that he buys? Can we trust corporations that they will not produce what will jeopardize the human life? Was Ford to be blame in the pinto case? Must we wait for the characters like “Erin Brokovich” to fight on behalf of the helpless consumers? Who is to be blamed for the McDonald’s hot coffee case-the producer, the consumer or the regulators? Almost thirty years has passed since the Pinto accidents and what followed from it. We still don’t know how “safe” a
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as Ford Motor Company; The Ford Pinto Case. Ford Pinto is a car that was associated with fuel-fed crash fires. In the early 1970’s this compact vehicle showed a likelihood of catching fire when hit from behind at low speeds. (20mph). Ford needed to make a decision. Its car was in compliance with industry standards, so no laws were broken. But Ford’s own research had proved the car was deadly. Being aware of design problems with the pinto that made it more susceptible to crash related fires, Ford
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Case 10: Ford’s Pinto Fires: The Retrospective view of Ford’s Recall Coordinator Ford motor company, North America’s subcompact automobile company; design Pinto in 1971 in order to compete with fuel efficient Volkswagen and Japanese imports. Pinto’s major design flaw- a fuel tank prone to rupturing with moderate speed rear-end collisions- surfaced not too long after the Pinto’s entrance to the market. In April 1974, the Center for Auto Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall Ford Pintos due to the fuel
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Ford was not looked at positively 30 plus years ago when competing with other small car companies worldwide. [Ford decided set an important goal known as “the limits of2,000”. This meant the Ford Pinto would not cost more than $2,000 and will not weigh more 2,000 pounds] (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, pg. 116). Despite faulty test results, Ford went forward with introducing the Pinto to the public. The results were disastrous. The problem with the Pinto was that the tank was not properly protected and
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The Case of the Ford Pinto By James Abstract Product harm crisis can be defined as a sudden break in a product’s life cycle (Siomkos, G.J and Kurzbard. J. 1994). In 1971 the Ford Motor Company created a product harm crisis with the introduction of the Ford Pinto. The Ford Pinto is known to be one of the most dangerous vehicles ever produced in automotive history due to several serious design flaws. This paper will identify the factors that contributed to the product
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The Ford Pinto Case In the late 1960’s Ford Motor Company wanted to produce a small model car to compete with small Japanese and German imports like Volkswagen, Datsun and Toyota (Danley). In 1969 Ford’s Board approved the plan to produce the Pinto. The CEO, Lee Iacocca, wanted a car that was low weight, under 2,000 pounds, and low cost, under $2,000. Lee “Iaccoca imposed the 2000/2000 rule, i.e., the Pinto could weigh no more than 2000 pounds and cost no more than $2000” (Danley). The engineers
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Sammy P. Pagaduan MBA-1 Business Ethics Case Study: The Ford Pinto 1. What moral issues does the Pinto case raise? Answer: The Pinto case raise moral issues in human rights because even there were various ways of making the Pinto’s tank safer they refused technical improvement to prevent gas tanks from leaking. Given that number of people killed by fires from car, how they can value those individuals’ lives? Ford officials decide not to push the modification of the cars because
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Assignment 1 Case Study: At the beginning of the 1960's, the Ford Motor Company was facing great competition from foreign automobile manufacturers. The Japanese companies, Toyota and Datsun, were importing fuel-efficient, low-cost automobiles. Every year the Japanese companies were capturing larger portions of the U.S. automobile retail market and profits of American auto manufactures were spiraling downward. The president of Ford at that time was Lee Iaccoca, who was desperately in need of a
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Appendix 2: Ford Pinto Case and Cost Benefit Analysis Edited by Richard Brooks In 1968 in response to strong foreign competition, Ford decided to build a subcompact car — the Pinto — on a 2×2×2 plan (2,000 pounds, $2,000, in 2 years). In pre-launch tests, Ford discovered that rear end collisions propelled the gas tank onto the real axle, which had protrusions that ruptured the tank and caused the car to catch fire. Yet Ford did Figure 1: Ford Pinto not modify the Pinto’s rear axle. Nor did it
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formal writing.) When Ford began development of the Pinto in 1968, the company hoped that the car’s smaller size and price tag would help it compete with Japanese and German competition, who were mounting their takeover of the subcompact auto market. Ford president Lee Iacocca wanted the Pinto to be less than 2,000 pounds and less than $2,000 so it could stand out when released into a division of automobiles Ford did not have much experience in. In order to get the Pinto released as soon as possible
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