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MERCURY METALS CASE

 

            
             Step 1: What are the relevant facts?.
             Mercury Metals employs 350 people and is the largest employer in the county. The employee's pension plan at Mercury Metals is dependent on the stock of the company. The general public also owns stock in the company. .
             The Peace Keeper has given the struggling company success by enabling it to reach the highest profit level in three decades. As a result of this, wages and salaries have increased for employees, generous management bonuses have been paid, and common stock dividends are at an all time high. Management feels this is due to the market success of the Peace Keeper.
             The Peace Keeper has a short barrel, is light weight, is easy to conceal, and sells at a low cost. The gun is not accurate enough for hunting, fishing, police, or military use. In addition the Peace Keeper has been used for criminal activity resulting in human death. This gave Mercury Metals negative press.
             Step 2: What are the ethical issues?.
             There are a couple of ethical issues that arise from the case. The first is should a company sell a gun that lends itself to criminal use? The Peace Keeper's low price and easy consealabilty make the product a great fit for criminal activity. Is it ethical to sell such a product?.
             The second issue is the question of if a company has an ethical responsibility for the way consumers choose to use their product? If the product is used for self-defense as the company claims the product was designed for, do they have an ethical responsibility when it is misused?.
             Step 3: What are the alternatives?.
             There are four alternatives for dealing with the ethical issues at hand:.
            
             • Discontinue selling guns and move to another product line.
            
             • Discontinue selling the Peace Keeper.
            
             • Continue selling the guns as-is.
            
             • Change the design of the Peace Keeper so it is not concealed as easily.
             Step 4: Who are the primary stakeholders?.


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