Strong Moral Issue Essay

Total Length: 521 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

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Insider: Morality and ethics

The film The Insider tells the tale of Jeffrey Wigand, a former employee of a tobacco company, who agreed to be interviewed by the television news show 60 Minutes, during which Wigand revealed on-camera the lies and deception used by Big Tobacco to 'hook' the American public on cigarettes. Although the deadly properties of cigarettes had long been known, Wigand openly talked about the specific techniques used by tobacco companies to make cigarettes even more physically addictive than they already were, including adding known carcinogens to the mixture.

The title of the film is apt given that as 'an insider' Wigand was aware of things only an employee of a tobacco company could know. However, his willingness to be forthcoming also raised serious ethical considerations.
From the point-of-view of some business theorists, as an employee, Wigand should have honored the confidentiality agreements that were part of the provisions of his employment. He was effectively 'biting the hand that fed him' for many years, financially speaking, for his employer. Also, it is arguable that a firm's greatest obligation is not to behave morally, but to make a profit, which was what the tobacco companies were trying to do. What would happen if all employees decided to reveal business secrets, simply because they had moral qualms? This could hurt the American economy.

However, from a deontological ethicist's point-of-view, the concept of deception is simply wrong, and rather than marketing their product in an ethical manner, the tobacco companies were using methods hidden to the average consumer….....

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