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Johnson, Organizational Ethics 3e, © 2015 – Instructor Resources
Case 13.1
The Right to Be Forgotten
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Europeans view individual privacy much differently than citizens in the United States. In
Europe, dignity is key and individuals have a right to a private life. In the US, privacy is the
“right to be left alone,” a right that can be superseded by free press and free speech rights. The
European Court of Justice applied the European conception of privacy to the Internet, ruling that
citizens have the “right to be forgotten.” Europeans can petition Google and other service
providers to remove personal information that is “inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or
excessive.”
The right to be forgotten ruling sets up a tension between the public interest and individual
rights. Opponents worry that prominent companies and individuals will petition to delete
unfavorable information. Nevertheless, some observers would like to see North Americans given
the right to delete unfavorable information from the Internet.
Learning Objectives
*Students will identify their conception of privacy.
*Students will evaluate the right to be forgotten.
*Students will determine what information should and should not be removed from
the Internet.
Discussion Guide
Case Study 13.2
The High Cost of Cheap Clothes
Case Synopsis and Analysis
A Bangladesh factory collapse in 2013 was one of the worst industrial accidents in history,
killing 1,100 and injuring 1,800 more. The building housed a number of garment manufacturers
producing clothing for Primark, Walmart, Sears, JC Penney, Benetton and other retailers.
Following the disaster some of these firms contributed to a compensation fund while others did
Johnson, Organizational Ethics 3e, © 2015 – Instructor Resources
not. Both European and U.S. retailers formed organizations to inspect garment factories in
Bangladesh but most factories remain unregulated. More disasters will likely occur as long most
Bangladeshis remain impoverished and Western consumers insist on low clothing prices.
Most Westerners purchasing clothing give little thought to where their garments were
manufactured, focusing primarily on cost. This pursuit of low prices can have tragic
consequences. Conditions in developing countries continue to thwart attempts to improve
worker safety.
Learning Objectives
*Students will identify their role as consumers in promoting poor working conditions in
developing nations.
*Students will evaluate the response of the retailers to the disaster.
*Students will identify the negative implications of tightening manufacturing
standards in developing nations.
Discussion Guide
Case Study 13.3
Scenarios for Analysis
These four scenarios highlight common ethical issues faced in cross-cultural contexts. They are
drawn from a variety of cultural settings and organizational contexts. Students are asked to play
the role of the protagonist in each scenario and to determine a course of action.
Each scenario poses an issue to be resolved using either the Integrated Social Contracts theory,
the HKH model, or both frameworks.
Learning Objectives
*Students will distinguish between cultural differences and ethical problems.
*Students will apply cross-cultural decision-making models to ethical diversity issues.
*Students will determine which norms take precedence in cross-cultural contexts.
Johnson, Organizational Ethics 3e, © 2015 – Instructor Resources
Discussion Guide
