The document discusses a moral issue around replacing outdated technology at a chemical company. Susan believes the current vacuum box technology exposes workers to unsafe benzene levels, putting their health at risk. Management prioritizes profits over worker safety. The moral problem centers around balancing worker health, legal compliance, and profits. A new system would benefit workers' health and the company's reputation while costing initial investment.

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1. Understand all Moral Standards
- Susan Shapiro has an extensive knowledge about chemistry, especially benzine. She strongly believes that
“there is a direct correlation between bezine and leukemia and birth defects”. The federal standard for the
level of benzine is just 10 parts per million, but in the drying shed, the level reaches 1000, which is 100 times
higher than the suggested number. Having watched the men working there in a dangerous condition, she
expects the company to change the old vacuum box technology in order to control the amount of benzine
evaporating within the shed. Her final goal, which is also her top priority, is to improve the working condition
and protect the health of the workers in the shed (social aims).
- On the other hand, the foreman, the director of personnel and also the plant manager that Susan had
talked to think that the system is doing fine at the moment and there’s no need to change. They all expect
Susan to focus on her current job and give less care about the system. They are all working for the company
and no one wants to see “the door marked exit in large black letters”. Keeping their positions is what matters
most to them (lifestyle preferences).
- For the owner of the company, they believe that making more profits for the company is a rightful thing to
do. So the employees should try to cut down costs, not increasing them. The company’s owner won’t be
happy if they have to invest in a project that doesn’t “meet target rates of return”. Their final goal, just like
other business people out there, is to keep the company running steadily and make profits at the same time.
- The people working in the drying shed just want to have a stable job, and earn their livings. They deserve to
be well-treated by the company, such as being given a pleasant environment to work in.
2. Recognize all Moral Impacts
If we decide to replace the old vacuum box technology with a new one, there will be some benefits and harms along
with the rights exercised and rights denied in doing this action.
Benefits and Harms Benefits Received Harms Allocated
Susan Shapiro
- Goal completed and have self-
satisfaction for helping a large
number of people
The risk of losing their jobs
(if ROI is low)
The group of the foreman,
the director of personnel,
and the plant manager
- Gain trust from their staff
The owner of the company
(The company in general)
- Increase company’s reputation for
taking great care of the
employees’ health
- Improve productivity: more
products with better quality
- Follow OSHA’s rules strictly
The cost paid for the machine upgrade
The workers in the drying
shed
- Better working environment
- Better health
- Less workload
(none)
The rights exercised and rights denied perhaps need more explanation than the benefits received and the harms
allocated listed in the previous table. According to the labor safety, the men who working in the drying shed have the
rights to work in a safe environment in which their health is protected. The company has to make sure their employees
are free from any kind of diseases that may occur in the workplace, and in this case is the dangerous side effects of
benzine. But for now, their right is denied due to the unexpectedly high level of benzine in the area which will affect
their health in a negative way. Susan has the chance to see all of that on her trip around the factory and she has the
rights to say what she thinks is best for the workers, and also the rights of being listened by the managers and the
company’s owner. She couldn’t keep it to herself because what she witnessed at the drying shed is completely true. On
the other hand, the owner of the company may face the risk of losing his or her personal rights of making lots of
profits in the current time. And it may take a while in order to recovery the capital money invested in the machine.
Student’s name: Lê Vương Nhật Nghi
Student’s number: K37.751.075
Class: 4TMA
Business Ethics Case 4-1
Susan Shapiro and Workplace Dangers

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3. Define Complete Moral Problem
Is it a “right” thing to do if the company just focuses on the profits and try to maintain the out-of-date system? Or
we can do it another way: installing a new system. This action will result in substantial benefits (better company’s
reputation, improved productivity, OSHA rules’ compliance) for the company as a whole. The people working in the
shed will also receive substantial benefits (better health care, better working environment, less workload). And for the
other related parties including Susan and the group of managers and directors, it will also benefit them (self-
satisfaction, trust from the staff). However, this action will also result in a temporary loss of profits of the company’s
owner at the moment. It may take a period of time in order to gain back the money which has been invested in the
machine. The moral problem here is quite obvious. Susan is brave enough to risk her own career for the goods of the
workers for a reason. It’s totally fine for a company to generate products and for the company’s owner to run his or
her business in the ways that he or she wants. But the workers are not only just normal employees serving the
employer but also the valuable assets of the company. The importance of profits and employees should be balanced. A
business which only pays attention to money won’t last. That’s the reason why the workers deserve nothing but the
best while working in the company and one of the top priorities is a proper working condition.
4. Determine the Economic Outcomes
In the beginning, the cost of installing the new system will be quite high. This is the most obvious and likely the
only side-effect of the new technology. However, if you think about the long-term benefits of the system, the
investment cost won’t be a waste after all and will definitely bring back more than just profits (which will be further
discussed in the solution part). The new technology will surely increase the productivity of the company. For example,
it used to take 2 minutes for an intermediate chemical product to be dried under the old system. Now with the
advanced technology, it will only take about half the time, let’s say 1 minute per product. As a result, more products
will come out of the machine within a given time! We are now following the dictums of economic outcomes: more is
better than less, and more of what people really want.
5. Consider the Legal Requirements
Some said that the current system is legal. But actually it’s not. The construction wasn’t done properly and the
drying shed can’t be considered as an “open air” type of construction. OSHA wasn’t checking the whole process
thoroughly but if they do, the company will have to be punished for not following the rules in a proper way. Now with
the new technology, benzine will be treated completely in the vacuum box and there will be no benzine left to
evaporate in the air. The level of benzine then will please the federal standards, which is around 10 parts per million,
not 1000 like right now. The current number isn’t 2 or 3 but 100 times higher! The company will be sued sooner or
later for having their people working in a terrible condition if they keep on using the old machine.
6. Evaluate the Ethical Duties: based on some of the major ethical systems
- Personal virtues: In this rule, the company is allowed to do as they like, and follow their own self-interests
(making profits), as long as they adopt a set of standards for the “right”, “just”, and “fair” of the others (the
working men). Getting the system of vacuum box upgraded is an action that the company can be proud of,
unlike the old system. How can you be proud when you see the company’s image on the newspapers or TV
under the title of “Company A exploiting their workers”, “The workers at Company A are at risk of leukemia
and birth defects”, or “Level of benzine 100 times higher than standards at Company A”?
- Utilitarian benefits: shows us not to take any action that doesn’t result in greater good than harm for the
society of which you are a part. And Susan is doing it right! Even though she just started her career here not
long ago, but she’s still a part of the company and she’s willing to do what’s best for it. Her action of pointing
out and saying the truth will bring the “good” to the company.
7. Propose Convincing Moral Solution
The solution that I would like to propose will be beneficial in the long run, which is to replace the old vacuum box
technology with a new one. It may be a little bit costly in the beginning, and require a short period of time to gain the
money back as I’ve mentioned in the economic outcomes. However, broken or out-of-date machines need to be fixed
sooner or later. So why not fix it now and no more worries in the future? The new technology will foster the
productivity of the firm to make more products. Not to mention, this replacement can totally change the image of the
company as a whole. Imagine the way the customers think about the company after the change: an ethical company
that cares about the health of their employees, not just profits! In addition to that, no workers in the area will have to
be precautious of leukemia and birth defects anymore. And the R&D department can label the products as “100%
benzine free” now, which will surely attract the customers’ attention. We all know that you have to plant the seeds
first in order to harvest the fruits later. So that’s why the company is in need of a new vacuum box technology now!