NAME: __________________________________ DATE: _________________ PERIOD: __________
THE FORD PINTO CASE: BUSINESS ETHICS
Be sure to explain WHY for each question! Don’t just answer YES or NO!
1. Was Ford irresponsible in rushing the production of the Pinto?
2. Should Ford have made the Pinto safer in terms of rear-end
collisions, especially regarding placement of the gas tank?
3. Should Ford have used cost-benefit analysis to make decisions
regarding safety, specifically placing dollar amounts on human
lives and suffering?
4. Should Ford have made it known to the public that purchasing a
protective “bladder” was an option for the Pinto?
NAME: __________________________________ DATE: _________________ PERIOD: __________
5. If Ford did use heavy lobbying efforts to delay and/or influence
federal safety standards for cars, was this ethically proper for a
corporation to do?
6. Should Ford have been found guilty of criminal homicide of the
Ulrich girls (and other Pinto victims)? If so, what would be an
appropriate penalty for Ford and/or its managers, such as Lee
Iacocca?
7. What degree of blame for this controversy falls on federal
government agencies, such as NHTSA, for allowing the Pinto to
reach the streets?
8. What, in your opinion, does this entire episode say about the
mindset people have to make money? What about the
relationship between business and government?