Ethical Issues in Johnson and Johnson: A Case Study

Business Ethics

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
PART 1........................................................................................................................................4
PART B.......................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
The meaning of ethics can be understood as a philosophy which involves systematizing,
defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. It involves questions of
human morality by distinguishing between good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice,
justice and crime (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 2015). it provides certain set of principles which should
be followed by every individual as well as in the organisations. There are many concepts which
are studied in ethics. It is applied in all the industries irrespective of any factor. This report is
about Johnson and Johnson which as its headquarter in New Jersey, USA. It operates under
pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer products industries. Furthermore, this report
covers ethical dimensions of the issue of above mentioned company, role of business in society,
key stakeholders and ethical choices that can impact the business. In addition to this, two ethical
theories and their application and role of ethical leader in managing the business.
MAIN BODY
PART 1
a. Report to the senior manager
To,
Mr. David Hog
Johnson and Johnson is a successful company which has been surviving in various
industries from a long time and has seen many ups and downs. It has number of competitors who
have gained a significant share in the market as well as customer base which has impacted the
business of the above mentioned company. Every organisation is established for making profit as
it is considered the primary goal. Business entities are the part of the society for which they make
products and services in order to sell them and fulfil their needs (Trevino and Nelson, 2016).
That should be done within the ethical limits by which organisations can be benefited without
causing any harm to the society. Any activities which may create issues for the customers or
other stakeholders should be avoided. However, it seems like Johnson and Johnson has crossed
all its ethical boundaries in order to make profit for retaining the position for a long time. There
are many issues which has been caused by the company which are beyond the ethical code of
conduct. In the case of Johnson and Johnson, it made a medicine which is basically a painkiller