Case 13 Uganda & Biotech Banana Seeds

Philosophy 305

Business Ethics

Uganda is one of the poorest nations in the world.

51.5 of the population lives under $1.25 a day and75.6 of the population lives under $2 per day. Staple crop is the Banana.

Ugandans consume about 500 pounds of bananas each year per person.

• Therefore, its a national emergency when disease and pest devastate their staple crop.

1. Black Sigatoka is an airborne fungus that denies plants the photosynthetic energy they need to grow. The leaves are turned yellow and brown.

-In 1999, 80 percent of the banana plants were affected by

this fungus.

2. Nematodes are another contributing factor, which eat away the roots of the banana plant.

•Solution: Push for test tube bananas1. Ugandan government pledged 2.5 million to support program.2. Safety over bio-engineered food in Uganda erupts between the EU and U.S.

“Everyone has their own agendas.”

Uganda

United States

Major external influences are

controlling decisions.

Europe

US Government

Supports GM Banana Seeds

Campaign and publicity

Why the interest?

Uganda

“Caught in the middle”

Safety concerns

Delicate balance of

nature

European Union

Opposes the GM Banana

Seeds

More natural approach

Threats to stop imports from Uganda

William McDonough

“I believe we can accomplish great and profitable things within a new conceptual framework—one that values our legacy, honors diversity, and feeds ecosystems and societies . . . It is time for designs that are creative, abundant, prosperous, and intelligent from the start.”

Next Industrial RevolutionNext Industrial Revolution

No hazardous materials

Productivity = Employment

No smokestacks

No dangerous effluents

No Pipes

Accrued natural capital

No Regulations

Help future generations

Three Principles

Waste Equals Food

Use Current Solar

Income

Respect Diversity

The ethical analysis should address the

following questions upon making a reasoned

decision:

Who, what, when, where and why?

Humanistic nature: the latter view emphasizes ownership and

property rights, essentially treating nature as a collection of

physical resource commodities to be bough, sold, and used to serve

human objectives.

Timing is associated with control and

capability

Those who are given the control of making

decisions, holds the potential to affect future

outcomes & future investments.

Who decides, who benefits, and

who pays?

Financing choices will play a key role

in the future of many biotechnology applications.

Decisions are based on cost/benefit projections

& globe spanning distributional effects, all

of which present enormous challenges for

qualifications & judgments.

This poses value choices, often seeking a

balance between the polar extremes of altering nature or

simply adjusting to the natural environment,

There should be “balanced

principles.”

John Kline

Steven KelmanDr. Kelman is the Weather head Professor of Public Management at Harvard

University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, with a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University, he is the author of many books and articles on the policymaking process and on improving the management of government organizations. His most recently published books are a study on how to improve the government computer procurement process.

From 1993 through 1997, Dr. Kelman served as Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget. During his tenure as Administrator, he played a lead role in the Administration’s “reinventing government” effort. He led Administration efforts in support of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1995.

Kelman’s Theories If benefits do not outweigh costs, the activity in question should not

be performed, and to weigh these fairly, all benefits and costs need to be expressed in a common scale (usually dollars), even if some of those costs or benefits are not usually expressed that way.

1. In areas of environmental, safety, and health regulation, there may be many instances where a certain decision might be right even though its benefits do not outweigh its costs.

2. There are good reasons to oppose efforts to put dollar values on non-marketed benefits and costs.

3. Given the relative frequency of occasions in the areas of environmental, safety, and health regulation where one would not wish to use a benefits-out-weigh-costs test as a decision rule, and given the reasons to oppose the monetizing of non-marketed benefits or costs that is a prerequisite for cost-benefit analysis, it is not justifiable to devote major resources to the generation of data for cost-benefit calculations or to undertake efforts to “spread the gospel” of cost-benefit analysis further.

Cost benefit analysis may be regarded simply as systematic thinking about decision-making. The alternative, it would appear, is unexamined decision-making. But defining cost-benefit analysis so simply leaves it with few implications for actual regulatory decision-making. Presumably, therefore, those who urge regulators to make greater use of the technique have a more extensive prescription in mind.fit

Helping to appraise, or assess, the case for projects, program or policy proposal.

A good deal of research into costs and benefits already occurs—actually, far more in the U.S. regulatory process than in that of any other industrial society. The danger now would seem to come more from the other side.

An approach to making economic decisions of any kind.

Thomas Donaldson• What would you do if you were to be working

away from home follow the traditions you grew up with or follow the local customs?

• Meet somewhere down the middle respect human values which determine obsolete moral thresholds for all business activities

• Human values- right to good health and right to economic advancement

1. Recognize ones value as a human not a tool

2. Individual and communities must treat people in ways that respect peoples basic rights

3. Community must work together to support and improve the situation on which the community depends upon.

Edward FreemanFreeman believes that business should benefit all not just

shareholders but communities stakeholders and workers.

Q: What are stakeholders? A: All those who posses risk because of a business action.

Managing for stakeholders allows firms to find ways to earn more value for shareholders.

Managing for stakeholders makes for a collaboration with others to perform great tasks and in so get about the business and create better selves and better communities

UtilitarianismUtilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is

determined solely by its usefulness in maximizing utility/minimizing negative utility as summed among all sentient beings. Utility can be defined as pleasure, preference satisfaction, knowledge or other things.

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

Positive: Solve the Black Sigatoka problem where 80%

of plants were greatly affected Help the domestic biotech industry moving

forward with GM food where many MDCs have proved its safety

Boost on crop production, economy Potential of solving hunger and poverty

problem

Negative: Possible drawback on side effects Large short term expense

John Locke: The Justification of Private Property

Earth and all it posses is property to be used by the people in common for their own benefit and existence.

Men would starve if everyone’s approval were to be needed to appropriate himself of a property or object.

Taking any part of what is common and removing it out of the state nature leaves it in through labor makes it one’s property.

He believes nothing was made by god for man to spoil or destroy, whatever is beyond this is more than his share and belongs to others.

Land cannot remain common and uncultivated thus labor gives a right of property.

Robert Jackall

Chain of commitments from the CEO down to the lowliest product manager○ Power is concentrated at the top○ Their is always pressure from the top○ Gut decisions

Avoid making any decision if at all possible○ If a decision has to be made, involve as many people

as you can.

Fears blame time○ Who is going to get blame if things go wrong?

Monsanto's Evils

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdnOKrq6Ko&feature=player_detailpage