The Sackler Family and Museums: An Ethical Business Analysis

This report examines the ethical considerations surrounding the Sackler Family's donations to museums and galleries, focusing on the implications of their business practices, particularly those of Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis. The report analyzes whether an organization can be considered successful if it engages in unethical behavior, and the potential damage to the museums and galleries that accepted their funding. It discusses the importance of ethical standards for business success, employee retention, and reputation management. The analysis highlights the negative impacts on public perception and the tourism sector, including the decline in willingness to visit museums funded by unethical sources. The report recommends that companies avoid unethical practices, sever ties with unethical organizations, and protect themselves from unethical behavior by not accepting funds from sources like the Sackler Family, and by not disclosing relationships with such organizations. The report concludes that while unethical practices may lead to short-term financial gains, they ultimately undermine long-term success and reputation.

Museum and Galleries
supported by the Sackler
Family

Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
ANALYSIS......................................................................................................................................2
Aim of the report.........................................................................................................................2
Can an organisation be described as successful if it is not ethical?.............................................3
What can the organisation in your case study do to protect itself against unethical behaviour?.4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There are number of Museums and Gallaries which are being supported by the Sackler
Family. Sackler family is one of the extremely wealthy family within American-British Families
Discussing success without carrying out any of the ethical business practices will help to identify
that how any of the businesses will maintain themselves on the industry sector for a longer time
period. Description of unethical behaviour should be the main aspect of this report, as it will
allow to explain how other businesses will also be defaulted if they receive any of the donations
from a business that conducts unethical practices.
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INTRODUCTION
Defining performance varies from human to human, but the fundamentals stay the same, i.e.
to achieve best decisions. Private firms assess their performance by profit they raise on daily
basis, as well as the company's value as another factor. While talking about the Sackler Family
they only think that success is related with money which they have earned. It is necessary to
understand for each and every family that ethics plays the most important role in any of the
successful business. The main reason behind it is that chances of conflicts are very less in it.
This directly helps workers to concentrate on the set goals because they are not facing unpleasant
distraction. Business success is linked to the retention of employees, they are the foundation of
the organization and therefore do not end up leaving a firm with strong ethical standards
(Gauvreau and et.al., 2016).
Sackler family is one of the pharmaceutical company whose name is Purdue Pharma. they
had been distributing the medicine names as OxyContin which has lots of negative impact in
current scenario. They way of earning their money is unethical because they are not thinking
about public at large but they are focusing to earn huge amount of profit. There are number of
Museums and Galleries which are being supported by Sackler family. In addition, there are
number of tourist who visits the museums on daily basis which means it is very important that
unethical practices should not be followed. Here, in this file various points will be discussed
which will be related with the tourism sector that whether they will like to visit the Museums and
Galleries which are supported by the Sackler Family who conducts unethical practices for
personal benefits. Also, it will be explained that what will be the reactions of tourism sector once
they find the information that whole of the exhibition is funded by third party who is unethical in
itself. The aim of this report it to understand that whether an organisation, who is successful,
should be considered successful if it is involved in unethical activities (Göpferich and Neumann,
2016).
ANALYSIS
Aim of the report
Aim of this report is to analyse the case study on donations made by the Sackler Family to
Museums and Galleries. This report aims at examining whether or not an unethical entity can
achieve success and identifying what an entity can do to prevent itself from unethical conduct.
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This report will point out that what are the main area which are affected just because company is
involved with those organisations who are conducted unethical practices.
Can an organisation be described as successful if it is not ethical?
As per the given case it can be seen that Sackler Family’s Pharma business named as
“Purdue Pharma” was earning huge amount of profit from the market by selling the medicines
which are highly addicted. It was one of the unethical practices which is needed to be understand
that it is against the law. If any of the organisation takes the help of unethical practise for their
person benefits, then legal actions can be easily taken and it is necessary to understand that it is
not the suitable form to earn the profit (Meier, 2018).
Although, profit can be easily earned but there is no chance that company will be successful in it
because they are not performing any of the ethical practises but instead of that they are creating
unnecessary issues for the public. Lots of problem are to face by the organisation if they conduct
any of the unethical practices for the sake of personal benefits. Legal charges be imposed at any
of the time, there will be less possibility that well renown organisation not like to connect with
the organisation for longer period of time as if they find that any of the unethical activities are
being performed then they disconnect the connection from that particular firm. For example:
“Purdue Pharma” was conducting the business activities which were against the law by selling
the medicines which were creating the problem for public and after knowing the truth,
organisation like Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim in New York, the Tate art
group in the UK, the National Portrait Gallery and the Serpentine Gallery in London had decline
to be in any of the connection with organisation (Mercer, 2019).
The main motive of Purdue Pharma is to manufacture more number of pain killer but
they are not seeing the effect of it as in present scenario around more than 100 people are pass
away just because of opioids. They are not the one who is maintaining the positive environment
in the society but creating the lots of other problem which doesn’t allow any of the company to
become successful. There will be high possibility that even day to day business activities can be
closed at any period of time just because of the unethical practices which are being performed
which means company will not become if they perform unethical practices.
In short, any of the company will not be described as successful they conduct any of the
unethical activities for the purpose of personal benefit (Rieken, Schar and Sheppard, 2016). It is
necessary for the company to conduct those activities which can be beneficial for public as well
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as organisation to become successful. It will be crucial that to become successful, organisation
should conduct their work ethical and make connection with other firms as well as public who
can connect with them for the purpose of attaining the success.
What can the organisation in your case study do to protect itself against unethical behaviour?
The reputation in of the organisation which has accepted the fund from other organisation
which are involved in unethical practices always create problem for general public because it
doesn’t allow to earn the profit and respect which company want to earn in their entire life span.
There are number of people who are aware about the Sackler family and even they came to know
about the funding which they give to different Museums and art gallery where tourist visits in
maximum number. Whenever any of the organisation receives the fund from those business
institutes which perform unethical activities then there are very few stakeholders who wants to
be the part of that particular organisation. In addition, the public doesn’t like the activity where
unethical practices are being performed due to which their perceptions automatically change
whenever they will visit to any of the museums. They willingness to visit the art gallery will not
go for the longer period of time as their source of funding is unappropriated.
The museums and art gallery had the option to find out about each and every activity
which is creating the problem for them in personal level to achieve targets. Even tourism sector
who likes to visits the different gallery section because source of funding is unethical. The
regulations and rigorous were not enough because as per the current report almost American-
British people known that what Sackler family doing in current scenario for personal benefits. It
means that the company who involved museums and art gallery didn’t even try to investigate
about the source of funding that whether they are coming from appropriate way or not.
Although, number of problem have been generated just because of the art gallery and
museums, but they have option to avoid all such activities which includes that not to accept any
of the payment from Sackler family and even remove all of the connections from those
organisations. But, if there are any of the circumstances in which they cannot stop accepting the
payment from sackler family then in this situation company should try that they will not disclose
the relationship in public.
Public has effectively get impacted due to addictive painkiller manufactured by business of
Sackler family due to which any Museums and such type of institutions must not accept
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donations from this family as public will stop visiting in this institutions by which even after
ample funds, their success will be not valid.
After this analysis, it can be said that both Sackler family business and institutions
associated with their name must take steps to protect themselves from unethical behaviour. This
unethical behaviour can even result in their shut down. This unethical behaviour includes
boycotting these organisations and rebellion from public. Protection against this unethical
behaviour can only be perceived when this organisation discontinues any practice which
negatively impacts health of public. Along with dis associating their name from Sackler family,
these institutions can also take steps which can make people realise that they are concerned for
public health; like conducting exhibitions which can aware people how to overcome with
addiction of drugs and take initiatives to help people addicted to drugs.
Above mentioned ways will definitely help institutions such as Museums and Galleries’ to
protect themselves from unethical behaviour (Rodney, 2019). These ways can even result into
enhancement of their image. Reputation laundering is even an offence which these institutions
are conducting by accepting donations from Sackler Family so by adopting ways mentioned
above will also help in clearly their name from any illegal or unethical activity.
CONCLUSION
From the above it can be understood that the organisation which perform the unethical
activities can easily earn the huge amount of money but there will be less possibility that they
will be successful. Opioid Crisis is one of the major problem which is being seen within the
premises of US because every day number of people are dying just because of opioid crisis. It
will be crucial for the government of US that how they take any of the legal decisions on it.
Whenever any of the company performs this sort of activities then there is less possibility to
maintain connection with other business organisation. If in any of the situation a company
performing unethical practices, then other connected companies must be in any sort of relation
with that company because then perform might also decline just because of it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended by having the deep analysis on the above topic that any of the company
should not perform any of the unethical practices. It is necessary that any of the company should
not make any of the connection with those organisations which performs unethical practices. It is
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crucial for the company to not make any of the legal deal with those organisations which are
creating the problem for public at large. It is also recommended that Museums and art gallery
should not disclose any of the relation to outsider just to protect the unethical behaviour because
if outsider came to know about it then legal actions can be easily taken upon the organisation.
The another thing which is necessary to be kept in mind that museum will not accept the fund
from Sackler Family business because it will directly affect the Hospitality, Tourism and Event
sector (Van Dijk, 2019).
In the final section, it can be said that whenever any of the Purdue Pharma company tries to
build any of the relation with other company then they must try to take best possible decision by
informing the legal authorities which can take legal action upon those organisations as in US
there is the highest penalty charged on the company which are involved in the activity of Purdue
Pharma. Even company should disassociate their name with this types of business organisation
because it might create issues in future period of time for the public.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Gauvreau, S. A., and et.al., 2016. Online professional skills workshops: Perspectives from
distance education graduate students. The International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning. 17(5).
Göpferich, S. and Neumann, I. eds., 2016. Developing and Assessing Academic and Professional
Writing Skills. Peter Lang.
Keefe, P. R., 2017. The family that built an empire of pain. The New Yorker. 30.
Meier, B., 2018. Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic.
Random House.
Mercer, C., 2019. Do the politics or business background of health care philanthrophists
matter?. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 191(33). p.E924.
Rieken, B., Schar, M. and Sheppard, S., 2016, October. Trait mindfulness in an engineering
classroom: An exploration of the relationship between mindfulness, academic skills, and
professional skills. In 2016 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. 1-8).
IEEE.
Rodney, S., 2019. The Personalization of the Museum Visit: Art Museums, Discourse, and
Visitors. Routledge.
Van Dijk, C. N., 2019. From painkiller to killer: the ‘oxy’case.
Online
The Met museum to reject donations from Sackler family over opioid crisis. 2019. [Online].
Available through: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/15/met-museum-
rejects-sackler-family-donations-oxycontin-makers-gifts
The Sackler family's drug money disgraces museums around the world. 2018. [Online].
Available through: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/16/sackler-
family-blood-money-disgrace-museums
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