Ford Pinto Case Essays

Ford Pinto Case Essays Ford Pinto Case Paper Ford Pinto Case Paper Varian Patella 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 companys reputation Intact. I dont 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 the only thing In my mind should be to evaluate the issue solely by utility in providing happiness, neural welfare or pleasure as summed among all sentient beings. The basic ethical principle of this theory is of consequences, weighing them up to determine how every person involved in any event, issue, proposal, project and so forth, would be affected. The aim in doing so would be to decide on a morally right action, one that would result In the greatest overall positive consequences for everyone So every aspect must be examined to evaluate potential good and bad outcomes; If the goods outweigh the beads, then morally, the action can be deemed right. If there are more ad consequences predicted, then the opposite applies. A utilitarian should evaluate the situation based on long term as well as short term consequences. : Although the ford management knew the design flaws; still the design was approved which shows that they ignored the greatest overall utility benefit. The management had Just aimed to design a car which could be sold at competitive prices by keeping lowest costs regardless of the safety of the passengers. If the case is evaluated on the basis of long term consequences, the information about the issue regarding the safety was owning to come out sooner or later. That is directly going to affect companys reputation throughout the world as a car manufacturer. I believe that even for designing an economic car the safety standards should be carefully considered. Ford should design the car with complete accident-proof feature regardless of dollar spent on It. It Is ethically wrong that the company looks its benefits first and designs such a car and places value on life. It is the corporate social responsibility of the company to see the interest of the consumers first and then look for its own benefits. In addition, at the end the loss was incurred by the company by having to recall the defective cars. Therefore, social responsibility is also important for the long term survival of the company. The cost/benefit analysis In the ford pinto case puts value on the human life. Is that even possible? On what basis should the value of the person be counted? These was certainly a wrong assumptions made during the analysis. Human lives are invaluable because there is no limit to the capabilities and the potential abilities of a human being. In addition to that, the emotional losses to he family of the injured had to be accounted for as well. It also didnt include loss of earnings due to the injury to the family members. The act utilitarian approach requires that we determine what will maximize good consequences. The good consequences In our case would not only De a canapà ©s car out also a sates car. People would rather pay few dollars more if it is going to increase safety. The managers at Ford did not think that making safer cars would have resulted in more good consequences than making cheaper car. This shows that production of Ford Pinto car was unethical as any utilitarian would agree. Hence, the creation of the Pinto did not fit the ethical requirements of utilitarianism due to the fact that the overall costs in terms of long-term payouts and the negative reputation that the Pinto attached to the Ford brand name. Argument: In a situation such as this, one had to make a decision. Cost/benefit analysis seemed to be the most effective way to evaluate the case. The process was followed and although it is morally not the right thing to do, it had to be done for the benefits of the majority at a cost of minority. Defense: I think everyone has the right to say when it comes to safety of their own self. What wrong has minority done so that they have to face the consequences of others action? They certainly dont deserve it and majority doesnt have any right to make decision on others. As a solution in this case, right thing would have been to reveal the concerns regarding the car safety to the public and let them decide if they want to take any chances with safety issues. That is for the cars not already sold. The cars that were already sold, company could have recalled all the cars. Yes, it would have cost the company a lot but over a longer period of time the same case could turn into an advantage for them. As the people will start to believe that ford motor companys aim is to provide the best possible car and they wont at any cost compromise on that. The memo case will instill faith in public that company is ready to lose millions of dollars to provide a good secure vehicle which they can drive without having to worry about the safety. That in turn will blossom their business and that would over weigh the loss that they made during the memo case quite easily.

Military Abbreviations Found on US Grave Markers

Military Abbreviations Found on US Grave Markers Many military graves are inscribed with abbreviations that denote the unit of service, ranks, medals, or other information on the military veteran. Others may also be marked with bronze or stone plaques provided by the U.S. Veterans Administration. This list includes some of the most common military abbreviations that may be seen on headstones and grave markers in American ​cemeteries, both in the United States and overseas. Military Rank BBG - Brevet Brigadier GeneralBGEN - Brigadier GeneralBMG - Brevet Major GeneralCOL - ColonelCPL - CorporalCPT - CaptainCSGT - Commissary SergeantGEN - GeneralLGEN - Lieutenant GeneralLT - Lieutenant1 LT - First Lieutenant (2 LT 2nd Lieutenant, and so on)LTC - Lieutenant ColonelMAJ - MajorMGEN - Major GeneralNCO - Noncommissioned OfficerOSGT - Ordinance SergeantPVT - PrivatePVT 1CL - Private First ClassQM - QuartermasterQMSGT - Quartermaster SergeantSGM - Sergeant MajorSGT - SergeantWO - Warrant Officer Military Unit Branch of Service ART - ArtilleryAC or USA - Army Corps; United States ArmyBRIG - BrigadeBTRY - BatteryCAV - CavalryCSA - Confederate States of AmericaCT - Colored Troops; may precede the branch such as CTART for Colored Troops ArtilleryCO or COM - CompanyENG or EM - Engineer; Engineers / MinersFA - Field ArtilleryHA or HART - Heavy ArtilleryINF - InfantryLA or LART - Light ArtilleryMC - Medical CorpsMAR or USMC - Marines; United States Marine CorpsMIL - MilitiaNAVY or USN - Navy; United States NavyREG - RegimentSS - Sharpshooters (or sometimes Silver Star, see below)SC- Signal CorpsTR - TroopUSAF - United States Air ForceVOL or USV - Volunteers; United States VolunteersVRC - Veteran Reserve Military Service Medals Awards AAM - Army Achievement MedalACM - Army Commendation MedalAFAM  - Air Force Achievement MedalAFC  - Air Force CrossAM  - Air MedalAMNM  - Airmans MedalARCOM - Army Commendation MedalBM - Brevet MedalBS or BSM - Bronze Star or Bronze Star MedalCGAM  - Coast Guard Achievement MedalCGCM - Coast Guard Commendation MedalCGM  - Coast Guard MedalCR  - Commendation RibbonCSC - Conspicuous Service Cross (New York)DDSM  - Defense Distinguished Service MedalDFC - Distinguished Flying CrossDMSM  - Defense Meritorious Service MedalDSC  - Distinguished Service CrossDSM  - Distinguished Service MedalDSSM  - Defense Superior Service MedalGS  - Gold Star  (generally appears in conjunction with another award)JSCM  - Joint Service Commendation MedalLM or  LOM - Legion of MeritMH or MOH - Medal of HonorMMDSM  - Merchant Marine Distinguished Service MedalMMMM  - Merchant Marine Mariners MedalMMMSM  - Merchant Marine Meritorious Service MedalMSM  - Meritorious Servic e MedalNMCM  - Navy Marine Corps MedalNAM  - Navy Achievement Medal NC  - Navy CrossNCM  - Navy Commendation MedalOLC - Oak Leaf Cluster (generally appears in conjunction with another award)PH - Purple HeartPOWM  - Prisoner of War MedalSM  - Soldiers MedalSS or SSM - Silver Star or Silver Star Medal These abbreviations generally follow another award to indicate superior achievement or multiple awards: A - AchievementV - ValorOLC - Oak Leaf Cluster (generally follows another award to indicate multiple awards) Military Groups Veterans Organizations DAR - Daughters of the American RevolutionGAR - Grand Army of the RepublicSAR - Sons of the American RevolutionSCV - Sons of Confederate VeteransSSAWV - Sons of Spanish American War VeteransUDC - United Daughters of the ConfederacyUSD 1812 - Daughters of the War of 1812USWV - United Spanish War VeteransVFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars