We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Radials, Rollovers and Responsibility: An Examination of the Ford-Firestone Case.
- Authors
Noggle, Robert; Palmer, Daniel E.
- Abstract
In August of 2000, Firestone executives initiated the second largest tire recall in U.S. history. Many of the recalled tires had been installed as original factory equipment on the popular Ford Explorer SUVs. At the time of the recall, the tires and vehicles had been linked to numerous accidents and deaths, most of which occurred when tire blowouts resulted in vehicle rollovers. While Firestone's role in this case has been widely acknowledged, Ford executives have managed to deflect much of the attention away from themselves, mainly by claiming that the Firestone tires were not its product, and therefore not its responsibility. In this paper, we examine the extent to which Ford can be held morally responsible for the incidents at issue. In so doing, we develop an approach for determining when an item is a product in its own right, as opposed to a component of another product. We argue that such an analysis not only provides a better understanding of this case, but also more properly accounts for the extent to which evolutions in technology and business relationships can affect issues of moral responsibility in business contexts.
- Subjects
WORK-related injuries; INDUSTRIAL equipment; FIRESTONE Tire &; Rubber Co.; FORD Motor Co.; TIRE industry; EMPLOYERS' liability; BUSINESS ethics; PRODUCT recall; MANUFACTURING defects; SOCIAL responsibility of business; PRODUCT liability; CORPORATIONS &; ethics
- Publication
Journal of Business Ethics, 2005, Vol 56, Issue 2, p185
- ISSN
0167-4544
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10551-004-1757-5