Discussion:
ETHICS: Fifteen-year-old Terri Stubble?eld was riding in the backseat of a Ford Mustang II when the car was hit from behind. The Mustang was engulfed in a ball of ?re, and Terri was severely burned. She died. Terri's family sued Ford, alleging that the car was badly designed-and that Ford knew it. At trial, Terri's family introduced evidence that Ford knew the fuel tank was dangerous and that it could have taken measures to make the tank safe. There was evidence that Ford consciously decided not to remedy the fuel tanks in order to save money. The jury awarded $8 million in punitive damages to the family. Ford appealed. Should the punitive damages be a?rmed? What are the obligations of a corporation when it knows that one of its products may be dangerous? Should we require a manufacturer to improve the safety of its cars if doing so will make them too expensive for many drivers? What would you do if you were a mid-level executive and saw evidence that your company was endangering the lives of consumers to save money? What would you do if you were on a jury and saw such evidence?