Impact of Unethical Behavior on Business Success: A Case Study of Sackler Family and OxyContin

This report analyzes the impact of unethical behavior on the success of a business using the case study of Sackler Family and OxyContin. It examines the perspectives of Purdue Pharma, the public, medical staff, and patients, and provides recommendations to protect against unethical behavior.

Academic and Professional Skills

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Running a business through ethical manner will leads to sustain the brand image at global
level. In the same way, current report is also based upon famous case of Sackler family and
OxyContin which is claim due to taking overdose of painkiller and as a result, more than 49000
people were died. Thus, the current report will describe whether Perdue Pharma is describe as a
successful even after providing the Opioids to their customers. Further report will analyse that
Pharma Perdue is not ethical with the point of view of medical staff, patients and public and
what is the impact upon profit as well. Further, report provide different recommendations that
may help a firm to protect itself against unethical behaviour.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
ANALYSIS......................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Success for the organization refers that in order to attain the increases and sustainable
results, the company have to execute strategies and also engage employees so that they attain
defined aim and objectives (Dunn, 2019). Thus, success measures by analysing whether the
business accomplish the defined goals or not. In the same way, ethics also plays an important
role in the success of a business such that ethical belief guides the values and behaviours through
which a business leads towards a success. On the other side, in top multinational companies, to
run a business with ethics, company also consider customers and workers working in that
industry so that they will help to attain the aim and objectives buy following it in ethical
manner. Further, when management of top companies also comply with ethics such that they
may also take reviews from the employees and also involve them in decision making process as
well, that also define run a business with ethical manner.
The report is based upon the case study of Sackler Family and Oxycontin in which
around 49000 people were die because of taking overdose of drugs opioids which is found in
OxyContin painkiller (Sivan and et.al., 2019). As a result, Sackler family own Purdue Pharma
which is already suffering from number of lawsuits and this case study is based upon how the
organization is describe as a successful if it’s not ethical. Thus, report will describe success from
the point of view of Purdue Pharma and how it will affected by unethical behaviour. Further,
describe from public perspective and from the medical staff as well as perspective of patients
and how it affected by unethical manner does. Lastly, report will provide a recommendation on
the basis of which a business may protect from an unethical behaviour as well.
ANALYSIS
The aim of this report is to describe the impact of having unethical behaviour in a running
business. The entire report is based upon the case study of Sackler Family who own a firm name
Pharma Perdue who provide OxyContin as a painkiller that helps to relive from pain, but in that
Opioids drugs is used that may leads to death as well. So the entire project will help to identify
whether Pharma Perdue run in ethical manner.
No, the organization is not describe as a successful if it is not ethical such that as per the
view of Avnon and et.al.,(2019) ethics plays an important role for the business success such that
it helps to improve decision making. For instance, if the firm does not value competition then it
establish monopoly in the market and that is why, it is necessary to have a strong competition.
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On the other side, following ethics will also help to secure the society because laws are actually
made to protect every individual so that no one may take advantage of any person, even it also
applied in the business also (Dobson, 2019). That is why, every big and small firm make sure
that all the laws and regulations are applied within a firm so that it will not affect brand in
opposite way. Such that in the case of Sackler Family and OxyContin, due to overdose of
opioids, 49000 people are dead in a year and on the other side, Purdue Pharma also states that it
is responsibility of individual not the company because they recommended them to take only 2
tablets but people take more.
Success from Purdue Pharma's point of view
As per the Purdue Pharma's point of view, profit of the firm is affected because it run in
unethical manner. It is supported by Vaisvaser and et.al., (2016) having an unethical behaviour
in a business will affect the customers, employees as well as financial performance of the firm
such that, as per the case study, Purdue Pharma also get bankrupt after the claim. Even in mid-
September, 2019, the firm also filed for bankruptcy in White plain but many of the states are also
refused to pay money in order to recover it. Even a firm earn $35 billion from the sale of
OxyContin but government charge $5004 billion to pay in the form of penalty (Result of Perdue
Pharma after resolving opioid case, 2018). As a result, it has to pay heavy penalty, thus it clearly
reflect that after death of more than 45000 peoples due to using opioids drugs will creates direct
impact upon the company's profit and financial performance .
Moreover, when thousands of people died due to taking high dose of OxyContin the
overall brand image of Sackler family and Perdue Pharma is affected in negative way and this
also affect the overall profit. Even it has to pay heavy penalty because of losing people lives and
most of the top pharma denied to help Perdue Pharma and none of the industry provide financial
support. Therefore, it clearly reflect that when company did not comply ethics, then it affect the
overall brand in negative way with financial loss.
Success from Public views
As per the case study, it is also not ethical from the point of view of Public and as a
result, they start protesting against the company such that Artist start protest Sackler Family
through Museum in which the bear name. Even majority of people are against with this because
when Perdue Pharma already knows its overdose may leads to death then it is not good to sell the
painkiller in market (Egharevba and Atkinson, 2016). On the other side, public views are against
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it such that a photographer and activist brought at Guggenheim Museum in New York where
thousands of fake prescription are dropped by public into atrium in order to show protest against
Sackler family and Perdue Pharma.
Thus, as per the view of Punj, (2017) running a business without following ethical
behaviour may cause to affect the brand image of the firm as in the case of Scakler family, even
though it own Perdue Pharma and it is actually responsible for overall. Nevertheless, people
actually protest against the Sackler family and especially those who losses their relative and
known due to taking OxyContin (van Rensburg and Bracke, 2019). Overall, it is clearly reflected
that from the public point of view, the business will not get succeed when it did not follow any
ethics.
Success from the perspective of medical staff:
As per medical staff, offering painkillers with such a high amount of drug may affect the
people. Nevertheless, doctors also prescribe medication and they also recommended to take
OxyContin because it helps to relieve from pain. On the other side, actually they did not sure that
overdosing of this medicine may affect in negative way. Further, the medical staff also help the
people to stop taking this medicines by having proper communication in which they describe
various pros and cons of having overdose of OxyContin so that it will help to let them realize
that it will affect their lives (Karimi, Stoev and Zander, 2017). On the other side, medical staff
also provide them evidence that helps to let people understand and believe that taking this
painkiller to relive from pain is actually harmful and that is why, they should stop using the
same.
Moreover, the doctors who deal in pharma also deals with this situation by realizing that
taking an overdose of OxyContin will affect the lives and may also leads towards death. After
death of more than 49000 people in a year, the government also started checking the stock of
every pharma in order to make sure that no other drug may affect the lives of people (van
Rensburg and Bracke, 2019). Even doctors also stop suggesting people to take this painkiller in
order to relive from pain. Thus, it clearly reflect that from the point of view of doctors and
medical staff, running a business without complying ethics will affect in negative way.
Success from perspective of patients:
As per the view of patient, they are addicted to take medicines which help to relieve from
pain and as a result, it affect their life. Therefore, it shows that unethical behaviour affected the
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overall image of the firm. From the case study, it is observe that Perdue Pharma already state that
if people use excessive amount of OxyContin then it may leads to death. Further, due to
carelessness of patient and they want recovery early, take overdose. As a result, it shows patient
are addicted to take this painkiller in order to get early relive. Therefore, they take overdose as
well. On the other side, when medical staff let people know about the disadvantages of taking
overdose of such painkiller, then they will realize that it affect their lives in negative way.
In addition to this, though Sackler Family much money to create awareness and different
promotional activities In order to let people know about OxyContin but side by side, Perdue
Pharma also offer to take only 2 tablets if needed in a day. But due to addiction, people take
overdose and as a result, Perdue Pharma also claim that the way the drug was taken was the
responsibility of individual rather than manufacturer (Opinion : The Opioid Crisis: Where Does
Pharma Go From Here? 2017).
CONCLUSION
By summing up above report it has been concluded that if the firm did not comply with
ethics, then it affect the overall brand such that in the case of Sackler Family and OxyContin who
own Perdue Pharma which provide a painkillers which contain overdose of Opioids that may
leads to die which is unethical behaviour. Thus, report also concluded that as per the company's
view, profit will definitely affected when it run without ethical manner because as per case study
huge number of death, public start protesting against firm that affect the brand image and staff
members of the hospitals includes doctors and nurses are also got affected negatively with this.
Lastly, report concluded that though company know that Perdue provide drugs in painkiller
whose overdose may affect public lives in opposite way but still most of the people taking this in
order to relive from pain.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From the above, it is observe that Perdue Pharma run in unethical manner because of
49000 people death. Therefore, some recommendations are provided:
 Release the coating of Opioids: It is to be recommended to the firm that they should
release the coating in a drug so that it will not affect in negative way, in addition to this,
they should also follow the ethics to run a business in better way so that the brand image
will not suffered (Siva and et.al., 2019). Moreover, it is also suggested to the firm that
they may stop selling OxyContin in the market because it contain Opioids as a drug that
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may affect the life of people in opposite way. Therefore, firm should not stop selling this
drug.
 Reduce the amount of promotional tools and techniques: As from the research it is
analysed that company uses different promotional techniques to promote the usage of
painkiller but it leads to misrepresentation the risk of addiction and as a result, cause
death (Van Dijk, 2019). Therefore, it is recommended to the firm that it should not spend
huge amount for promoting OxyContin in the market because it creates awareness among
people that helps to reduce pain and also relive pain from cancer, injuries etc.
 Comply with all laws and regulation: In addition to this, to Perdue Pharma, it is also
suggested to run a business towards ethical manner such that they must follow health,
safety and environmental standards so that it will not affect the overall working
environment in opposite way. Such to relive individual form pain, firm start involving
use of Opioids whose overdose affect the person in opposite way and it may also leads
towards death. Therefore, if the firm hollow health and safety standards then it will not
do.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Avnon, T., and et.al., 2019. Clinical Observation: Effect of a Second Transpositioned Variant in
a Family with Autosomal Dominant Ryanodine Receptor-1–Related Disease. Journal of
Pediatric Genetics.
Dobson, J., 2019. Opioids and a failure to declare competing interests. Bmj. 366. p.l5321.
Dunn, E., 2019. The Role of Social Actors in the Abuse of OxyContin. The Sociological Eye
2019, p.29.
Egharevba, E. and Atkinson, J., 2016. The role of corruption and unethical behaviour in
precluding the placement of industry sponsored clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa:
Stakeholder views. Contemporary clinical trials communications. 3. pp.102-110.
Karimi, S., Stoev, Y. and Zander, O., 2017. Ethical Issues in E-Permission Marketing: A study of
how consumer behaviour is affected by unethical practices involving E-Permission
Marketing.
Punj, G., 2017. Consumer intentions to falsify personal information online: unethical or
justifiable?. Journal of Marketing Management. 33(15-16). pp.1402-1412.
Sivan, Y. and et.al., 2019. Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: Severe disease caused
by co‐occurrence of two PHOX2B variants inherited separately from asymptomatic family
members. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A.179(3). pp.503-506.
Vaisvaser, S. and et.al., 2016. Neuro-epigenetic indications of acute stress response in humans:
the case of microRNA-29c. PloS one. 11(1). p.e0146236.
Van Dijk, C. N., 2019. From painkiller to killer: the ‘oxy’case.
van Rensburg, A. and Bracke, P., 2019. TRudolfheand governance of health and well-being is
intrinsically political. The Governance Report 2019, p.103.
Online
Opinion : The Opioid Crisis: Where Does Pharma Go From Here?. 2017. [Online]. Available
through: <https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/opinion-the-opioid-crisis-where-does-
pharma-go-from-here>.
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