Acme, Inc. is a clothing manufacturer that employees 1,500 people in the state of New York. Unfortunately, it has experienced two straight years of business losses and must increase profits in order to stay in business. Acme is bidding on a contract with a major retail chain, and must come in as the lowest bidder in order to win the contract. In order to cut costs, Acme is considering purchasing T-shirts from China from a company that is known for cheap labor and sweatshop conditions.
Clearly state the ethical dilemma. Evaluate the scenario using the three ethical frameworks (consequential, deontological and humanist). Identify which framework resonates with your own line of thinking. Next, apply two schools of social responsibility to arrive at a business decision.