Abstract
The subject of my paper will be an investigation into the manufacture of silicone breast implants by Dow Corning and what caused this scandal to become corporate crime. This subject is of special interest to me because my mother has been in litigation with Dow Corning since the late 1980's. I will use several research methods for development of this research paper. They will include researching books and the use of the internet. I believe that my findings will show that for more than thirty years Dow Corning manufactured and distributed an unsafe product with the knowledge that its recipients were being put in danger. Dow Corning then tried various evasive measures to escape from their liability. This is still a current problem with many women still in litigation with Dow Corning today.
Breast Implants:
The Dow Corning Scandal
Silicone breast implants to many women were originally a gift that allowed them to change their physical appearance. Over time though this gift that allowed them to alter their appearance turned into a nightmare for many. The causes of this nightmare were the actions of Dow Corning in their manufacture and distribution of silicone breast implants. Dow Corning in pursuit of profit allowed an untested and possibly harmful product to be implanted into millions of women and with held from the public any potential information that was negative in context to the safety issue of silicone breast implants. When the victims of this fraud started suing Dow Corning, the company turned to public relation measures and finally to bankruptcy in their attempt to escape from the punishments for their illegal and immoral actions that had caused this scandal. The silicone breast scandal is one that Dow...
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For companies to portray the advantages of their products this article shows how heavily hyperbolized their products are, and uses comparisons to attract buyers. Such is portrayed through customer testimonials. For example, the the man whose back pain was relieved after using MagnaSoles. His statement in the article regarding the shoe inserts were clearly fabricated to the point where it was humorous to the readers. He said, “Why should I pay thousands of dollars to have my spine realigned with physical therapy when I can pay twenty dollars for insoles clearly endorsed by an intelligent-looking man in a white lab coat?” This statement shows how blinded and gullible customers are when presented with false advertisement. Have you ever walked through CVS or a local
In the 1970s, engineers found contaminants in the local wells: Well H and Well G. They found suspected carcinogens including trichloroethylene (TCE) known to cause cancer. Families gathered after the Anderson family noticed the recurring events of a rare disease in a small town. Although Woburn had a history of industrial activity, the two major companies that contributed to the contaminants were W.R. Grace Co. and Beatrice Foods. The families sought help and went to a Boston lawyer, Joe Mulligan, and signed his firm. No one picked up the case due to not enough evidence, but Jan Schlictmann, who was a newcomer, picked up the Woburn case. Although advised to neglect it, he still looked into it. He joined with a non-profit firm who were seeking an environmental case like Woburn’s. They quickly filed a complaint against the two major companies.
However, in the 1990s the company’s vision care sector ran into ethical accounting issues relating shipment of its product and the subsequent revenue recognition. The market for contact lenses began shifting away from traditional contact lenses, and instead became focused on the new frequent replacement and disposable lens model created by Johnson and Johnson (Maremont). Where Bausch and Lomb went wrong is, “The company increased reported revenues from sales of contact lenses and sunglasses by shipping the products to warehouses although there were no legitimate orders, by secretly agreeing to allow customers to return unwanted lenses and by recording sales in the fiscal year 1993 even though the items were not shipped until after the fiscal year ended on Dec. 25.” (Norris). This process is known as channel stuffing, and done by forcing...
The analysis of the Kellogg’s case is presented in this chapter and will contribute to answer the research question. The case are evaluated and compared to the literature presented in the previous chapters and will support the conclusion of this paper.
Just like this campaign for safe cosmetics its purpose has been to aware women, parents, workers and everyone who is affected by this problem of what big corporations are putting in the products we think are non-harmful. The title itself Chemicals in Beauty Products: The Story of Cosmetics is automatically supposed to draw women’s attention because of the words “chemicals” and “cosmetics”. Since this film was originally put on The Story of Stuff, a website for a variety of campaigns, we can assume this film was made for people who care and want to change the world to make it healthier. In addition, it also targets women who are interested in what they are putting on their bodies. Interesting enough, this video was released the same time the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 was introduced for the purpose of pursuing women, workers, and everyone affected by this chemical problem, to push congress even more to enforce this cosmetic act to be passed. The underlying purpose the producers of the film wanted from its viewers was to have them help get congress to ban all corporations from using hazardous chemicals in beauty products. Some strategies used to help their goal was to use logos and pathos to help evoke its audience to ultimately help put a stop to this problem once and for
practice of sending researchers all over the world. The recruiter dismissed the reports as publicity, when in fact the company actually develops their products in the lab. This admission by the recruiter is poses the first ethical concern. At the most basic level, the company is being
Materialistic things consume today’s society, whether it is cars, clothing, or jewelry, in a sense we rely on these objects for our happiness. Companies such as Nike, Gap, and Toms, have all had major success do to their loyal customers, who seek the name brand logo of their company. These companies have continued to grow tremendously, making billions of dollars; the companies strive to find ways to outsourcing its manufacturing, in hopes of making more and more profit. Profit is not the only thing that rises, many questions and investigations have occurred, exposing the poor ethical choices these businesses have made. Nike, one of the most well- known and profitable companies have experienced this heavy scrutiny first hand. Throughout this essay the reader will gain a better understanding of Nike’s poor ethical business decisions and what actions they took in order to repair their image.
The Political, Social, and Legal Environment of Business. Case Study Analysis: Union Carbide Corporation and Bhopal. A single slip in action may cause lasting sorrow. A slight mistake in operation at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, caused a lot of deaths and injuries. What a tragedy it is.
The Pharmaceutical Industry goals is to get as much profit incentive as possible through clinical trials, social networking, ads driving in a social movement in the demand for consumer goods. Patients have become more knowledgeable, demanding, and critical of medical care (Williams & Calman 1996). The internet has facilitated consumer involvement by offering easily accessible health-related information and providing a method for communication among like minded individuals (Hardey 2001). Medicalization from an analytical stand point is facilitated by the development of innovative technologies, consumer demands and the emergence of new medical markets in the hands of pharmaceutical enterprises. When medical products, services, or treatments are promoted to consumers to improve their health, appearance, or well-being, we see the development of medical market (Conrad & Leiter 2004).The race for cure, a Breast Cancer Awareness organization has been developed into a commodity for selling pink ribbons and bands. The awareness of Breast cancer is not being fully recognized by those who may not be knowledgeable of the treatments, mammograms, screening and essentially anything cancer related if the focus is on the marketing of products. Oftentimes, these corporations, sponsors, pharmaceuticals are concern with capitalizing on the health of the patience through empowering ads, to maximizing profits. Through private and
Informed consent is a very serious decision a patient has to make when it comes to their health and consenting to procedures that are believed to cure or treat their current health status. It is important to address the effectiveness of the role a physician play in the informed consent process assuring that the patient has given truly informed consent and what safeguards can be put in place to assure the patient is exercising informed consent. Informed consent is based on the fact that the person consenting is a rational individual that is aware of the action to which he/she is consenting. Allen and McNamara (2011) notes that "On the standard understanding, the important elements of informed consent are the provision of information, the voluntariness of the choice and the competence of the chooser to make the choice— so the potential research participant should be provided with information relevant to the decision to participate, they should be able to choose freely about their participation and they should be competent to decide.
When selecting our case, we wanted to choose a company that a majority of our class wouldn’t have heard of before. We were researching possible topics and companies and came across Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation. The company sold a wide variety of products ranging from vacuum-sealed jars of bacon to chewing gum from its inception in 1890. However, Beech-Nut’s most lucrative product was its baby food, which began around the 1930s. At this time, the company was the second largest producer of baby food products in the U.S. The company differentiated itself from competitors by packaging its product in glass jars rather than cans, which were used by most manufacturers. Their baby food line did well, but sales took off with the arrival of the postwar baby boom, where sales nearly doubled between 1948 and 1950. By 1950, Beech-Nut had 48 different types of jarred baby foods that provided more than a quarter of the company’s $70 million of revenue.
Mattel Corporation, known as the largest toy company in the world, is a publicly traded organization with a market capitalization of over $6.5 billion. Employing approximately 36,000 people worldwide in 43 countries, their products are well-known and sold in over 150 nations (Mattel.com). With such winning odds as mentioned, it is hard to imagine that a company readily known to children and adults across the globe would become even better known for the company that produced toys made with lead-based products. This assignment will discuss whether or not Mattel acted in an ethical and socially responsible manner in their decision to recall defective toys, what they perhaps could have done differently to avoid this issue, and the best way society can continue to protect children from potentially harmful toys.
The topic of research on animal testing in the cosmetic industry has long been a controversial and prominent topic. While some believe that it is necessary to test the products on animals before trying them on humans, the others stand by their support for the animals. Even though many major cosmetic companies have claimed to discontinue the practice due to new alternative ways, it still continues around the world. Companies like L’Oreal, Lancôme, Max ...
“The real costs of medical malpractice have little to do with litigation but the lost lives, extra medical expenses, time out of work, and pain and suffering of tens of thousands of people every year” (Baker 1). The effects of malpractice in the health care field are a major issue in today’s society. Working on a more profitable and safe way to ensure the prevention of malpractice is what should be worked on to promote a safe and comfortable environment for the people. There are many errors that malpractice portrays in the healthcare field such handling medical situations: informed consent, foreign objects, and operating on the wrong body part. Also with these mistakes come major lawsuits against the healthcare system and liability on the doctors become crueler. Many of the doctors are leaving and that remain practice in fear and silence. Making sure that the healthcare professionals are fit to do the job is what needs to be accomplished in order to have a structure and effective healthcare system.
Louie, A. L., & Kulik, L. R., & Jacobson, R. (2001). When bad things happen to the endorsers of good products.