Ethical Implications: Museums, Galleries, and the Sackler Family

This report examines the ethical implications of the Sackler family's philanthropic contributions to museums and galleries, juxtaposed with the controversial actions of Purdue Pharma, the pharmaceutical company they owned. The report explores the company's manufacturing of OxyContin, a highly addictive opioid, and its devastating impact on individuals and society. While the Sackler family gained a reputation for generous donations to various art institutions, the report highlights the ethical conflict arising from their involvement in both legal and illegal activities, generating significant profits from the production of addictive painkillers. The analysis includes the impact on museums, the public's perception, and the organizations' efforts to distance themselves from the family due to their unethical conduct. The report concludes with recommendations for ethical business practices and emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability for organizations seeking success.

Museum and Galleries
supported by the
Sackler Family

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The report is based on museum and galleries supported by Sackler Family. In this report it has been
discussed one of the organization of pharmaceutical products named as Purdue Pharma. This
organization was headed by the Sackler family over the years. This company was manufacturing a
very highly adaptive drug called opioid OxyContin in the markets of US. But on the contrast
continuous usage of this drug by an individual for relieving from pain was leading to death as it is
very adaptive. At the same time the Sackler family was also famous for its philanthropy as well as
generous donations to the various museums, art galleries and universities all across the world. By
donating funds and gifts to various universities, the company has gained huge reputations in the
world. But the fact is that the family was indulged in both legal and illegal services, by producing
highly addictive painkillers. There fore overall the company was showing non ethical behaviour.

Table of Contents.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................4
ANALYSIS......................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................8
RECOMMENDATION...................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Success means to accomplish any aim or purpose. For an organization, success means
achievement of set goals of the organization, as well as generation of huge profits as well as to stay
sustainable in the market. For being successful it is essential for the organization to use proper code
of ethics of the business for the company, management as well as for the employees of the
company. Thus, the ethics in the business protects company and employees of it for using unfair or
illegal means for getting success in their terms (Gallagher, Dube and McLachlan, 2018).
In this report it has been discussed one of the organization of pharmaceutical products
named as Purdue Pharma. This organization was headed by the Sackler family over the years. This
company was manufacturing a very highly adaptive drug called opioid OxyContin in the markets of
US. The business of this drug was highly profitable to the organization. But on the contrast
continuous usage of this drug by an individual for relieving from pain was leading to death as it is
very adaptive. At the same time the Sackler family was also famous for its philanthropy as well as
generous donations to the various museums, art galleries and universities all across the world. By
donating funds and gifts to various universities, the company has gained huge reputations in the
world. But the fact is that the family was indulged in both legal and illegal servies, by producing
highly addictive painkillers. There fore overall the company was showing non ethical behaviour.

ANALYSIS
For the companies to ensure better behavioural performances of the employees the company
must establish some codes of ethics which would ultimately helps the employees of the organization
to know why some actions are inappropriate in the business even if they are generating greater
profit by some unfair means. Moreover, the organization may use the terms of ethics for limiting the
legal liability for the employees giving poor performances in the organization. Therefore.
Organization use ethics for prohibiting inappropriate behaviours of the employees.
Question : Can an organisation be described as successful if it is not ethical?
None of the organization can be considered as successful if it is not ethical. Its is necessary
for each organization to follow the code of ethics to be successful in the market place or among its
competitors.
According to the case study of the Sackler family business, as the family own an
organization of pharmaceutical drugs, named as Purdue Pharma. This organization is manufacturing
a very highly addictive opioid Oxycotin. On the other hand the Sackler family was famous for its
philanthropy as well as generous donations to various universities, galleries as well as museums all
across the world. Therefore, in year 2018 in the month of February, an article was published in The
Guardian about the Sackler family which published that the company was showing their reputation
by doing donations while on the other hand the company is producing the highly addictive drug
which is harming the health of mankind which is leading them to death. Which means the company
was doing legal as well illegal work, which is strictly unethical behaviour of the organization in the
society (Martin, 2015).
The success of the organization by gaining of the reputation from the various respected
institutions such as the national gallery, the Victoria and Albert museum, the Guggenheim, the
Louvre and various other institutions, the Sackler family received this reputation by giving
continuous donations in form of funds and gifts to these institutions. In contrast, these institutions to
have given reputation to the Sacker family by keeping the names of their galleries, wings and
libraries behind the name of the Sackler family. Thus, here the organization was showing ethical
behaviour by giving a part of its earning in donations while on the other hand the company was
generating this profit through the manufacturing of a highly addictive drug, which is illegal.
Therefore, even though the company was doing good for the society by giving donations but overall
the company was considered to be unethical as it is doing this donation by earning through unfair
means.
By public's perspective, the success of the organization was considered to be completely
unethical, ever though the organization was giving huge donation to several museums and art

galleries. As the news rumoured about the involvement of the company in revelation of opioid
scandal, numerous people from united states had started suing the Sackler family. As they believe
doing the good work for the sake of the society while at the same time involvement in drug cartel
for making the money by curing the addictions of the drug. There fore the selling and
manufacturing of such addictive painkiller OlxContin which is not acceptable by the public of the
society, here the company has used the unfair mean for generating its money.
By the perspective of service, doing donations for the welfare of the society by an
individual, group or family is very much kind and gentle approach towards the betterment of the
society, this show their ethical nature. But doing this donation by the income generated method
illegal method will eventually turn all the ethical behaviour into the unethical nature of the
individual or group. Thus, in the case of Sackler family, various institution such as the Guggenheim,
the metropolitan Museum of art and the tate art group of the london has made a length of distance to
the Sackler due to their unethical behaviour towards the society. Moreover, some galleries such as
the serpentine gallery and the National portrait galleries of London had refused the accept any
future donations and gifts from the Sackler family.
Achievement of success by the perspective of effective rules and regulations means no
indulgence of any unfair means in an organization. But in the situation of Sackler family business,
the company owned by them Purdue pharma, was manufacturing a drug OxyContin which was
harmful for the mankind. Here the company has shown its unethical behaviour, due to which service
provided by the company was completely illegal according to the rules, regulations and norms of
the society (Gallagher, Dube and McLachlan, 2018).
Question : what organization can do to protect itself from unethical behaviour?
For the organization Purdue Pharma to protect itself from the various unethical behaviours the
company must use the following points.
Create a code of conduct
Creation of codes of conduct will helps the company to create or develop the drugs which
are legal as well as non harmful for the public usage. As the company was producing highly
adaptive drug which is harmful for the individual as the drug was leading to death due to its
addictive nature. Thus, the company must band the production of such illegal drugs. Moreover, it
must set some ethical codes of conduct which will prevent the company in future for doing such
illegal practices.
Lead by examples
The company may be leaded by the example as by showing even without the production of
such drugs, the other companies are doing the business well. Thus, by leading the organization with

effective examples the company may prevent itself from doing unethical practices.
Reinforce consequences for unethical behaviour
Some times by reinforcing the harmful consequences of the unethical behaviour may also
guide the organization toward the right path of conduction. Consequences of using illegal method
just for increasing the sales would eventually lead to the declination in the brand value of the
organization. Which would ultimately have negative effect on the business of overall organization.
Hire right
Hiring the right individual in the business, some times facilitates the business from
preventing the business from undergoing unethical practices. Thus, by selection of quality people
which could make a great differences in the ethics of the company, for the company as well as for
the employee of the company. As the good ethics keeps the check of all the events occurring against
the cultural & social norms. Thus, by hiring the appropriate employee who will continuous suggest
the company for performing the actions which are legal for the people and community consuming
that product (Brock, 2019).
Develop people's understanding
For protecting the organization Purdue Pharma for conducting such unethical practices for
the society it is recommended to make people understand toward the harmful consequences of using
such drugs. Moreover, it could be recommended that by making people understand of the harmful
consequences of such temporary pain killers will prevent the company from using such unethical
techniques of doing business which ultimately harming the mankind. Not only it is harming the
health of an individual it is leading the individual towards the which is the most critical concern to
focus on the company.

CONCLUSION
This report can be concluded as for the success of the organization, the company Purdue
Pharma was using unethical ways in order to generate huge profits. But this method of generating
illegal drugs which would dangerously harming the individual who is consuming the drug and is
ultimately leading the individual to the terms of death. Thus, the company was showing unethical
behaviour. While at the same time the company was popular for its philanthropy and donations to
various museums and art galleries. There fore the company was showing ethical behaviour at one
side while unethical at the other, which is not at all accepted by the society, due to their
manufacturing of harmful drug. Therefore, after knowing the unethical behaviour of the company
many of the US states started suing the Family. Moreover, many of the art galleries had stopped
accepting the gifts and donation from this family. Thus, the article published in The Guardian
argued that Sackler families giving donations to museums, art galleries and universities around the
world must decline in the same as the donation from drug cartel (Moon. and Nolan, 2019).

RECOMMENDATION
It could be recommended by the case of Museums and Galleries supported by the Sackler
Family that, the Sackler family heading the company Purdue Pharma which is a pharmaceutical
company producing a highly addictive painkiller, OxyContin. The business of this drug was
profitable i.e. the company was making huge profits by manufacturing of such drugs. On the other
hand the company was famous for its philanthropy and generous donations in the several
universities, art galleries as well as museums all around the world. By doing donations the
organization was showing its ethical behaviour while this money for donation was generated by the
manufacturing of illegal drug which is highly addictive. Thus, overall the family was showing the
unethical behaviour.
Since several art galleries and museums had stopped accepting the gifts and donations from
the Sackler family after knowing the companies' indulgence in manufacturing of OxyContin drug
which is addictive and leads to the death of individual after continuous consumption. It could be
recommended that like these arts and galleries, all other arts and galleries may to start distancing
themselves from such unethical organization, thus, they must stop accepting the donations from
Sackler Family (Miller and Blackler, 2017).
Earlier the Sackler Family was getting huge reputations by their donations but when the
people of US get to about their manufacturing of such harmful drug or their indulgence in such
illegal practice many of the US states stated suing the Family.
There fore it is recommended that such organizations must be strictly prohibited for doing
such unethical practices which is harming the health of living beings. More over the galleries which
had put their name after the name Sackler family, must also stop giving reputation to such families.
Moreover, the institutions which are still acceping the donations from the Sackler Family
must be made understood that either they stop accepting the donations from such family or either
they too lose their reputations by the complicit of reputation laundering.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Miller, S. and Blackler, J., 2017. Ethical issues in policing. Routledge.
Moon, B.L. and Nolan, E.G., 2019. Ethical issues in art therapy. Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Brock, D.W., 2019. Ethical issues in recipient selection for organ transplantation. In Organ
Substitution Technology (pp. 86-99). Routledge.
Gallagher, T., Dube, K. and McLachlan, S., 2018. Ethical Issues in Secondary Use of Personal
Health Information.
Martin, K.E., 2015. Ethical issues in the big data industry. MIS Quarterly Executive, 14, p.2.