Business Ethics

Prof. Susmita Mukhopadhyay

Vinod Gupta School of Management
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Lecture - 16
Case Study – 1

Welcome. Today will be discussing one of the case studies which will help us to
understand the application of the different theories of ethical decision making to that
particular situation. As we understand the subject matter of business ethics is to deal with
the dilemma that we find while making business decisions with respect to certain issues
at hand.

The ethical decision making comes when first we recognize that there are certain issues
and then based on the principles, that we follow the guidelines that we follow, whether
we follow a absolute principal relativism principle or we take a pluralistic lens we try to
arrive at a solution which we think like it is right to do, right to decide in this way and
maybe it is not right to do the other way. So, now, you are going to discuss about the
particular case and they will try to solve the dilemma in this case through different lenses
of applying different ethical theories that we have discussed in a previous discussions.

(Refer Slide Time: 02:00)

The case goes as such it is producing toys child’s play, while discussing the case I will
highlight some of the key pointers of the case. So, that while you are discussing ethical
issues with relevance to a particular case you have to understand the key pointers and
then why what are the ethical dilemmas in that area and then move forward towards the
decision making. So, the case goes as like you, means you are playing the role of the
decision maker and the product manager of a confectionery company that includes small
plastic toys with its chocolate sweets.

So, you can understand like it is the inclusion of like they include small plastic toys with
its chocolate sweets then what you have meant? You have met the potential Thai
manufacturer of these toys at the trade fair in Europe. So, you have made the potential,
you have to be aware like you have to meet the potential Thai manufacturer of these toys
at the trade fair in Europe and now you visit the company in north eastern part of the
Thailand to finalize a 2 year supply contract. So, here we are dealing will be highlighting
you with the main points as we move forward with the case because it is very important
that we know the key points while we are dealing with the case and the ethical dilemmas
with respect to that.

So, we find like you are playing the role of the product manager of Confectionery
Company that includes small plastic toys with its chocolate sweets. So, we can
understand like the intended targeted people who will be taking the a few products of
course, children. Having meet a potential Thai manufacturer of these toys in a trade fair
in Europe you know visit the company in north eastern part of Thailand to finalize a 2
year supply contract. Arriving over there and talking to the sales manager you are able to
arrange a deal which supplies you with the toys at a third of the cost currently charged by
your Portuguese supplier, but with equivalent quality and supply arrangements.

So, the ethical points maybe which should be triggering your mind like whether it is an
ethical dilemma or not, so what you what you have done is arriving there and talking to
the sales manager you are able to arrange a deal which supply you with the toys at the
third of the cost, currently charged by your Portuguese supplier. So, you have tried to
achieve something which is you are getting maybe at a third of the cost, but talks of
equivalent quality, it is not talking of the same quality, but a equivalent quality and
supply arrangements. So, we can talk of like equivalent when you can put like your
trigger should be like its equivalent quality.

So, next what you do in order to check the reliability of the manufacturing process you
ask the manager to show you around the place, you are surprised to find out there - there
is no real workshop on the premises. So, another point is there is no real workshop on the
premises. Rather the production process is organized such that at 6am, at 6am about 30
men lined up at the company’s gate load large boxes with toy components on the little
carts or motor scooters and take the material to their homes. So, then your prospective
supplier then takes you to one of these places where you see your prospective supplier
then takes you to one of; why this is a prospective supplier? Because you have already
able to arrange a deal and after doing that you are making the visit. So, your prospective
supplier then takes you to one of these places where you see a large family sitting in a
garage like burn assembling the toys.

Now, not only the mother father doing the job, but what you find the couples six children
aged between 5 to 14 who are working busily and from what you see very cheerfully
together with the parents while the grandmother is looking after the phone in an adjacent
room. In the evening, 6am the whole thing has started like people have assembled they
have taken the things in the carts back to the home and you see like the six children aged
between 5 to 14 years they are working with their parents happily cheerfully and in the
evening at around 8 pm the day’s work is done the assemble toys are stored back in the
boxes and taken to the workshop of the company where the main the main received there
payment for the finished goods.

At the end of the week the toys are shipped to the customers in Europe. As you never
come across such a pattern of manufacturing, so you have no basic previous knowledge
about this.
(Refer Slide Time: 10:10)

So, as you have never come across such a pattern of manufacturing your Thai partner
explains to you that this is a very common and well established practice in this part of the
country and one which guarantees a good level of quality.

Satisfied, you tell the Thai manager that you will conclude the paperwork. So, satisfied
here also is a point the three ethical dilemma points over here you are a ethical like you
triggering points over here you have never come across certain situations then you
believe on the face value itself what a Thai manager is telling you, Thai partner is telling
you and he explains like it is a very common practice and well established practice and
that is what guarantees a good level of quality and that fact becomes a satisfactory
explanation for you and you do not take any effort to cross verify the information that is
given to you. Satisfied you tell the Thai manager that you will conclude the paperwork
once you get back home and you leave the company offices happily and you leave the
company offices happy in the knowledge of the cost savings you are going to make and
quietly confident that it will result in a healthy bonus for you at the end of the year.

On your way back while buying some souvenirs for your 5 and 7 year old nieces, for
your 5 and 7 year old nieces at the airport you suddenly start wondering if you would
like to see them growing up the same way as the child workers that you have just
employed to make your company’s choice.

So, this again puts the person you as a manager into dilemma production manager in
dilemma like you are buying the souvenir for your 5 and 7 year old nieces at the airport,
and do you want them to grow in a same way as the for the like the child workers that
you have just employed to make the toys for your company.

(Refer Slide Time: 13:40)

So, this particular case can now be like you discussed in terms of these two questions
that are following it like reading the case and putting yourself in the; reading the case
this can be explained now from the questions pointing to it would be like reading the
case and putting yourself in the position of the role of the product manager what would
your gut reaction be. And based on your choices can you set out the reasons for your
choice, and can you relate it to some values or principles that are important to you. So,
what will be doing over here is will try to analyze the case from the various perspectives
and like the utilitarian perspective or like for all the perspectives that we are studied.
(Refer Slide Time: 15:04)

For all the perspectives that we have study will try to analyze the case from different
perspectives and try to see the application of those theories into the decisions. So, the
case is about like the production manager has gone to Thailand and there he has come to
settle a deal at which we may can save cost for buying toys with respect to the present
Portuguese supplier who is already supplying the toys, but when he we closes the deal
and more or less comes to final stand point. And then he tells like he wants to see where
it is getting produced, he comes to know like the children of 5 to 14 years of age are
participating along with their parents in making the toys and the work starts from nearly
6 to 7 am in the morning and continues still 8 pm in the evening.

The male gets the payment for it at the end of the day and then satisfied and he gets the
information from the Thai partner like this is the way generally things are done in over
here and that is that gives the quality that helps in the quality, of the good quality things
to be produced. But he never cross checks to find out is it truly the condition what it is
done here believes in the face value information given by the Thai partner. He is
satisfied, like he has made some cost saving and then he is happy about it and then he
also think it is going to add something to his bonus and healthy bonus, but when he goes
back and he is buying souvenir for his niece, two nieces who are also of the similar sort
of age. So, then maybe the dilemma starts in his mind about the decision like you would
you want for the his nieces also to grow in the same way like the child labors may be
whom he has just employed by signing the deal. So, these case we can interpret from the
lens of the different theories the consequentialist, non-consequentialist, traditional
theories or the modern theories of ethical decision making and we will try to see that
now how we do that explanation.

So, when doing from the utilitarianism perspective the two perspectives that we take is
whether like it is a action for the action we will measure the cost or benefit the pleasure
or the pain for either going for the deal or not going for the deal. So, let us see what are
the pleasure and pain involved in going for the deal or not going for the deal.

So, decisions can be two according to utilitarian perspective like either you do the deal or
you do not do the deal. If you do the deal also there are some pleasure and pain
associated with it, if you are not doing the deal also there are some pleasure and pain
associated with it. So, we will try to see it from the perspective whether you do it or not
do it. So, action one could be doing the deal and action two is not doing the deal. So, for
the product manager for doing the deal, the pleasure part is for the product manager, it is
a good deal for the business and potential for personal business for the pain part of it, it is
a bad conscience and possible risk for company reputation.

For action two where the pleasure part it is like if you are not doing the deal then the
pleasure part of it is you are having a good conscience and you will running less risk of
taking in unethical decision. And the pain part is of course, you are running the loss of a
good deal. For the Thai dealer the pleasure part is for doing the deal is of course, a good
deal and for the pain part of not doing the deal is loss of a good deal and you have to
search for a new one, new customer in Europe.

For the parents if you do the deal it is the secure of the families income, but the pain part
is it is limited prospects for children if you are not doing the deal then search for other
sources of income. For doing the deal for children the pleasure part is feeling of being
needed, being grown up - pain part is hard work no chance of school education; not
doing the deal is no hard work time to play and go to school - pain part is potentially
forced to do more other in full work. Grandmother for doing the deal is family is able to
support her and for not doing the deal could be loss of economic support. So, there you
find for if you are seeing the pleasure and pain of doing the deal and not doing the deal
for the product manager pleasure is of course, good deal for the business, good potential
for personal business also, but you have a like loss of conscience back conscious that you
are taking forward when you understand like when you question like whether you want
the same to be done for your nieces also.

So, for the Thai dealer maybe it is a good deal and for the loss of good deal looking for
other consumers. So, question comes is like if you are looking into conscience and you
are not doing the deal now, so are you how do you ensure like the children that will not
be employed by the parents for other painful work. From this also you are doing the deal
with a feeling of pleasure like it was the securing the income of the parents, but how do
you know like this because you find in the case the main is or the grandmother will be
able the family is able to support the grandmother. So, how do you know like the main
shares the full income with the for the purpose of the family or the maintenance or taking
care for the grandmother because he find the mails are taking the work and they are
receiving the money also is the are the mails are doing.

So, how you try to ensure about these things because you have not cross checked it, you
have not verified it. So, by just understanding seeing it and taking seeing like this or
children are cheerful or because the Thai partner has told this is the way best way that the
things are done over here. So, that is what you have believed and you have gone home
satisfied.

So, then if you are trying to utilize from the just utilitarian perspective, maybe we are not
trying to think of the some broader perspective over here when now you have studied all
the stakeholders like why is this situation in the like when the Thai manager tells like this
is what is the general practice here in this part. So, why it is the general practice, what
role does the Thai person has who is actually employed this people towards the
development of the children. So, the case is silent about it. So, have you taken any
initiatives yes or no; if the Thai partner has not taken any initiative does it mean does it
like hint or the does it expects like the production manager who is come whose toys like
the people in the Europe are buying these toys and this for this particular firm which is
giving the toys with the chocolate do they have any responsibility towards these Thai
children also. So, this aspect with the case by pointing towards the issues at hand raises
this question.

So, to answer these questions we have to like go into the details of the explaining it from
different perspectives. So, utilitarianism tells you the cost and benefit the pleasure and
pain of either doing the deal or not doing the deal, but it is also silent about some of the
aspects. The main problem of utilitarianism are like it is. The main problems of
utilitarianism are like it is dealing with the like subjectivity of the individual. So, while
using this theory you have to be thinking more subjectively about you have to rather be
creating and accessing such consequences as pleasure and pain, it might depends heavily
on the subjective perspective of the person that carries out the analysis.

And second is, it is a problem of quantification because you may have to like it was
pleasure or it may have pain, but it is quite difficult to access the cost and benefit to
every situation. So, it might be quite easy in the example for the persons who are
involved directly with the transaction, but it is certainly difficult to do so for the children
involved, since their pleasure and pain is not quantifiable. Especially this cases it might
be quite difficult to weigh a pleasure and pain is when it is coming to losing a good
contract and whether it is really comparable to forcing children to labour or under
utilitarianism health and safety issues of the firms required value of life and death to be
quantified and calculated. So, without the possibility of acknowledging that they might
have an intrinsic worth beyond calculation.

So, these type of problems of quantification may be there when you are distributing,
when you are dealing with utilitarianism theory. Also there could be a problem of
distribution of utility means finally; it may appear by assessing the greatest good for the
greatest number the interest of minorities are overlook. In our example a minority of
children might suffer so that the majority may benefit from the greater utility. So, this
majority could be the family this majority could be the Thai manufacturers this majority,
this majority could be the person the production manager from Europe, who is actually
suffering the minority of the children for the sake of the majority.
So, utilitarianism has the some limitations specifically the limitation of the subjectivity
and quantification. So, this have been modified as we understand in the latter cases by
act unilateralism and rule unilateralism. So, act unilateralism is looks to a single action
and base the moral judgment on the amount of pleasure and pain in that single action
causes. Rule unilateralism looks towards the all classes of actions and ask whether the
underlying principles of actions can produce more pleasure than pain for the society in
the long run.

So, our unilateralism analysis; our utilitarian analysis that we used in the principle that
act unilateralism by asking whether like just in that single situation the collective
pleasure exceeded pain inflicted. So, given the specific circumstances in the case that
might result in the conclusion that it is morally right because the children pain is
considerably small, given the fact that for the instance then you have to work anyway or
that school education may not be available to them. From the perspective of rule
unilateralism; however, one would have to ask whether child labour in principal produces
more pleasure than pain. Here the judgment might look into the considerable difference
since it is not difficult to argue about the pains of child labour which easily outweigh the
pleasure gain from the economic benefits of it.

So, rule utilitarianism then release as from examining right and wrong in every single
situation and offers the possibility that the certain principles that we can apply to all
situations. So, when you are doing an activity literalism perspective for the situation
specific thing that may appear to be correct, but in the same situation when you try to see
like when you see can it be applied to all at the end of the case when you are doing it like
do you want to need to grow also in the same way, do you want any other children of the
same age to grow in the same way and to be employed for labour and if you are
answering yes or no for it then this is what you are applying rule utilitarianism.

So, the same case can once you have looked through the lens of utilitarianism and we
have judged the pleasure and pain part of whether trying to answer like whether it is right
and wrong to employee small children for this type of toy making. So, we get like maybe
due to from act utilitarianism we find it to be correct, but from rule unilateralism we find
like a maybe it is question by applying Kant’s test of morality to this situation. So, we get
the following insights.

So, according to Kant’s principals the according to maximum one. So, the first question
we would ask like would we want everybody to act according to the principles of our
action. So, as a production manager you are already uncomfortable about applying the
same principle of exploiting children to from the third world country to the children back
in Europe. So, you probably would not like this to become a universal law which would
then suggest this activity could be deemed immoral on the basis of inconsistency
regarding maxim two like it is questionable whether the children have freely and
autonomously decided to work. By making use of the labour it could be said to be largely
treating them as means to ends rather than ends in themselves, suggesting that their basic
human dignity of not being respected over here and fully recognized and respected.

According to the maxim three, so there is also question of whether you would like your
friends and family to know about your decision. So, it will be doubtful that every rational
human being would universally come to the same conclusion that child labour is a
principle that should be followed in a general basis. So, that brings us to again the point
of dilemma to understand what you have done whether it is morally right or
questionable.

Next when we see this from the perspective of the theory of rights what we see that, it
provides the most straight forward answer to this ethical dilemma. Using the child labour
the product manager would be said to violate the rights of the children to education and
arguably infringe on the right to freedom of consent because it is doubtful really whether
they have any consent was asked from them or they have given the consent for this
labour. Also the human right perspective would cast doubt on the issue that individuals
right to living wage have been respected over here or not because if it was done then it
would not have necessitate the whole family to participate in this activity. Maybe it is the
poor wage that you get and so the longer hours you work maybe means more money or
the number of people that works means more money that you get which will help the
family to survive.
So, if the standard of wage is something which is of a person which we call like
minimum level required or for which we call a living wage. So, possibly this would not
have been the scenario because it is a poor wage people are trying to engage as many
number of people in the family as possible so that collectively it leads to some wage
which will help them to survive. So, here again what we see if we look at this example,
the first test was would be to ask like if call possess the same basic liberty. So, because
the case is based in Thailand and it is making a comparison with Europe, so apart from
the cultural differences between Europe and Thailand this is certainly not the case where
all are enjoying the same basic liberty because here what you find maybe children are not
even allowed for a basic education.

The second principal could be like it allow for a more for a more tolerant approach to
child labour which talks of like the first criterion for inequality would be to ask if the
children are worse or better off with the arrangement.

One might reasonably argue here the children often forced to work things in developing
countries than assembly plastic toys which could be prostitution begging and theft could
be the other alternative. So, if you are comparing this to those type of professions you
may tell like they are better off if you concluded the deal. But if it meant that you signing
the deal would mean like children will be missing school, then they would be; then that
would otherwise would have attended then the arrangement is not benefiting the least
well off. So, the second criteria though poses even more of a problem since without
access to education. So, the children do not have a position to not gain a position in life
to help them to live in better way to compare or to compare themselves with a better
parties like the such as you yourself or having because they do not have the basic
capability to like come up to the same standard.

So, this if discussed in this way we understand the fairness or equality of opportunity is
not there when you are comparing children from the two different parts of the world.

So, here if you are utilizing this so extending this to the justice perspective and if you see
like when you are discussing about this equality and inequality, we may so see like the
roles view of justice can be used to justify multinationals exploitation of low wages and
poor conditions in less developing countries; as under certain conditions like some
MNCs have taken upon themselves to cater for school education or basic healthcare in
less developed manufacturing locations. So, by this the MNC still take advantage of the
lower wages in this countries, but by providing a system of basic liberties compatible
with the similar system of liberty for all and creating conditions of fair equality of
opportunity at least at the local level one might argue that the resulting inequality are still
to the greatest benefit of the least advantage in the sense like it is MNCs are not coming
then probably the local people would have to face more poverty and less opportunity for
development then they would have had it.

So, in the rights theory we are telling what are the basic rights what are the liberties and
do is it like they have right to equal opportunity whether it is equally existing in both the
countries are not. So, if it is not there then according to the roles view, so the MNCs can
like to justify they are coming to a less developed country. So, they are taking advantage
of the low wages, but if they are taking measures to bring people to enjoy similar liberty
like basic right to education and healthy living conditions and also taking measures to
see like the fairness of opportunity equality of opportunity is created locally then maybe
it can be discussed in the way like not having any MNC coming and doing the business
is at least the better of situation, it is not a better of situation as compared to a MNC
coming and doing a business because it is a maybe from a situation of not having
anything to develop to a situation when MNC comes in at least having something to and
that which will think of their development to get rid of the poverty, otherwise left to
themselves maybe they will be facing more poverty.

So, this could be the justifications from the traditional perspectives like when you were
dealing with the utilitarianism theory or the rights theory, duties theory and the
corresponding duties of the form and the justice theory. But when at the end we ask like
what is was it right for the production manager to do it in this way or we phase dilemma
questions like me as a person what I would have done differently if I would have been in
that place. So, that really brings to the forefront of the discussion the analysis of the
whole situation from the virtue ethic perspective or the feminist theory perspective, the
discourse theory perspective or the post modern perspective.
So, from the virtue ethics perspective, from this point of view the virtuous product
manager would take in a different perspectives, like depending on the community from
which maybe the virtuous manager belongs to his own set of values, his own set of
beliefs spiritual beliefs and the guide is that he has received in his, he has received in his
life. So, on one side the person could be compassionate and considerate to the situation
of the suppliers and then taking into account the children’s need for education and their
need for work and money as well. So, you perhaps would try to do business with them
while at the same time you might try to assume your responsibility for the children’s
education. So, how you can do that for instance you may support a local school or pay
sufficiently high wages to allow the family to send their children to school rather than
making use of them as cheap labour.

Otherwise you may also think like the good life in rural Thailand might. In fact, consists
of an entire family working happily together because that is the impression maybe that
you got from seeing the children very cheerful while there working with the parents or
even that Thai manage your partner told you this is generally what is done here and that
gives a good quality of the product.

So, that could be your idea also. And the western concept of education,
professionalization and efficiency are different concept of good life that may not be
appropriate for the Thai approach to life. So, you think like that Thai is think of a good
life in a different way as a concept from that of the how the westerners understand it. So,
this is where you are bringing in a relativistic orientation like which is like it not absolute
in nature, but you are trying to relate it to a particular situation about what you are
thinking of the decision to be taken. So, you are making a comparison between Europe
and its western and its values systems and the Thai culture and its value system.

Typically though the virtue ethics in a business context such as this would suggest where
the solution to many of the problems faced by the managers are located in the culture and
the tradition of the relevant community that you are dealing with. So, this guidance you
may take from your professional codes of conduct from where your role models that are
from a professional training what is expected of a production manager in the code of
conduct as per a virtuous production manager, these may be your guidelines for deciding
over here.

So, how to act in a particular way based be your personal convictions, to values that are
taught to you or you may think like am I superimposing my values on others
considerations that you make of a local cultural values also and if you find like maybe
you, they may be happy in working over there. So, can you influence them can you try to
change their orientations to find make them see the importance of education, so what you
can do with that regard.

Applying feminist theory perspective to this we find like the case itself does not give us
like that much of knowledge that we can get from what the case information the case
provides us with application of the feminist theory perspective would require that the
production manager would try to get a closer view of the family involved, more closer
view of the family involved and see if the children are really happy in this situation. So,
getting involved with the family, it would also involve a better understanding of the
social and economic constraints that cause the family to embark on this particular
production process pattern. So, the irony of this is that the feminist theory would not
necessarily argue categorically against any involvement of children in the process as long
as the inter familiar relationships are functioning well and the children inter familiar
relationships are functioning well. And the children are not forced exploited or
compelled to work beyond their physical capacities.

As the latter condition probably might not be full filled, feminist perspective would
probably end in objecting towards the child labour as well, but not because it is violating
certain of the western principles, but because of the likely distress at suffering of the
children.

So, furthermore the feminist theories if applied over here would look into the situation
based on the other actors who are involved and scrutinize it for example, the question of
whether the money earned by the assembling of the toys is spent on and is there if the
income is distributed in the family or not. Because here in the case we find it is the mail
who is taking the payment and receiving the payment, it is nothing is mentioned in the
case like whether it is been distributed equally and the hint that we get from the it
utilitarianism theory also the distribution of the utility is it done to all the members or it
gets restricted to sum of the members. From the discourse theory perspective what we
find.

So, if we apply this course theories in it what you find is, it is we are not able to say over
here like whether a discussion between both the parties are going to lead to make any
changes in the scenario or not. So, it would I would suggest that all parties involved
starting from the Thai training company, the confectionery manage manufacturers
parents children so, but also the potential consumers of Europe should meet together into
like some non generation discourse on the topic.

So, apart from this fact it shows some practical difficulties to this problem because it
takes a very long term effect collect all people together make the meet at a common
place then decide on the issues, then whether the persons views get represented properly
or not, are the children able to speak for themselves or they speak what others are tell
them to do. So, these could be the problems from the discourse ethics perspective, but of
course, this can be taken as a guideline for starting the discussions. So, from the
postmodern perspective, it is difficult to state anything about the case. So, without being
like knowing the situations in Thailand very well, and if we have not immersed in the
decision maker has not immersed yourself, himself or herself in the scenario which is
there. So, otherwise it will be a moral impulse about the situation and then you are try to
decide based on that model impulse that we think is the moral way to decide in that
particular situation.

So; however, this example gives us certain hints and as postmodernist we may tell like
that the manager, the production manager would have made may be the first right move
in actually going to the site of the production and facing those who have be who will be
affected instead of signing the deal at the first time. So, maybe it could have happened
like the people in the person Thai person has in just informed them see the production
manager is coming to visit your place. So, if you are not looking happy, if you are not
doing your work together could be like he is not going to do the deal with us. So, we do
not know like whether it was a fabricated situation where children were looking happy
while they were working or because the production manager never interacted with them
to understand what is exactly going on.

So, like instead of just staying separate from them treating them as suppliers we could
production manager the post modern view suggest like the production managers go there
and try to inquire try to see what is happening in reality over there. So, we could also try
to think of like our own attempt to make a very like autonomous decision which is based
on the situations and Thailand rather than on based on the situation which is based on
situations in Thailand rather than relying on a corporate code of ethics particularly which
requires a have an universal application. Could be like Thailand has some special issues
some use of behaviour which are embedded in the culture and we need to study that and
can take a special decision for the case of the Thailand, this scenario happening in the
Thailand case.

So, also the postmodernist viewpoint questions the fact like the how much like you are.
So, corporate mentality orientated like you immediately start thinking of the cost and
bonuses rather than you think of the people and their life. So, whether this was a right
move or not based on who this you as a person and your thought process like how greatly
embedded you are in the mentality of the organization immediately started thinking
about that and not about the maybe the small children the life there and the people that
you have employed.

So, maybe on the basis of the postmodern lens we are not able to finally, decide about the
situation for the manager because the contextual ones of the situation are not information
is not there and we are not able to understand the extent of like too moral impulse which
is possible in that particular context.

So, when we see like the decision from the perspective to buy to employee children
when there working maybe from 6am to 8pm with the family and their compromising on
their education and they are working with their parents to earn for the family. So, if we
are applying and absolute lens or relative lens or like whether we will try to take apply
one of the perspectives like either utilitarianism or rights or justice or virtue or feminist
lens or we take this course lens or we take a postmodern lens, what we find like if we are
taking these lenses separately the focus of the lenses are different maybe from one to the
other and it is a whether this has been right or wrong decision to enter into a contract like
this reaches different answers to the different routes that we have taken.

So, when we go for the act utilitarianism and we take the route of answering for the
pleasure and pain of doing the, going for the act or not going for the act maybe the
pleasure the benefit that you get for doing the deal and the pain that you get for not doing
the deal which are unanswered in this case and the doubts like whether the if you are not
doing it, whether the children you can guarantee like they will be getting the education
they will not be put into other more painful jobs are not may guide you towards deciding
for yes the this is the correct path of taking of deciding yes and that is the answer.

But when you go for the rule utilitarianism and you tell like do you want it to be
universally apply do you want all children to be growing up in this way universally and
that is that the child labour is a good principle or not, maybe then you do not with that
conviction that you take say in act utilitarianism like yes we have taken a correct
decision. So, that comes you if a subset of dilemma in telling like yes I have done anther
right thing and I expected this is the principal to be followed universally.

When it comes to the right perspective again when you tell like whether people are
enjoying the rights or not do they have similar liberty across then and then maybe what is
the focus you are getting over here the differences in opportunities available and the
exposure to liberty that basically what is that they have, which and what you want others
to think of you if the thing like they have decided like you have decided like this brings
you again to the dilemma of understanding like whether you have taken the right
decision by employing this or it triggers these children or it triggers you to thinking of
like what you can would have done differently or what you could have done in a better
way.

So, when you talking of justice theory, there you may see like it takes care of this
inequality taking understanding the factors like this basic liberty enjoyed by the children
at two different parts of the continent, maybe is not same and that is why is the relative
perspective like when you are deciding about children from a particular country, but
because there are certain basic liberties which you think like it is should be universal in
nature.

So, if you take steps for educating them and provide them with some better wage, so that
the children are said for education. So, this maybe gives you a solution then again like
when you are dealing with the virtue theory it is guiding towards thinking like am I
imposing my thoughts and Thai ways of thinking am I trying to impose what I
understand why a good life into the how others understand good life. So, what is the
correct way of behaving in this which makes which hints you like to become more
involved in the issue before you just take a decision and then all this course ethics and
postmodern ethics also guides you towards becoming more involved in the situation.

So, if we are using the ethical prism concept where we are using trying to use more or
less all the theories together after we have learnt about the maybe how well it helps to
reach us and what are the limitations of a particular theory if you are trying to take the
ethical prism perspective where you are using all the theories together then it gives at us
better scope of exploring the ways that we approach a particular problem.

So, maybe from when you are taking the ethical prism perspective over here what we
would have done differently is like first when you meet the potential, first when you
maybe when you start questioning from point one itself of the case like first you may tell
like whether it is good for because you are a product manager. So, is it this questions
because now when you dealt with the vulnerable customers and all the ethical issues may
start from point one itself is it good to include small plastic toys with this chocolate
sweets because then what is the quality of the sweet and what is the like what is the
quality of the plastic toys are the children of even of Europe are buying this chocolate
because it is a good quality or in the attraction of the toys is it not like it. So, you can
question this marketing practice itself.

So, then beyond that also what is the case is silent about a price that you have determined
for this chocolate and with a plastic toy and how you are accounting for the wages that
you are paying your supplier. So, you can as a extend imagination also to this front to
give a like holistic view to the case thinking of the different stake holders involved in this
case.

So, it is not only the MNC maybe the other stake holders that are involved and the of
course, the government and of the specific place where you are going and doing your
business it is also an important stake holder. So, when you have met a potential Thai
manufacturer of these toys at a trade fair in Europe. So, you now visit the company in the
north eastern part of Thailand to finalize a 2 year supply contract. So, here like you come
to finalize not to see the situations like what. So, you come with a preset orientation of
your mind like I will be finalizing the deal because you are moved by the thing like I am
making a cost saving. So, instead of that if it is like you will first go and verify about the
conditions how under what this manufacturing is done and whether you feel like that
there comes the question of application of ethics of care your responsibility to the
stakeholder of the stakeholders also if you come want to come and your corporate
citizenship role of thinking about the stakeholder of the stakeholders also.

Seeing like what condition like their functioning whether you can throw your ways of
maybe the power structure that you have can you influence the Thai manufacturer of
these toys to give some conditions better living conditions, working conditions, wage or
schooling facilities whatever in some way which can you influence them or you extend
your help to him or you go and you take some voluntary measures to solve this cases. So,
you are going with a preset mind I will be settling the deal because it is your moved by
the fact like you are getting it at the third of the cost and within equivalent qualities also
something.

The quality of the toy which is getting with selling with the chocolate and also this is
also an ethical question like if it is an equivalent quality. So, for the sake of the getting at
the latter price lesser price are you compromising on the quality of the toy also because
these are plastic toys, this could be health issues for the children also who are using it.
You do not know there using it these are small plastic toys they can be putting it inside
the mouth also. So, they could be chewing it also. So, what use their actually putting it to
and how the plastic may affect the quality of plastic may affect the health of the children.
So, the folk as a product manager maybe your focus is only on the cost part, but your
whether you have taken a due care approach to see whether due care has been followed
through out whether you have done a due diligence of that. So, these are question which
is not answered, this needs to be focused in to whether you have done due diligence of
the process to find out like, whether due cure has been taken in the all the processes
maintain what is the quality of the plastic then how they are people are functioning do
they get a proper wage or not are they functioning and exploitation or not. So, these type
of things.

So, then when you come to this thing like its 6 am to 8 pm working hours and then they
are going to their homes and assembly, even after meeting the children seeing them you
working with them, and the process followed over there, it is expected like you try to
observe them more because you do not have any first hand information before you came
over here. So, its request you to get into some sort of information gathering not only
from what the Thai partner explains you, but also from the people who are actually
working in that scenario and to cross check whether other forms also are following the
same process.

Try to find out why this is the process followed here in this part of Thailand, are there not
any protest maybe from now when you have understood about the role of the civil
society, civil society organizations. So, try to see like the children are actually are getting
benefits for or getting to speak about their rights, or they are not forced to work, then
what is the role of the Thai government in it are they not in it regulations. So, why the
rule set are there any rules if he saw whether it is implemented or not implemented, what
are the bottlenecks in implementation so can that be addressed in certain ways or not. So,
they the questions from these type of mindset like when you are asking these questions.
So, it speaks more about your role as the product manager and maybe the corporate
citizenship behaviour of the form in Europe that you are representing the MNC that is
come to do a business in the developing country.

So, and this cross check like this good level of quality these are very like qualitative
terms mention. So, how you cross check on these things and try to relate to these factors
like this gives this to the claim of the Thai partner, like this working condition gives rise
to good quality, so what is the justification for it that needs to be verified. So, and then
when you were thinking at the case like when you are thinking like whether you want
your niece who are like maybe your own children to do behave be in the same type of
situation and you find like you have employed maybe similar age children to the works
situation. So, maybe it is a decision that you have taken, but also before doing that have
you thought of the other processes that may be as a product manager you can just try to
implement, to try to find out or maybe ask your organization to take care of before you
just say yes and sign the final contract, so are there any avenues for improving the
situation that the people are in.

See awareness have to be generated in many cases if the things like what is the you can
compare it also what like these children if they do not have any basic education and they
are into this job maybe they become skill labors when they grew up for the same type of
profession and, but do they develop the choices for employability, selection of other
professionals. So, these things do they become rational thinkers for deciding what is right
to think and how to express about their own thoughts are not.

So, these are question comes and these are whose responsibility. If as an MNC as an
representative the MNC you find like maybe the Thai government is not able to do that
much of the responsibility as given in the keys, then are there any like civil society
organizations who are taking care of it or beyond this what part of responsibility you can
take up as a corporate citizen to maintain or to just bring into balance the this thing the
they are improving them their employability living standards and making them better
citizens for tomorrow.

Also when you are talking of the qualities of the there are many issues to this case only it
is not only the focus for the children like if you are dealing this from the sustainability
perspective maybe we were talking with respect to the this month economic
sustainability, but what about the social sustainability. So, when you are talking of
education maybe when you become educated you to have developed your choice rational
choices then maybe you can expand on your choices rather than being confined to one.
So, that to some extent tells you about what you actually leave to your future generations
also and in terms of definitely for the working conditions and timings, this things also
needs to be looked into. And when you are talking with the environmental sustainability,
actually when you are talking of equivalent quality so how does plastic is manufactured,
what is the, maybe the either the pollution done to the ecosystem the air or water because
there is no real workshop on the premises so how the case is also not focused much into
the how the toy components are actually manufactured.

The case starts from the toy components being assemble part, so what about the earlier to
it how it has been produced and all. So, this part has not been highlighted a Wren as a
role of a product manager, and if you have to check into the due care followed through
the whole process means you have to start from the like procurement of the raw material
to its whole processing also, but that has not been focused much in the discussion of the
case.

But you when now we have understood the different stakeholders attached to a particular
situation if you take it in that way you may come up with more issues that have been
maybe this a dormant issue in this is a prominent issue that comes to focus is that maybe
the children working and because the case ends with these children being compared with
children in Europe Thai children getting compared with the children in the Europe who
are maybe whether they are better off or not at the difference in the conditions that you
voluntarily maybe impose and one whether this has been a right way of taking a decision
or not. But there are other very important issues throughout the whole case silent issues
like that of as we told like whether it is good to give a choice toy with a chocolate and
who ensures about the quality of the toy, who ensures like the because the plastic
whether what quality it is, how the children use it not. So, what is the quality of the
chocolate per say do they buy it for the sake of the toy or for the chocolate.

And then how this toys get produced, where from this plastic gets source how it is done,
and because the cases focus mainly on the assembling part of it. But there are queries
through out what is the role of the government what is the role of the CEOs what role the
supplier himself have the Thai manufacturer himself have towards the these employees
can he leave everything towards the fact like this is the custom over here what proactive
steps maybe have he have taken to do something differently when he was thinking when
it is like the children are not getting the exposure to some even basic education.
So, these type of questions are not answered over here, but when you are seeing the case
as a whole you can always try to put this questions and try to answer for it to find out not
only whether the decision taken in this condition is right or wrong, but these type of
questions will help you to answer to get you the guidelines regarding what else could we
have done or what else could be done in this situation. Taking into the fact that maybe if
this product manager would not have entered into the; done this contact, contract maybe
some other product manager would come and sign this deal if not it is against the, if not
the MNCs search if not thinking of entering into the contracts we have to look into the
culture of the organization MNC also like what it tries to focus into feature into.

So, taking all these things into you have to focus in the value of the organization itself
value system of the organization itself here you are talking the virtue of the product
manager, virtuous product manager you can discuss about organizational culture its
values also what it tries to promote, and taking all facts together what are the role the
business can play in doing something differently in this scenario some guiding steps may
come out if you are asking the question from the different stakeholders connected to the
business perspective and using a ethical prism perspective.

Thank you.