The Ethical Dilemma in the Ford Pinto Case On August 10‚ 1978 three young girls died in a 1973 Ford Pinto after being stuck from the rear by a driver in a van. The Ford Pinto was completely engulfed in flames and the accident resulted in the death of the three young girls. Today‚ the debate continues regarding whether or not The Ford Motor Company was responsible for this case and many other cases involving the Pinto bursting into flames resulting in disfigurement or death. Ford has
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Ford Pinto Case John Fraughton Jr. Taylor Gray Brenda Greenwell Christopher Macintyre Leanne Marks University of Phoenix MGT 216 March 17‚ 2010 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Recommended Solutions and Supporting Information to the Ford Pinto Case 3 Traffic Safety and Accident Data 4 Ethical Opinion 5 Influences from External Social Pressures 5 Case Examined with the Period Eye 6 Conclusion 8 References 9 Introduction Very few 20 to 30 year olds know of
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Utilitarian Analysis The Case of the Ford Pinto The Ford Pinto first rolled off the Ford Motor Co. production lines in 1971 and stayed in production in its original state until 1978. The vehicle engineers were tasked to develop the vehicle and put it into production within 25 months‚ which was nearly half the time in which the average new vehicle is put into production. The Ford engineers were aware that rear-end impact safety tests were pretty standard at the time‚ but they were not required
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Introduction In 1972 the national highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put a price on life - $200 725 (adjusted for inflation). The Ford Motor Company used this data along with other statistical studies to determine the cost benefit of improving the safety of the Ford Pinto compared to the cost of loss of life. It was determined that the cost of the suggested improvements outweighed their benefits. This essay aims to address whether cost-benefit analysis is a legitimate tool and what
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THE FORD PINTO CASE: THE VALUATION OF LIFE AS IT APPLIES TO THE NEGLIGENCE-EFFICIENCY ARGUMENT Christopher Leggett Law & Valuation Professor Palmiter Spring‚ 1999 Abstract Text of Paper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract The cases involving the explosion of Ford Pinto’s due to a defective fuel system design led to the debate of many issues‚ most centering around the use by Ford of a cost-benefit analysis and the
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Varun Patel Philosophy 131 Michael F. Martin 03/08/2010 The Ford Pinto Case and Utilitarianism In this essay‚ I will talk about the ford Pinto case‚ and how the information was withheld from public in order to save company from huge losses and at the same time keep company’s reputation intact. I don’t think the decision of the ford company to with hold the information about the safety-issue of the car for which they were already aware of; was the right thing to do. I agree‚ as a utilitarian
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FORD PINTO CASE The Ford management has chosen to be unethical and morally unworthy to be trusted with the lives of its customers. Can you just imagine the number of individuals riding every day in the cars that they produced‚ who are unaware that they could be in an injury any moment? Ford management has chosen not to follow the safety guidelines and standards in producing such products because at that time‚ the government is still not that strict in implementing such rules. And because of their
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Coordinator for Ford Motor Company. Field reports are coming in reporting the following: Rear-end collisions‚ Fires‚ and Fatalities. I must decide whether to recall the Pinto. (Case: Pinto Fires‚ Trevino & Nelson‚ p. 115) 3. Before the Pinto‚ Ford was immersed in an intense‚ internal struggle between “Bunky” Knudson and Lee Iacocca over the company’s product line. ● Major pressure to compete with German & Japanese compact cars. Iacocca and the compact car won the struggle. ● The Pinto debuted in
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The Ford Pinto was a subcompact vehicle that Ford Motor Company manufactured from 1970- 1980. The Pinto caught on with consumers‚ and sales of the vehicle were high. However‚ serious problems quickly arose regarding the design of the Pinto. The gas tank on the vehicles was placed directly behind the rear axle instead of above it‚ with only nine inches of space between the gas tank and axle. Bolts were also placed close to the gas tank‚ increasing the risk that they could puncture the tank in an accident
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Business Case (The Ford Pinto) There was strong competition for Ford in the American small-car market from Volkswagen and several Japanese companies in the 1960’s. To fight the competition‚ Ford rushed its newest car the Pinto into production in much less time than is usually required to develop a car. The regular time to produce an automobile is 43 months but Ford took 25 months only (Satchi‚ L.‚ 2005). Although Ford had access to a new design which would decrease the possibility of the Ford Pinto
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