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Corporate Ethics

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Corporate Ethics

Abstract
For this paper, two scenarios will be examined. One, a pharmaceutical company, which has come under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether the company has engaged in illegal activities to keep a generic drug off the market. The other, two large telecommunications companies have agreed to merge, and consumer advocates are very concerned with the possible outcome of this merger. The effects of both companies’ actions on competition will be examined, along with the effects on consumers and stakeholders within the companies. Additionally, the various ethical dilemmas presented by each company’s actions will be discussed.

Corporate Ethics
The pharmaceutical company would wish to hinder the competition brought about by generic drug manufacturers for a variety of reasons. One primary cause for this opposition is that patents for prescription drugs typically run out after a specified length of time, so the pharmaceutical company would want to oppose the generic drugs for as long as the patent remained in effect. Once the generic company enters the market after the specific patent has expired, or perhaps been invented around; prices for the drug decrease sharply. This ends the name brand company’s exclusive profits and higher revenue for the same drug (Balto, 2009, p.8) Generic drug manufacturers are also direct competitors of the pharmaceutical company, and the introduction of such generics would place future revenue at serious risk. The reason for this is that generic drug manufacturers can produce and market their drugs at substantially lower prices than the brand name makers. In order to compete, the pharmaceutical company must then lower its prices to be competitive, or lose their share of the market. One viable alternative they face is the possibility of

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