Engineers at an automotive company have discovered a potential safety issue affecting 50,000 vehicles already on the market. The analysis shows a 10% chance of this defect causing accidents. Fixing the problem would cost the company $75 million, delay production targets, and potentially trigger layoffs. There is no regulatory requirement to disclose this issue to the public or authorities.If the company wants to apply a deontological approach, which of the following solutions is most appropriate?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Here is the question and each option analyzed in turn to understand which aligns with a deontological approach.

Option a: Conduct a cost-benefit analysis comparing the financial cost of recalls against the potential harm to customers, and only recall if financial risk exceeds recall cost.
- Deontological ethics focuses on duties and rights rather than the calculation of outcomes or net benefits. This option treats the decision as a financial calculation, weighting costs and harms to decide whether to act. It implies that action depends on whether the financial cost outweighs the harm, which is a consequentialist or utilitarian framing rather than a deontological one. Therefore, this option does not reflect deontological reasoning.

Option b: Wait for customer complaints before taking action, to determine if the theoretical risk materializes in real-world conditions.
- This option places the burden on empirical manifestation of risk and reactive action after complaints. A deontological approach would not require waiting for empirical proof to fulfill moral duties; it emphasizes duties such as honesty, safety, and not exposing users to known risks, irrespective of whether complaints occur. This makes option b insufficient from a deontological standpoint because it delays action and treats duties as contingent on customer reporting rather than universalizable obligations.

Option c: Notify only customers who drive in conditions where the defect is most likely to cause problems.
- This targeted approach treats some customers as a special subset to be informed, which might seem efficient but raises questions about fairness and the universalizability of the duty to protect all affected users. A deontological framework typically emphasizes treating all individuals as ends in themselves and acting on universal duties rather than selective disclosure. Limiting disclosure based on usage or risk likelihood could fail Kantian tests for universalizability and equal moral consideration, making this option morally problematic from a deontological view.

Option d: Immediately disclose the issue and recall all affected vehicles regardless of cost, because concealing a known safety risk violates the categorical imperative to treat people as ends, not means.
- This option embodies a deontological stance: it asserts a duty to disclose known safety risks and to protect customers, independent of financial cost, production delays, or layoffs. It aligns with the categorical imperative concept of treating individuals as ends in themselves, not merely as means to profit or efficiency. It emphasizes universalizable action (disclosing and recalling in the face of known risk) and upholding the moral duty to safety and honesty even when consequences are adverse. This is consistent with a deontological framework.

In summary, option a relies on outcomes and cost calculations rather than duties; option b delays action and depends on external signals rather than universal moral obligations; option c focuses on selective disclosure that may violate equal respect for all affected individuals; option d centers on a duty-based injunction to disclose and recall despite costs, consistent with Kantian ethics and the categorical imperative.

25_4 MGT3600 Ethical Leadership & Moral Development

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