University Report: Ethical Considerations of the Red Bull Case Study

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethical considerations surrounding the Red Bull energy drink case. It begins with an executive summary outlining the company's marketing strategies, its popularity, and the subsequent health concerns associated with its consumption. The report delves into the historical background of Red Bull, its marketing campaigns, and the various controversies that have arisen. A detailed discussion of the case is presented, including the effects of the drink on the human body and the ethical implications of Red Bull's marketing tactics. The report then examines the ethical decision-making processes, applying ethical theories such as the rights approach and the fairness or justice approach to evaluate the company's actions. The author argues that Red Bull's marketing practices may violate ethical principles by not fully informing consumers about potential health risks and by potentially fostering addiction. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations for ethical improvements.

Running head: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
Ethical Considerations: Red Bull Case
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes:

1ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
Executive summary
Red Bull energy drink that is heavily marketed by the companies as a result of which the
drink has gained popularity. It has been having been positioned as an energy drink that gives
instant boost of energy to the consumers of the energy drinks. The Mirror UK released the
masses were re-introduced to the trap that has been initiated by Reed Bull. The article talks
about the internal reactions of Red Bull after it is consumed by an individual. It breaks down
the implication of eth drinks inside the body of the consumer as time passes after the drink
has been consumed. It has been finally opined that the company has been carrying out same
in order to promote consumption of the drinks sin order to increase their turnover. Finally,
ethical approaches have been linked to the case. The aim of the paper is to critically evaluate
the scope of the controversial article and to critically presents regarding the viability of the
company’s offerings.

2ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Brief history...............................................................................................................................3
Discussion of the Case...............................................................................................................4
Argument....................................................................................................................................5
Ethical Decision Making............................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................8

3ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
Introduction
The growing scope of recreational activities has resulted in the increase of
consumption of drinks that give the additional boost to the individuals in meeting their energy
cravings. The popularity of energy drinks has mainly been caused by the collaboration of the
effects that the latter has on the body of an individual apart from ten numerous promotional
activities carried out by manufacturers (Sepkowitz 2013). Red Bull is one of the companies
that have popularised the consumption of energy drinks in general (Rambe and Jafeta 2017).
However, it has been found that the Red Bull energy drink that is heavily marketed by the
companies as a result of which the drink has gained popularity. As a result of the popularity
of the drink, it has been found that there is abuse of the same. Furthermore, there are issues
health disorders in the individuals as a result of the components of the drink. Thus, the paper
aims to contribute to the identification of the issues that help in terms of identification issues
that have resulted as a result of excessive abuse of the energy drink. Furthermore, the paper
will discuss the ethical issues that the company supposedly violates in terms of the health and
wellbeing of the consumer community.
Brief history
Red Bull is an energy drink production company that needs no second introduction.
The iconic logo of the company, displaying the two red bulls has been effectively positioned
in the minds of the consumer community. The company originates in Austria back in 1987
(Redbull.com 2019). The drink can be consumed on its own and on various accounts, can be
consumed mixed with alcohol. Furthermore, the drink comes in nearly 20 variants
(Redbull.com 2019). The company has been positioned effectively with the help of the
extensive promotional campaigns such as the TV adverts stating the famous tagline “Red
Bull gives you Wings” (Redbull.com 2019). Furthermore, the drink has been further
popularised with the help of the extensive amount of sponsorships that they have been part of.
The name of the company has been effectively highlighted by the sponsorships that the
company had been able to organise with the help of the endorsements in sporting events such
as Motoi GP, F1 and Nascar (Rogers 2014). The drinks that are produced by the company
have been found to have implications that are disastrous in terms of the health an hear
conditions of individuals. It has been found that consumption of the drink gives the driver a
boost in the overall energy with which they can sustain themselves in cases that they are
feeling weak. The drink consists of 80m of caffeine and 27.5g of sugar per every 250 ml can

4ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
(Redbull.com 2019). As a result of the same it can have adverse effects such as diabetes. The
drink is often used as a concentration’s enhancement drug. However, regardless of the
various issues that people might be subject to as a result of the consumption of the same, the
company sells stronger 50 billion can every year.
Discussion of the Case
In an article released by the Mirror UK, the masses were re-introduced to the trap that
has been initiated by Reed Bull (Mirror.co.uk 2019). The article talks about the internal
reactions of Red Bull after it is consumed by an individual. The activities that you place
inside the body are highlighted in this article and it has been elaborated into right phases.
Furthermore, the article mentions the implications on excessive use of Red Bull (Mirror.co.uk
2019). The article is supported by research and states the reactions of the drink once it is
consumed by an individual. The article breaks down the reactions of the drink based on
duration after the drink has been consumed. Following are the briefings regarding the same
discussion;
 After 10 minutes: It has been started that Red Bull takes about 10 minutes to enter into
the blood stream of an individual after consumption after which the blood pressure and
heart rate of an individual starts rising.
 From 15-45 minutes: It is mentioned to be the time when the caffeine level on the body
is the highest. At this point of time the consumer of the drink is likely to feel highly alert
to every stimulus with improvement in terms of concentration and affects house alert an
individual is at that point of time
 From 30-50 minutes: At this point most of the sugar is consumed or absorbed by the liver
after which the liver reasons to the situation by starting to absorb sugar into the
bloodstream.
 After an hour: The consumer of the drink starts feeling tired as their level of energy
gradually starts getting down. At this time the individual experiences a sugar crash and
the caffeine are on the verge of death.
 About 5-6 hours after: It has been stated that their body needs about 5-6 hours to break
down the caffeine to 50%. So, caffeine is still present in the blood stream after several
hours.
 After 12 hours: Even if it depends on the age and lifestyle of people consuming the drink,
it is the amount of time that is taken to completely remove all the caffeine from the body.

5ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
 After 12-24 hours: It has been stated that at this point of time there are various side
effects that are experienced by individuals and it's most evident in regular drinkers. The
side effects include irritability, cramps and headaches.
 After 7 to 12 days: After one has started using Red Bull time and again, it has been found
out that the body will become tolerant to the same and thus, a little amount will not affect
the consumer as it did when they were not accustomed to the same.
Argument
The use of energy drinks such as Red Bull have been debated. While some state that it
is just a recreational drink, health activities are firmly against the consumption of the same.
Energy drinks companies such as Red Bull promote the drink as an alternative drink to coffee
as a result of the caffeine content in the drink. Hence, as mentioned before, the drinks are
heavily marketed and can be found in diverse spots. Red Bull has this become one of the
most highly available energy drinks found throughout the world.
It can be said that high amounts of sugar intake lead to high amount of calorie intake.
Thus, it has been recognised as a drink that has adverse effects on the health of the
individuals consuming the product. In the United States, it was found that admissions to the
emergency wing of hospitals almost doubled from 2007 to 2014 (Mirror.co.uk 2019). Now, 5
years after the later date the rate of consumption of the drink and the consumption of the
same might lead to more admissions to the emergency departments of hospitals. Furthermore,
there are extreme cases that gave been identified. There was a case that was identified in
which a man having overdosed Red Bull consumption was rushed to the emergency division
of a hospital. It was evident from the video that the heart rate of the individual was highly
boosted as a result of which it appeared as if the heart would pop out of the person's chest
every time that it beats (Bedi, Dewan and Gupta 2014). Such are the effects of the energy
drink with high dosage of caffeine and sugar.
Apart from the health issues that are evident with the consumption of the energy
drink, there are done issues that are being bolstered by the company. Even though the
company markets the drink as a simple yet normal energy drink, the nature of the drink is
such that it leads to an addiction on consumption of the same for several times. Thus, it can
be opined that our is a trap that the company is luring the consumers into. The fact that the
effects of the drink system for just about an hour can act as the stimulant that leads to craving
for more. The latter is a condition which takes place when there is evidence of the tiring

6ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
feeling in the individuals sheet the effects of the drink has expired. Hence, this can be
perceived to be a strategy from the company’s part that is characterised by generation of
addiction on individuals which causes the consumer's to demand and consume more units of
the drink thus leading to high amounts of money being spent from one source which leads to
achievement of the ultimate objective of the company that is generation of high amounts of
turnover. Hence, the ultimate goal of the company is not consumer centric but sales centric.
Ethical Decision Making
There are various ethical approaches that have been developed to understand diverse
ethics and scenarios relating to ethics. Theories such as the utilitarian approach, the rights
approach, the justice approach, common good approach, ethical problem-solving approach
and courteous approach can be used to understand different ethical scenarios (Karppinen and
Kukkonen 2013). For the current case, it can be opined that rights approach and the fairness
or justice approach should be used. The main focus of the rights approach is on development
of respect for dignity of humans (Saberi and Columb 2013). The theory or approach states
that it the nature of people's lives that determine the streamline of respects and dignity and
perceptions regarding the same. The fairness or justice approach is an ethical approach that
talk about the of equally treating people, regardless of any factors (Colquitt and Rodell 2015).
According to my opinion, Red Bull has been marketed as a drink that grants a healthy
dosage of energy. However, the implications such as increase of the heart rate or the rise in
blood sugar level or rise in blood pressure is rarely informed to the consumer community
through disclaimers. I perceive that the company intentionally carried out the same do that
they can achieve corporate governance through the maximisation of sales. Even though the
company has been informing the consumers about the energy that they will receive on
consumption of the product, they do not inform the consumers about the implications that
they might be subject to on increased consumption of the same. Thus, the rights approach
helps in determining the ethics that are being violated by the company while they are in
operations. Furthermore, lack of clarity is an issue that the company is supposedly accused
of.
Conclusion
On a concluding note, or ban be said that Red Bull has been positioned as an energy
drink that gives instant boost of energy to the consumer of the drink. With effective
promotional tactics, the company has been able to position itself in the market effectively.

7ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
The company aims to gain a favourable position in the market by maximising their sales
turnover. However, the adverse implications caused by the drinks has been highlighted in an
article of the Mirror UK. The article has brought to attention, issues such as the effects that
the drink has on the body after consumption of the same at various timeframes. Thus, it had
been opined that the motives of the company have been realised as they have been able lure
and trap the consumers through addiction.

8ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE
REFERENCES
Bedi, N., Dewan, P. and Gupta, P., 2014. Energy drinks: Potions of illusion. Indian
pediatrics, 51(7), pp.529-533.
Budiani-Saberi, D. and Columb, S., 2013. A human rights approach to human trafficking for
organ removal. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 16(4), pp.897-914.
Colquitt, J.A. and Rodell, J.B., 2015. Measuring justice and fairness. Oxford handbook of
justice in the workplace, 187, p.202.
Karppinen, P. and Oinas-Kukkonen, H., 2013, April. Three approaches to ethical
considerations in the design of behavior change support systems. In International Conference
on Persuasive Technology (pp. 87-98). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Mirror.co.uk, 2019. This is what just one can of Red Bull does to your body. [online] mirror.
Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/what-red-bull-your-body-9309685
[Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].
Rambe, P. and Jafeta, R.J., 2017. Impact of social media advertising on high energy drink
preferences and consumption. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 33(4), pp.653-
668.
Redbull.com, 2019. Red Bull Company & origin - Who makes Red Bull? :: Energy Drink ::
Red Bull Canada. [online] Energydrink-ca.redbull.com. Available at: https://energydrink-
ca.redbull.com/en/red-bull-company [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].
Redbull.com, 2019. Red Bull vitalizes body and mind :: Energy Drink :: Red Bull Canada.
[online] Energydrink-ca.redbull.com. Available at: https://energydrink-ca.redbull.com/en/red-
bull-energy-drink [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].
Rogers, G.C., 2014. Red Bull–It Gives You Wings! An Examination of the Emotional
Experiences That Drive the Brand for the Popular Energy Drink. Journal of Integrated
Studies, 5(1).
Sepkowitz, K.A., 2013. Energy drinks and caffeine-related adverse effects. Jama, 309(3),
pp.243-244.

9ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: RED BULL CASE