Page 26 - Phissons Ethics Dilemma Teaching Guide
P. 26
The situation as portrayed was close to the actual one
facing the then CEO.
His solution to the problem was essentially to call an
extraordinary general meeting to announce the withdrawal
of the drug. His rationale was that he was himself a father
and could not morally be party to the deaths of children.
Expectation was that the share price would collapse
jeopardising the future of the company and the position of
the CEO. However, two things happened
1: the company was seen as an ethical company. One
with which many institutional investors wished to be
associated with and as a result instead of falling the
share price rose.
2: the spin-haler was a major success as a universal
delivery system.
In this instance Blackthorn chose with his heart rather than
his head.
