1. Running Head:PROFITS OR ETHICS 1
NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY
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Student: Eva Campelo
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MGT 7019-8 Dr. Douglas Buck
Ethics in Business Activity 4
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Profits or Ethics in the long run which One Stands Out
Eva V. Campelo
NCU PhD Program
Author Note
E.Campelo9895@email.ncu.edu

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Abstract
In the following pages I will be analyzing Mercury Energy and the tragedy that occurred to Ms
Muliaga. Could all of this been prevented ? If so how ? And how can we hold big cooperations
like Mercury Energy accountable when they do not practice ethical behavior. This incident did
not only affect Ms Muliaga and her family it also affected the world . As customers we are more
often than not left powerless when dealing with huge cooperations. What are some steps one
ought to take to protect oneself and safeguard our self-interest.
Keywords: Mercury Energy, Ms Muliaga and business ethics.

4. Running Head:PROFITS OR ETHICS 4
Could this been prevented ?
Folole Muliaga was 45 years old at the time the incident happen she was originally from
Samoa. She and her son Ietitaia were at home. Right before lunch time someone knocked the
front door. Ietitaia answered the door it was a VirCom employee he announced himself and said
“I’m here to perform a disconnection.” He was polite but short.
According to Bridgman “ The VirCom employee later admits he saw Ms. Muliaga s
prongs attached to her nose but did not know what they were for and did not feel it was his
business to ask about them. He did not see any oxygen machines and did not hear the alarm
which was triggered when power supply to the oxygen machine was cut.
Once the contractor left the house, Ms Muliaga’s health deteriorated rapidly. She took
some pills but Ietitaia and his brother were concerned . She asked her son to play a song on the
guitar, but halfway through it she was struggling to breath. Ietitaia rushed to the dining room to
call an ambulance but the phone was disconnected. He went to the neighbor’s house to call an
ambulance. Two ambulance staff arrived tried resuscitating her but it was too late. Folole
Muliaga was dead.”
Now granted Ms Muliaga was not a healthy woman. Could this been prevented? If so
how and why was that not the case?
Ietitaia didn’t hear the whole conversation between the contractor and his mother but he
did hear her say: “Please give us a chance” to which he replied “I’m just doing my job” but was
he?

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Ms Muliaga account was past due 120 dollars but what about the Mercury Energy
employee who did have a Do Not Disconnect List which included 59 customers with medical
conditions. The question arises why was Ms Muliaga not included on the list? Was it indeed her
fault that she wasn’t aware of Mercury Energy company s procedures regulations and possible
help that she was eligible which might have saved her life or was the employee at fault for
negligence?
According to Vogel “negligence (Lat. negligentia, from neglegere, to neglect, literally
"not to pick up something") is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person
would exercise in like circumstances.[1] The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm
caused by carelessness, not intentional harm”
Was he doing his job? I don’t believe so because his job also granted him the ability to
imply common sense and he was aware of the Do Not Disconnect List which he had and it
already included 59 customers with medical conditions. Now given I have never worked for an
energy company or being able or required to perform disconnections. One ought to wonder ,
place yourself in such position. The first thing the Mercury Energy employee noticed when
stepping in Ms Muliaga living room were the tubes connected to her nose and her breathing
machine. Now given he is not medically trained he can still assess that the customer who he was
about to disconnect energy was medically ill and therefore might have qualified to be on the Do
Not Disconnect List. If he was not sure of such, why didn’t he ask ? “ Are you ill?” that s all he
had to ask , at worst she would have replied with a no and he would proceed with the
disconnection. A simple question could have saved her life.

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I reside in Texas and after brief research I came various site that educate locals on
Government founded programs for Low Income Houses to help pay electricity bills or to lower
your electricity bill. On average CEAP will provide residents with the following utility
assistance:
Heating reimbursement: $704 average; $1,200 maximum
Cooling: reimbursement $739 average; $1,200 maximum
This help will alleviate costs on low income homes and help them catch up.
Evaluate alternative Actions and consequences to Mercury Energy:
An alternative is to sue Mercury Energy for damages and for causing the death of a
single mother of four. I would take in consideration Ms Muliaga yearly salary for example let’s
say it was 30 000 dollars and time it by life expectancy subtract her age at time of death which
was 45 years old and I would obtain 1 . 2 million dollars. It is a reasonable amount given four
children ages 5 to 20 years old lost their mother .
According to Primeaux & Stieber (1998: 228) “Organizations are expected by many
stakeholders to provide the goods and services the consumer wants, but doing so within the
ethical mores of society. The proposition is that social responsibility begins where the law ends.”
Now did Mercury Energy break the law by turning off the power in the home of an ill
single mother of four? I believe so it was negligent homicide.
“Negligent homicide is a criminal charge brought against people who, through criminal
negligence, allow others to die.

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Negligent homicide is a lesser included offense to first and second degree murder, in the
sense that someone guilty of this offense can expect a more lenient sentence, often with
imprisonment time comparable to manslaughter. U.S. states all define negligent homicide by
statute. In some, the offense includes the killing of another while driving under the influence of
drugs or alcohol. Examples of such cases include the crash of Aeroperu Flight 603 near Lima,
Peru. The accident was caused by a piece of duct tape that was accidentally left over the static
ports (on the bottom side of the fuselage) after cleaning the aircraft, which led to the crash.
Employee Eleuterio Chacaliaza left the tape on by accident [1] and was charged with negligent
homicide.”
Mr. Chacaliaza didn’t shoot or assault any of the passengers matter of fact he complied
to his job duties which were to clean the airplane , all he did was leave a piece of tape over the
static ports after performing his cleaning duties that accidentally caused the crash. Now similarly
the Mercury Energy employee forgot to add Ms Muliaga to the Do Not Disconnect List . He
caused her death by acting in a negligent matter. Now there are four children ages 5 to 20
without a mother because he forgot to ask whether or not she was a Medical patient . Why else
would she have been breathing thru a tube and a breathing machine obviously she wasn’t 100
percent healthy.
Two weeks after Muliaga s death the Police announced there was no evidence to justify
any charge against either Mercury Energy or their contractors. Mr. Mantega concluded that Ms
Muliaga died of an arrhythmia caused by morbid obesity and that the stop of oxygen therapy
and stress caused by the disconnection of power at her home.

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Now Mr. Coroner accepted that the contractor knew nothing of Ms Muliaga s medical
condition, her oxygen machine or the need for power to stay on. Mr. Coroner accepted that had
the contractor been aware of the situation , he would have followed standard procedure and
telephoned Mercury Energy to advise them the power should not be cut off. Example of such
was with a newborn child in the home.
I must say I am in agreement with Mr. Coroner’s decision but I personally believe the
VirCom contractor is lying . At the time of her death Ms Muliaga weighed about 406 pounds was
breathing thru tubes and this was all visible to the VirCom employee granted he didn’t ask , he
knew that woman was ill . It was obvious yet he didn’t bother to ask . When she begged him to
work with her , he sarcastically said he was doing his job. But was he ? I don’t believe so , he
caused her death by his negligence.
Now after Ms Muliaga s death Mercury Energy now produces information in six different
languages ( including Samoan) and it is now routine that customer calling Mercury Energy are
asked whether anyone in the household is vulnerable or medically dependent on electricity.
I personally believe the Mercury Energy contractor should have to take a polygraph test
to validate the validity of what he s testifying , which is he had absolutely no idea Ms Muliaga
was ill.
I also believe Ms Muliaga should sue the Mercury Energy contractor for negligent
homicide and for a compensation of 1.2 million dollars as I have previously illustrated.

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References:
Bridgman, T. (2010). Beyond the Managers Moral Dilemma: Rethink the “ Ideal-Type”
Business Ethics case. Wellington, New Zealand : Victoria University of Wellington.
Leenders, M., L. Maufette-Leenders and J.Erskine:2001, Writing Cases,4th Edition (Ive
Publishing, London ON).
Eweje, G. (2010). Corporate response to an ethical incident: The case of an Energy
Company in New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Velasquez, M.G. and Rostankowski, C. (1985). Ethics: Theory and Practice.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice – Hall.
Vogel, D. (1996) . “The study of business and politics”. California Management Review ,
38:3, 146-165.
Freado, M.D. Bath , H. I. (2014). Standing Alone in Judgment. Amarillo, Texas :
Pscychology Press.