BUSI 385
Philip Morris International Inc.
Cigarettes an Ethical Dilemma
For a Prosperous Company
By
Matthew Murray
Table of Contents
Company Overview
Company Success and Campaigns
Tobacco Regulation and Effect on the Company
An Ethical Look on an “Evil” Company
Philip Morris and Positive Ethical Behavior
Company Views and the Utilitarian Approach
The Fact of the Matter for Philip Morris
In Conclusion
References
Company Overview The Philip Morris founded a cigarette company in 1847 London. They specialized in hand-rolled cigarettes and were very much a small, family ran business. In 1902 the company moved to New York City and had a new demographic in a new country. The company remained small and
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(4) While big tobacco was able to avoid these trials general concern for health caused sales to fall. At first Philip Morris and other tobacco companies publicly disclaimed any link between lung cancer and smoking but this was not enough. To combat these health claims cigarette companies released filtered cigarettes that claimed to limit the amount of dangerous particles in tobacco smoke. The filtered cigarettes were in fact just as harmful as regular cigarettes because consumers would take bigger drags to make up for the lack of smoke. In 2006 the District of Columbia District Court ruled the tobacco companies had made many offenses including lying about health risks and marketing to children. (8) As a result tobacco companies are now required to remove misleading statements about filtered cigarettes being safer and to provide more insight into company procedures. Increased regulation has had Philip Morris dealing with a constantly increasing tobacco tax. The government directly taxes cigarettes in all state owned property. These taxes have led to the drastic increase in cigarette prices. Philip Morris and other companies push the tax down towards their customers. The current state of the tobacco industry is not what it use to be but Philip Morris remains profitable with their large involvement in all markets. (4)
Jerry McCall is an office assistant for Dr. William’s. Jerry has received training as both a medical assistant and Licensed practical nurses (LPN). During the time the receptionist is out to lunch Jerry is covering for her. Jerry is faced with a common problem in the health care field today. Jerry has been asked to call in a refill for Valium to a pharmacy for a patient. This paper will address why Jerry is not qualified to refill any prescription medication. If Jerry is protected if a lawsuit is filled. Jerry’s decision is a tough one, legal and ethical issues and advice will be provided for Jerry’s use.
This article is very informative toward the purpose of increasing excise taxes. I believe that Joey Connor did an excellent job at pointing out the effects of the tax increase on tobacco products. He provided information on previous tax rates, so readers can have a clear idea of the increase percentage of taxes. He also supported his arguments by incorporating other sources in his article. For instance, he incorporated the analysis done by the National Public Radio on how the increase in price of cigarettes will affect the consumer behavior.
Diseases caused by the effects of smoking or second hand smoke may lead to emphysema. To start, even after only a few years of smoking, one’s lungs could be affected for the rest of his/her life. Making reference to the issue, “If exposure to cigarette advertising is a risk factor for disease, it is incumbent on the public and elected officials to deal with it as we would the vector of any other pathogen” (Sullum).
Winning the war against cigarettes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from American Cancer Society: http:www.cancer.org
For both the pro and con sides these facts are presented in order to support each paper's opinions. One opinion of the pro side is that the market of cigarettes is a market for disease and death. At one point the paper states, "Outrage at an industry that has made billions selling sickness and death" the paper enforces this opinion later by saying, "For decades, Big Tobacco has made a profit by selling the instruments of disease and death." Another opinion is that tobacco industries are the only companies that manufacture a product which causes serious illness and kills. The pro side quotes Edward L. Kaven, author of Smoking: The Story Behind the Maze as saying, "the only industry which produces a consumer product that is likely to kill and render human beings seriously ill when used as intended." I believe that these opinions are exaggerated ones. First of all, the tobacco companies are not the only companies that sell a product that is unhealthy and even has devastating affects on people.
When information was released to the public in 1939, tobacco companies found ways to discredit, and silence the public concern. In fact, previous to this tobacco manufacturers claimed an increase in health and medicinal properties for tobacco products. With the formation of the Council for Tobacco Research, in 1954, a direct link was sought between smoking and health related problems. Upon the finding of such evidence major cigarette manufacturers unite.
Then the gain percent decreases and it isn’t such a lucrative business anymore. It’d be best for them to make business in another department. Therefore, I agree with Coffman’s claim of making other companies that sell products just as harmful as tobacco pay the same financial settlement to the states. I stand with this claim because tobacco has the same impact on people as alcohol and guns. Just like tobacco, alcohol deteriorates health and causes organ malfunction which lead to death and in some cases, even premature death. Guns have the same end product as tobacco because if guns are used against other people, many end up dead. With tobacco it leads you to lung cancer and later, death. In fact, guns have a worse
Tobacco, Smokes, Cancer Sticks, Chew, Dip, whatever you want to call it, has been poisoning the innards of individuals since the days of the prehistoric Mayas of Mexico at around 600 to 900 A.D. This tobacco craze would resume in the society of the American Indians and later to the European settlers. In the early seventeenth century, tobacco was the chief cash crop of America’s first colony, Jamestown Virginia. This crop would continue to flourish in throughout history. By the early 1900’s, The American Tobacco Company was the leading and most influential tobacco corporation. The game completely changed at the time of the two World Wars however. Soldiers began receiving free cigarettes and the industry began targeting women as potential costumers as they were gaining new rights and liberties in society at this time. In 1964, the cigarette empire began to see its decline when the Surgeon General of the U.S. wrote a report about the dangers of cigarette smoking. After this statement by “America’s doctor”, legislation did everything in their power to detour people form purchasing these harmful products. They have gone as far as to make tobacco companies label “caution” on their products. Tobacco companies have recently been having trouble selling their
was 35.1 billion dollars. With a product that kills so many of its customers, your only concern in this industry is to increase sales and make a profit. Definitely in the tobacco industry and most others, it is my opinion that you cannot cater to the best interest of both the company and the consumer. Even a good company with the best intentions will eventually come to a crossroad where choosing what is best for one will not have such a great outcome for the other. Their best interests will ultimately conflict, and you will be forced make a choice between the two.
In the article "E-cigarettes Found Unsafe" pharmacologists discovered that e-cigarette companies are misinforming the users about health issues. However, these companies claimed that these electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco. The pharmacologists that are a part of this research have found nicotine in the electronic cigarettes. Furthermore, this research is significant because the users of the cigarettes can have health problems not knowing it's the cause of the e-cigarettes. Although, users shouldn't be lied to about health issues.
Tobacco has been the center of much controversy in America since the late twentieth century. Increasing numbers of studies showing the harmful side effects of tobacco has also caused many insurance companies to increase coverage costs to those who use the product. Insurance rates have a directly proportional relationship with risk factors, so the increase in coverage costs of tobacco users means that they have a higher risk of health complications. The raising of insurance rates is a safety net for the company to protect their stock. On average, individuals who use tobacco products in Florida often pay twenty dollars more per month than individuals who do not
According to FDA, conclusive tests carried out on samples from two popular brands revealed that there were significant amounts of nicotine and toxic chemicals that might pose a threat to the health of passionate consumers. In fact one of the substances discovered in the test was a carcinogen (cancer causing agent). Following these epic revelations, the FDA issued a statement warning consumers about the likelihood of experiencing health risks after using the product. Therefore in light of this, many pundits in the health fraternity have raised the red flag on the use of e-cigarettes to counter smoking. Here, it is important to note that FDA only regulates e-cigarettes that are sold for therapeutic purposes
The use of tobacco is a very controversial topic here in the United States. The harmful side effects of tobacco are well known and consequently, many believe that it should be outlawed. Though this has not yet occurred, constant regulations on the industry and
Fortunately, the tobacco industry's behavior is likely to change due to the increasing legal and societal pressures. Much legislation has been imposed to tobacco firms based on codes of behavior, different government strategies and litigations, especially after 1980 where anti-smoking groups reactions, led to higher restrictions throughout
b. Sub-point B: Another cause, can also be influenced by social media, newspaper, and TV.Jeff Carpenter wrote on ABC News article,on November 1st, 2001, he states “the tobacco industry has altered its advertising, ads still lure teens into buying tobacco products”. Advertisements would target viewers to earn more money. Tobacco companies stopped outdoor billboards, but have taken these advertising dollars and put them into local convenience stores.