Business Ethics Analysis: Becton Dickinson and Needle Stick Injuries

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Becton Dickinson case study concerning needle stick injuries. It examines the actions and ideologies of business, society, and government, highlighting key issues such as the safety of healthcare workers and the ethical dilemmas faced by the organization. The analysis delves into stakeholder interests, conflicts, and the ethical considerations surrounding the case, including the responsibility of the government and hospitals. Furthermore, the report explores alternative ways to manage conflicts and address the issues, emphasizing the importance of corporate social responsibility, government regulations, and organizational development. The conclusion underscores the unethical behavior of Becton Dickinson and the need for stricter regulations to protect healthcare workers and the broader community.

Analytical report of Becton Dickinson and Needle Sticks
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Analyse and discussion................................................................................................................................2
Action and ideologies of Business, Society and Government..................................................................2
Key issues raised in the case....................................................................................................................3
Stakeholder’s interest, conflict and ethical dilemmas..............................................................................4
Alternative ways for managing the conflicts and issues..........................................................................5
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
The aim of the paper is to provide analysis on the report of Becton Dickinson and Needle Sticks.
The analysis will be based on the action and the ideology of the organisation in term of Business,
Society and Government. The paper will also discuss the key issues that have been raised within
the case study, along with the stakeholder's interest than the conflicts between the sectors and the
ethical dilemma. The paper even discusses the alternatives ways that could be utilised within the
case for managing the conflicts and dealing with the issues. The information for the completion
of the analysis is being gathered from the case study of Becton Dickinson and Needle Sticks.
Analyse and discussion
Action and ideologies of Business, Society and Government
Action and ideology of Business are as follows;
 The Becton Dickinson is effectively keen on maintaining the market to continue making
a profit
 They are more concern for dominating the market as well as achieving the maximum
profit within the market
 The organisation is manufacturing a new as well as a safer model of the syringes
 The manufacturing of new products effectively cost huge for the business (Haase, and
Raufflet, 2017)
 The organisation is in the process of developing its capital by providing safer syringes to
society
 The business even took the primary action for stopping the enforcement of the safety
needle requirement from the government
Action and ideology of Society are as follows;
 The society within the case study is considered to be the minority as compared to
business and government
 The society within the case are the nurses then the patients along with the healthcare
workers who were affected most due to the business (Palihawadana, Oghazi, and Liu,
2016)
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 The nurses within the society have to deal with the anticipation for setting up the
problems by the help of their practices on equipment
 The nurses effectively provide the view that the dilemma was with the devices abounding
to them and not the practices within the healthcare sector
Action and ideology of Government are as follows;
 The government working the traditional form of the open-mindedness which effectively
shows the lack of accomplishment in the government activities
 The government due to the pressure of society gradually recognize that the needle stick
injuries are not the confidential issue for the nurses, but it is the community concern
(Martineau, Johnson, and Pauchant, 2017)
 The centre for the disease control effectively estimate the treatment cost within 400
million to 1 billion dollars which required the intervene of the government
 The US Department of Labor, as well as the Department of Health and Human service,
provides the view that engineering control needs to be used for reducing the staff
members work pressure
Key issues raised in the case
In the case study, there were numerous issues that have been highlighted, but the most
considerable issue is the security of the nurses while they are trade with the needles as well as the
syringes. The medical supplies, as well as the apparatus producer the Becton Dickinson, have
deliberately unnoticed the wellbeing of the workers in the healthcare system while they were
busy for creating the capital for the shareholders (Velasquez, and Velazquez, 2002). The case
study clearly provides the view that the infection from the needle stick injuries can eventually
lead to the contraction of the AIDS then the hepatitis B along with the hepatitis C among the
nurses and the healthcare workers. The needle stick damage according to the case study has been
accounted for almost 80% of the account work-related exposure to the AIDS virus among the
nurses along with the healthcare workers (Knapp et al., 2017).
Another issue that could be viewed is the moral issue of the hospital that is using the group
purchasing order for supplying their equipment by receiving at the high commission rates from
the Dickinson. The hospital and the business are performing the activities that were best for the
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development of the business and profit-making process and not for the safety of the healthcare
workers within the hospital. Another issue that could be view is the minimal enforcement of the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration guideline within the hospital sector which
eventually increased the injuries among the nurses and the healthcare workers (Borkowski,
2016). It clearly provides the view that the organisation was in the process of developing their
business rather than providing a suitable activity for the staff members and the society. The case
study shows that the issues are highly related to the safety program of the staff members that the
organisation overlook while making the profit for the firm.
Stakeholder’s interest, conflict and ethical dilemmas
The case study effectively shows that the organisation is having numerous stakeholders like the
nurses then the healthcare workers, along with the government agencies and shareholders of the
firm. Everyone associated with the business is having different interest from the organisation
Becton Dickinson. It can be seen that the nurses, as well as the healthcare workers, wants safety
as well as suitable working function from the organisation whereas the other stakeholders of the
firm are in the process of developing the capital as well as a profit of the business (Mladenovic,
Martinov-Bennie, and Bell, 2019). Each of the sectors is having their own agenda, which
effectively reflect the course accomplishment developed by them. The primary conflict between
the diverse sectors was the lack of realistic as well as an effective intervention that also from the
administration then the monopolisation of the needle along with the syringe as well as the
succeeding inability for purchasing the safety needle of all size within the business.
The ethical dilemma that could be viewed within the case study is regarding the activity of the
organisation where they place the nurses at the risk of potentially toxic blood-borne disease that
also in the name of shareholder theory as well as classical liberalism (Freudenreich, Lüdeke-
Freund, and Schaltegger, 2019). In relation to the legislative sector, it can be seen that the ethical
dilemma is associated with the responsibility that the government did not perform for the society
and the business. It can also be seen within the case study that the hospitals also faced the moral
dilemma concerning the procure of the Vanishpoint syringe within the hospital. In this situation,
an effective decision needs to be made regarding the safety of nurses and also for purchasing the
new syringe within the hospital (Boiral, Heras-Saizarbitoria, Brotherton, and Bernard, 2019).
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The ethical dilemma effectively shows that the primary focus was on the government for
developing the legislation and maintaining the safety of the nurses within the hospital sector.
Alternative ways for managing the conflicts and issues
The issues and the conflicts within the case study show that it is due to the poor intervention of
the government agencies within the situation (Crane, Matten, Glozer, and Spence, 2019). The
effective alternative for managing the issue is to develop suitable rules and regulation for the
organisation and the hospital sector and also perform effective monitor for maintaining the rules
and regulation within the organisation. It is the fact that the governments need to have a tighter
regulation for the dealing within the GPO for protecting the staff members of the hospital. The
use of corporate social responsibility within the business would have also provided a suitable
outcome for dealing with the issues and the ethical dilemma. It is one of the most effective parts
within the business where the management needs to work for the betterment of the society, and
in this case, it is for the betterment of the nurses and the healthcare workers (Trevino, and
Nelson, 2016).
Taking the disciplinary action and maintaining the process of organisational development is also
essential for dealing with the unethical situation within the organisation. The management should
consider more about the health issue of the staff members rather than just increasing the profit of
the firm. It is quite essential for the business to have the suitable and effective working function
within the market were getting the safer needle, and the syringe is the ultimate option of the
business (Dentoni, Bitzer, and Schouten, 2018). It is also essential to have suitable and effective
communication with the social sector to understand their problem and to provide an effective
solution for maintaining the working function and business activities. It is one of the most
valuable activities that have been considered by the organisation and the government sector to
enhance their business value and to develop the business process to gain suitable profit.
Conclusion
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The paper concludes that the organisation Becton Dickinson did not act according to the socially
responsible manner. The activities performed by the firm have led to the reason for harm for the
numerous healthcare workers along with their families. The paper also concludes that the
blocking of the other producers of safety needle was the direct action performed by Dickinson,
which leads to further consequences. These are the consequences that resulted in governmental
action due to the social outcry for the unethical behaviour of Dickinson. The paper even
concludes that the government should have introduced the legislation regarding the production as
well as sales of needles along with the syringes, especially when the danger regarding the blood-
borne disease came in highlight. The legislation was quite essential for protecting the healthcare
workers along with the broader community.
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References
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Ethics, 159(4), pp.1111-1125.
Borkowski, N., 2016. Organizational behavior in health care. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Crane, A., Matten, D., Glozer, S. and Spence, L., 2019. Business ethics: Managing corporate
citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, USA.
Dentoni, D., Bitzer, V. and Schouten, G., 2018. Harnessing wicked problems in multi-
stakeholder partnerships. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(2), pp.333-356.
Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F. and Schaltegger, S., 2019. A stakeholder theory perspective
on business models: Value creation for sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-16.
Haase, M. and Raufflet, E., 2017. Ideologies in markets, organizations, and business ethics:
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Knapp, K., Mccaffrey, N., Butterbrodt, J., Taylor, M., Markowitz, R., Searle, G., Gibney, M.,
Salemme, J., Walker, J., Sullivan, S. and Elgin, E., 2017. Improved systems and methods for
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Mladenovic, R., Martinov-Bennie, N. and Bell, A., 2019. Business students’ insights into their
development of ethical decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(1), pp.275-287.
Palihawadana, D., Oghazi, P. and Liu, Y., 2016. Effects of ethical ideologies and perceptions of
CSR on consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), pp.4964-4969.
Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do
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Velasquez, M.G. and Velazquez, M., 2002. Business ethics: Concepts and cases (Vol. 111).
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