk is of high concern, the emotional ties that people have to this argument constrict their ability to look at both sides of the case. To address the statement that selling cigarettes is unethical due to the danger associated with it, one must determine what separates this manufactured good from other harmful products. It is true that tobacco is a dangerous drug and can do damage to a person; how... ... middle of paper ... ...by consumers. The human race needs to stop viewing the term “ethical” as a black-and-white fact and accept that often ethics is a reflection of opinion. From the business point of view, the production and distribution of tobacco products is ethical. Tobacco is a legal product and a desired one at that. If adults are legally allowed to consume a product and are eager to do so, then companies are going to provide it. From a humane perspective, the marketing and production of tobacco may be unethical; it knowingly harms its consumers and produces a product that purposefully addicts consumers. By asking the question “Are companies in the tobacco industry ethical or unethical?” we are being encouraged to view the topic as a black-and-white argument. The truth of the matter is that no matter which side people choose to argue; in the real world ethics has shades of gray.
In conclusion, ethics has no place in the tobacco business and the rights and obligations that usually would apply for any other company would not apply to a tobacco company as the right to trade secrecy, information privacy or the right to get a customer to buy its products is nullified by the fact the tobacco industry itself is absolutely built to sell products that are scientifically proven to be carcinogenic and harmful to its users.
Ethics is defined by as the “branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions
“Killing Them Softly,” an essay by Jacob Sullum, addresses the issue of Senator Judd Gregg’s bill to give the Food and Drug Administration control over tobacco products. This bill would allow the FDA to make such decisions as halting tobacco companies’ marketing of safer tobacco products and reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes. Sullum argues that by giving the FDA the power to make such decisions, individual consumers would be disadvantaged and lives could possibly be lost instead of saved. If given control of such decisions, the FDA would not allow the introduction of safer tobacco products as they feel this will increase the number of smokers. They feel more people will begin using these products that are advertised as less harmful substances, whereas Sullum feels it would be better for people to change their habits to these “safer alternatives.” Sullum fails to consider benefits of relinquishing control to the FDA, however. By considering some of the positive results, Sullum might develop a different opinion and support the bill as he should.
Questioning whether it is ethically right to defend something like tobacco sounds useless since we know the health consequences that come from smoking but the question is necessary. The film Thank You For Smoking touches on the topic of right and wrong. Instinctively, we would assume that taking the side of the tobacco lobbyists would be the wrong thing to do as it would seem like we’re disregarding the health effects of it but there are a few ways to justify taking that stance on the subject. The explanation of your decisions is what determines if what you did was right.
The question is, who should be held accountable? And what should be done? There is clearly no way tobacco will never be outlawed, but I believe there should be tighter restrictions on age limits throughout the world, and restrictions on the materials that are used in cigarette processing. Who is just letting cigarette companies continue to poison people and cause cancer risk? Throughout my essay, I will analyze the affects of cigarette use on the society of the world and the elaborate corruption that keeps cigarette companies in business.
Cigarettes have become a national icon, as big as the likes of cooperating giants such as Coca-Cola, as people are familiar with the idea of smoking from such a young age, becoming so addicted and subservient to seeing the act as normalcy in modern day America. Therefore certain solutions are needed to, at the very least, help make this icon less harmful to this country’s health. Both online articles, “Are Herbal and ‘Natural’ Cigarettes Safer?” by Ennis Thompson Jr.’s and “Marlboro Introduces Vitamin-Infused Cigarettes” by The Daily Currant argue that the so called “healthy” or “natural” cigarettes actually have a few health benefits and are only just a way to slow down the dangers of smoking. The Daily Currant makes a valid argument through
In the years 1950-1968, the tobacco industries knew that their product was harmful and didn¹t decide to warn the American public until the year 1969. Because of the tobacco companies irresponsibility, our older generations are enduring painful, inevitable deaths. The tobacco companies have been arguing for years that no studies have been done within their company about the correlation of cigarette smoking and lung cancer and that they are ignorant on that matter. They have been keeping things from us for years while studies outside the tobacco companies had been done to help prove that smoking is harmful in the short and long runs to one¹s health. There was a memo written in 1963 marked ³strictly private and confidential² which stated,² moreover, nicotine is addictive... We are then in the business of selling nicotine, an addictive drug effective in the release of stress mechanisms.²(Hwang). If the tobacco companies were in fact ³ignorant² on the correlation between their product and lung cancer along with other diseases, then they should make themselves more educated about their own product or suffer the consequences and face law suits from the government and citizens of America. But, in fact, the tobacco companies have known for years what is really in each cigarette and how it really might affect us in the long run.
The term ethics originates from the Greek word ethikos and later translated into Latin as moralis. Therefore it is easy to see the link between ethics and morals. When we refer to irresponsible behaviour we refer to it as immoral or unethical. The focus is on the character and mannerism of a person. Ethics is based on the fact that it is unselfish and balances what is good for one’s self and what is good for others. An action is therefore unethical if the person doing the action is only concerned about the self and not about the good and the other.
The tobacco industry is important to the economy. In 1991, worldwide tobacco sales exceeded $59.8 billion and in 1992 the industry was rated as one of the top one hundred advertisers (Pechmann and Ratneshwar, 1994). However, there are high prices to pay - socially, economically, and personally - as a result of this industry. Annual mortality figures indicate that cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. An estimated 390,000 people die each year of smoke related illnesses, which is greater than the combined mortality for cocaine, crack, AIDS, homicide, suicide, and alcohol abuse (Botvin, G., Baker, Botvin, E., Dusenbury, Cardwell, and Diaz, 1993).
While cigarettes prices rise, and a new generation turns to smoking, tobacco companies profit more each year. Is the price of loved ones worth the deaths of family members and or friends? Is the price of medical bills due to smoking an expense needed in average society? Should the production and the sale of cigarettes continue to occur, knowing the lethal impact it has on human civilization? I believe the production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal because it causes needless deaths, addicts a younger audience by design, and creates a financial burden.
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word “ethos” which means an ethical person is one who has a character. Ethics is a norm that translates ideals and values into everyday practice. Ethics is not a manual with answers on how to act. It is only a search for the right kind of morality. It is also the standards that define what right conduct is and what is wrong conduct. Ethics is concerned with distinguishing between good and evil in the world, between right and wrong human actions and between virtuous and non-virtuous characteristics of people. Ethics is also a branch of philosophy that involves questions about morality. Thus, ethics is about making choices which signifies how people act in order to make the right choice and predict good
The tobacco industry is a very unethical industry, due to the long term effects of tobacco on humans. The industry also does not assess the ethical and social responsibility the best way that it should. There are many factors that make the industry unethical; some of the reasons are the way the cigarette companies around the world Advertise, the way governments and cigarette companies make a huge profit from the sales of cigarettes, and the labeling health risks. I do believe however that there is something that the tobacco companies can do to better their strategy as far as their ethics go. I think that they should, always be looking for the best interest on their consumers, as well as advertise strictly on the effects that the cigarettes and what the people are getting for their money.
"According to Norman E. Bowie, "Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually In terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fr...
Tobacco has been used, enjoyed, and abused around the world for centuries. Originally tobacco was produced for pipe smoking and chewing (chewing tobacco). The first cigarette was made around the 1600’s, but didn’t become popular in America until the end of the Civil War. The invention of the Cigarette rolling machine in 1883 sparked a tremendous surge of production and sales of cigarettes around the world. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that health risks from long-term tobacco use became a real issue in the world. In 1966 the American Surgeon General demanded warning labels be put on cigarette cartons warning users the possible health risks associated with tobacco use. Tobacco use has been a growing epidemic in the United
Normative theories of ethics do not have much descriptive strength, so they have been modified in an effort to explain differences in moral judgment. Researchers have since moved from examining the outcomes of decisions towards exploring different processes individuals use when making decisions among various possible outcomes (Strong & Meyer, 1992).