Hazel Case

Most of today's companies have ethical rules that they follow. My company calls these Principles and Values. They are simple rules such as:

We do the right thing.

We give the customers more than they expect.

We put the needs of others ahead of our own.

We have fun.

We are flexible to changing needs.

There are more but you get idea. Companies use guidelines such as these to learn about the person/ people they may hire. Prospective candidates that fit into their ethical code of conduct may be a better fit to the company. These kinds of employees can provide better decision making within the company. They would be able to think of ways to promote the company, better able to handle problems and even a good influence on fellow employees.

This case study aims to provide an elaborate description of the Vioxx prescription painkiller recall in 2004. Vioxx was once the best prescription painkiller of Merck, a pharmaceutical giant. Unfortunately, Merck fiercely pushed and marketed Vioxx, without even disclosing its serious side effects to consumers properly. This became very unsafe. Once Merck's unethical and harmful acts came to light, the company had to deal with failing profits, some angry investors, and most importantly, very costly lawsuits. I do not believe that Merck acted in a socially responsible and ethical manner with regard to Vioxx. Building a competitive and successful business requires for managers to make some decisions which balances social responsibility, profit, and ethics. When business managers get greedy and run their business with profit as their only goal, problems will most definitely occur. These problems can and will cause major damage to the company and also its customers. Merck's testing and development of Vioxx was overtaken by marketing concerns instead of medical ones and many customers suffered because of this. Merck should have taken the drug off the market as soon as they were aware of it's health risks. Pharmaceutical companies, government regulators and policymakers, patients and their physicians, and the court system all play a role in assuring the safety and effectiveness of