Cable TV, Public Education, AZT, And A Shared Pond: Three Case Incidents In Government, Business And Ethics

Abstract

This submission consists of three case incidents or vignettes with a focus on decisions rather than details. The paper includes original cases, case questions and reviews of those questions for the instructor. The common perspective of government, business and social responsibility unites these cases. The first case begins with the cable TV industry and ends with public education. It examines the relationship between government and business in these two distinct environments. The second case concerns Burroughs-Wellcome and its pricing of the anti-aids drug AZT. Protesters complained that the price of the drug was too high for many people to afford and picketed the company, which insisted that it was only doing its job and making a profit. The third case is an environmental case which serves as a platform to investigate the relation between government and business in a commons situation.