An Examination of the Corporate and Individual Ethical Dilemmas Faced by a Medical Defense Contractor

Abstract

This study examines the ethical pressures and dilemmas faced by a medical contractor. Two fictional retired military officers, Plato and Glaucoma (known for his ethical short-sightedness) work through a variety of ethical problems, ranging from gross acts of impropriety to seemingly minor violations of ethics. Extensive use of conversation is used between these two characters to facilitate the free play of ideas and to make the discussion interesting. The conclusions reached are that consequentialism and compartmentalization work contrary to national interests in defense contracting. Additionally, other situations reveal that following the behavior set by others may lead to a downward spiral of ethical conduct. Also, the notion that one must draw a self- defined line and not cross it, even though the circumstances appear to be trivial, is discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 12, 1991
Accession Number
ADA234228

Entities

People

  • A. T. Hadley Iii

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antigens
  • Commerce
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Corporations
  • Defense Industry
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • New York
  • Personality
  • Physicians
  • Societies
  • Standards
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Economics
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.