ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst
Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse 6-17-2008 Science, Technology and Society Initiative
Case study: Misleading satellite data contract
Steven Cox
Queens University - Charlotte
Shawana Johnson
Global Marketing Insights
Recommended Citation
Cox, Steven and Johnson, Shawana, "Case study: Misleading satellite data contract" (2008). Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse. Paper 280. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/esence/280
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Case study: Misleading satellite data contract
Version 1.0 • June 17, 2008
Authors: Steven Cox (McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte), Shawana Johnson (Global Marketing Insights)
Case (for presentation to students)
Jim Willis was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for International Satellite Images (ISI). ISI had been building a satellite to image the world at a resolution of 1-meter. At that resolution, a trained photo interpreter could identify virtually any military and civilian vehicle as well as numerous other military and non-military objects. The ISI team had been preparing a proposal for a Japanese government contractor. The contract called for a commitment of a minimum imagery purchase of $10 million per year for five years. In a recent executive staff meeting it became clear that the ISI satellite camera subcontractor was having trouble with the development of a thermal stabilizer for the instrument. It appeared that the development delay would be at least one
References: Berenbeirn, R. “Executive Action, The Enron Ethics Breakdown”, The Conference Board, No. 15, February, 2002. Miller, Rick. "Going Where Other Investors Fear to Tread; Firestone Tire Case Highlights Crisis Investing 's Risk, Reward." Investment News. 09/04/00. satellite.contract.case.doc 7/1/2008 6 Stevenson, Richard W.. "Johnson & Johnson 's Recovery." The New York Times. 07/05/86. Terms of use Copyright © 2005 by Steven Cox and Shawana Johnson. Used by permission. Authors license this work under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA satellite.contract.case.doc 7/1/2008 7