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2019 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

6. Professional and Business Ethical Challenges

Author : Jadranka Skorin-Kapov

Published in: Professional and Business Ethics Through Film

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

The first part looks at corruption and whistleblowing and presents the Wells Fargo accounting fraud (2016), the FIFA corruption scandal (2016) and the whistleblowing case Wigand v. Brown & Williamson (1996). Film discussions include the adaptation of the Wigand case in The Insider (1999), and the fictional scenarios in The Fugitive (1993) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The second part considers outsourcing and downsizing, including examples of General Electric and Levi Strauss & Co. Downsizing cases include corporations such as General Motors, Boing, and General Electric. The fictional scenarios are discussed in Outsourced (2006), Two Days, One Night (2014), Up in the Air (2009), and The Company Men (2010). The third part considers business competition and innovation. Presented cases include Mattel Inc. v. MGA Entertainment Inc. (2005–2008), Adidas America Inc. v. Payless ShoeSource Inc. (1994–2009), and Robert Kearns against Ford and Chrysler (1978–1992). The following films are discussed: an adaptation of Kearns’ case in Flash of Genius (2008), Tucker the Man and His Dream (1988), Joy (2015), and The Founder (2016).

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Footnotes
1
The complete transcript form the interview from 60 Minutes is available at http://​www.​jeffreywigand.​com/​60minutes.​php.
 
3
In 2004 the award Pulitzer Prize for Public Service was awarded to The New York Times for reporting on A Dangerous Business. https://​learningenglish.​voanews.​com/​a/​a-23-a-2004-04-18-1-1-83122627/​123442.​html.
 
4
As discussed in Sect. 2.​4 Al Pacino plays a cop in Insomnia (2002), Cristopher Nolan’s remake of Norwegian film Insomnia (Skjoldberg, 1997). Nolan modified ethical considerations, making the Pacino’s cop character more positive.
 
5
Examples of police corruption is illustrated in different films, e.g. Serpico (Sidney Lumet, 1973) and L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997).
 
6
My book Darren Aronofsky’s Films and the Fragility of Hope (2017) deals with hope addressed in Aronofsky’s films. In the book I write, “On one hand, we can argue that Aronofsky’s films give testimony to the power of hope: his characters are driven to obsession and addiction by the power of hope (e.g. the hope to find the underlying pattern in nature, to achieve the American Dream, to achieve immortality, perfection, and the separation of innocence from evil). But, since it is hope going out of proportion, it loses its power and becomes very fragile, detached from the reality to which it is directed. Hence, we can argue that Aronofsky’s films display the fragility of hope. As Aristotle reminds us, virtues going to extreme become vices, and it is difficult to keep the balance. Aronofsky’s films do not have pleasant endings, and a spectator does not exit the theater in a happy mood; but his films do provoke reflection, and possibly, reevaluation of priorities in our lives” (Skorin-Kapov 2017, p. xxxi).
 
7
When discussing the Danish film The Hunt (2012) in Sect. 5.​1, we presented the consideration of the alternative ending that would be straightforward, annulling the ambiguity facing the main character. However, director Vinterberg opted for the unsettling ending without presenting a definitive closure to the story.
 
8
The link describing Belgian workforce laws stating that companies with less than 50 employees do not have union representation is http://​www.​worker-participation.​eu/​National-Industrial-Relations/​Countries/​Belgium/​Workplace-Representation.
Information about union representation in the USA, stated in 2017 from the US Department of Labor, is available at http://​www.​bls.​gov/​news.​release/​pdf/​union2.​pdf.
 
9
In Sect. 5.​1, we discussed the alternative ending in the Danish film The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012).
 
11
The 2006 report from the CFA Centre for Financial Market Integrity and the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics entitled “Breaking the Short-Term Cycle: Discussion and Recommendations on How Corporate Leaders, Asset Managers, Investors, and Analysts Can Refocus on Long-Term Value” is available at http://​www.​corporate-ethics.​org/​pdf/​Short-termism_​Report.​pdf.
 
12
The mission of Business Roundtable states “Business Roundtable is the only national organization representing exclusively CEOs of America’s leading companies. The CEO members who make up Business Roundtable lead companies with more than 16 million employees and more than $7 trillion in annual revenues. As major employers in every state, Business Roundtable CEOs take seriously the responsibility of creating quality jobs with good wages. Our CEOs are committed to joining with communities, workers and policymakers to build a better future for the nation and its people.” Their web page is available at https://​www.​businessroundtab​le.​org/​about.
 
13
The web site for The Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics is http://​www.​corporate-ethics.​org/​about/​.
 
15
The 10 Breakthrough Technologies (2017) is available at https://​www.​technologyreview​.​com/​lists/​technologies/​2017/​.
 
16
The 10 Breakthrough Technologies (2018) is available at https://​www.​technologyreview​.​com/​lists/​technologies/​2018/​.
 
19
The chronology of the Adidas v. Payless ShoeSource case is presented at https://​www.​scribd.​com/​document/​331757887/​7-Adidas-vs-Payless-Case-Brief.
 
20
The wording comes from the case “Cuno Engineering Corp. v. Automatic Devices Corp., 314 U.S. 84 (1941)” available at https://​supreme.​justia.​com/​cases/​federal/​us/​314/​84/​.
 
Literature
go back to reference Badaracco, Joseph L. 2016. “When You Feel Pressured to Do the Wrong Thing at Work.” Harvard Business Review, November 2. Badaracco, Joseph L. 2016. “When You Feel Pressured to Do the Wrong Thing at Work.” Harvard Business Review, November 2.
go back to reference Carucci, Ron. 2016. “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, December 16. Carucci, Ron. 2016. “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, December 16.
go back to reference Gibney, Mark. 2013. Watching Human Rights: The 101 Best Films. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers. Gibney, Mark. 2013. Watching Human Rights: The 101 Best Films. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.
go back to reference Jennings, Andrew. 2006. Foul! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote Rigging and Ticket Scandals. New York: HarperCollins. Jennings, Andrew. 2006. Foul! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote Rigging and Ticket Scandals. New York: HarperCollins.
go back to reference Karnik, Kiran. 2012. The Coalition of Competitors. Noida: HarperCollins. Karnik, Kiran. 2012. The Coalition of Competitors. Noida: HarperCollins.
go back to reference Lehto, Steve. 2016. Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. Lehto, Steve. 2016. Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.
go back to reference Lobel, Orly. 2017. You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Lobel, Orly. 2017. You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
go back to reference Mangano, Joy. 2017. Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave & Creative Life. New York: Simon & Schuster. Mangano, Joy. 2017. Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave & Creative Life. New York: Simon & Schuster.
go back to reference Nehamas, Alexander. 2016. On Friendship. New York: Basic Books. Nehamas, Alexander. 2016. On Friendship. New York: Basic Books.
go back to reference Skorin-Kapov, Jadranka. 2017. Darren Aronofsky’s Films and the Fragility of Hope. Reprint Paperback Edition. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Skorin-Kapov, Jadranka. 2017. Darren Aronofsky’s Films and the Fragility of Hope. Reprint Paperback Edition. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
go back to reference Soltes, Eugene. 2017. “Why It’s So Hard to Train Someone to Make an Ethical Decision.” Harvard Business Review, January 11. Soltes, Eugene. 2017. “Why It’s So Hard to Train Someone to Make an Ethical Decision.” Harvard Business Review, January 11.
go back to reference Vogler, Christopher. 2007. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. Vogler, Christopher. 2007. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.
go back to reference von Dyck, Peter. 2015. “Overcoming the Challenges to Successful Open Innovation.” Innovation Management. Accessed March 16, 2018. von Dyck, Peter. 2015. “Overcoming the Challenges to Successful Open Innovation.” Innovation Management. Accessed March 16, 2018.
Metadata
Title
Professional and Business Ethical Challenges
Author
Jadranka Skorin-Kapov
Copyright Year
2019
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89333-4_6

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