Ethical Dilemma Facing Large Organizations and Coming up with a Corporate Response

Present an ethical dilemma facing large organisations in the 21st century and show how they might consider the issue and arrive at a corporate response using consequentialist principles.

Business ethics is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations. Through business ethics, an organization can improve its market understanding.

This essay deals with a social issue. The issue is a solvent abuse issue. The Indian police are having a tough time coping with the use of whitener as a drug. The white fluid used to erase errors in handwritten, printed papers, contains organic solvent. An increasing number of teenagers are getting addicted to the inhalation of whitener. The addiction to whitener has spread amongst the juveniles and poor street children. Pouring it on a handkerchief and then keeping it against the nose is how they use the whitener. Inhalation this way gives a high that last from 4 to 10 hours.

Dr. Dnyaneshwari Patharkar claims, “Inhaling whitener is 300 percent more harmful than regular alcohol. It directly affects the nervous system and hampers functioning of lungs, brain, and kidneys.” A whitener is sold with a diluter that is an organic solvent (hydrocarbon) like toluene, trichloroethylene, methylbenzene, which are alcoholic. These solvents give an instant kick when inhaled.

This issue might not be recognized throughout the country or world but it is an issue of concern. Walking through a market in broad daylight, you can see a number of children sitting on roadsides and sniffing glues or using some other drugs. In spite of such heavy use, the whitener is not covered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS). Therefore the police are finding it difficult to tackle this menace. It is known by the name of white ink amongst the Indian students.

The fact that makes it so famous amongst the slum kids is that it is very cheap when compared to other drugs. A 15ml bottle with a diluter would cost between Rs25 to Rs30.

The use of whitener as a drug is famous in India only. In a ‘times of India’ report date 6 April 2011, psychiatrists say, few years ago the addiction was amongst street and poor children only. Nowadays the addiction is seen in matriculation schools and engineering colleges.

Now the question that arises is, do the companies that are making a living out of selling whiteners have some responsibility towards those who are ruining their lives misusing these products? In times like today, the power and influence of business in society is greater than ever before. Businesses have the potential to provide a major contribution to our societies. Here comes the question of ethics, corporate social