Case Analysis on Professional Ethics

With Technology advancing at an alarming rate, it is hard to deny its relevance. We are equipped with software systems needed to complete everyday task like driving, communicating, shopping, etc. A developer and coder by the name Bill Sourour, made an unfortunate decision and was a part pharmaceutical scheme during his earlier career days. He was tasked with the job of writing a code for an online quiz for a pharmaceutical company based in Canada. This website was marketing a specific drug to teenage girls. Turns out there are severe side effects of depression and suicidal thoughts the company tried to hide from the patients, although Bill resigned after hearing about this, he still was unethical because he allowed it to go through with his coding technique. In this Case Analysis, I will argue that Confucian shows us that the code created was morally problematic because it recommended medication that was known to potentially give users severe depression/ suicidal thoughts to almost every girl that took the quiz. Bill Sourour’s negligence caused a girl to take her life due to her taking the medicine prescribed after completing the quiz. Even though we must work to be able to provide for ourselves, we still are responsible for making the decision of whether if the activities/role we are indulging in everyday are ethical.

For this Case Analysis, we were provided a reading from Mary Beth Armstrong called “Confidentiality: A Comparison Across the Professions of Medicine, Engineering and Accounting.” Here she discussed how she felt about professional confidentiality. She argued that it is the professionals’ duties to ensure public safety, meaning they should use their knowledge to help aid society and not harm it. Souror had an obligation to his profession/client, not the public, which professionally is correct, but ethically is not. Like Mary, I believe that all professions should have public interest and safety as their top priority. For the most part, companies should also respect and honor customer’s privacy in the same way United States
government grants us a right to privacy, and at the same time ensure our safety. In Sourour’s case, he did not ensure that the quiz he coded was safe for users to complete. No matter what the answers to the quiz were, it would lead you to take the drug unless you are already taking it or allergic. Bill thought this was wrong, but he also thought it was a marketing scheme to boost the product and he was hired for a job, and he must complete it. From Confucian’s way of thinking, it is encouraged stay on path, and therefore to the good moral thing in every situation. You need to consider fully the situation and people involved in it. Being able to act in a righteous way in a good way of life when following the ideas of Confucian, being able recognize what is right and good; the ability to feel, under the circumstances what is the right thing to do. Sourour failed to do this. He did not fully accept or understand his role when he took the job to code for this quiz. He had his doubts in the beginning, but still went through with the job ultimately causing a young girl to commit suicide. Both the company and Sourour did not ensure public safety and
failed to complete their role in an ethical way. A pharmaceutical company is supposed to help customers with prescribed medicine feel better to have a happy and healthier life. It was just about the money and promoting a scheme to both parties. Following Confucian’s view of things, it is important understand that acting within your role does not simply mean doing what you are told. You may need to do more than you are told plus be able to step outside the confinement placed unto you by others to ensure you are walking the correct path. Allowing ourselves to step outside of this confinement, allows us to fully decide what is right vs wrong. Life is not simple, and there is not one “right or correct path” to follow. Bill realized this later in his career when he decided to resign from the company, but they should still be held responsible for pushing a drug with severe side effects in an ethical way.

Moreover, the readings of the code of ethics were provided to inform us what ethical information is included for the different types of professional codes. The codes included ACM, IEEE, and NSPE. There are many great ethical concepts in these codes, however there are some that all of them share. The central concepts that they all have in common are to treat others fairly with respect, hold the safety, health, and welfare of others at the upmost high, avoid deceptive acts, and keep confidentiality. Essentially, this code was created to help people make ethical decisions in a work setting which can be used as a guide or reference. These concepts simply did not align with Sourour or the company that he worked for. They failed to protect and committed acts in order deceive their consumers every time a person completed the quiz they created. Looking at the main point of the ACM and comparing the details from Sourour, they were completely wrong from every angle. A girl committed suicide, and there is a high risk that this drug affected other girls in a similar way. They failed to properly disclose to these girls that severe side effects were possible, and purposely targeted younger girls for this reason. From the layout of their website to the quiz, it was meant to target younger “naïve” women to take this drug. It was deceiving from the beginning to say the least. Not only was the quiz rigged, but it simply advertised this drug they wanted to sell! This concept is so unethical and simply not safe nor fair to the consumers. The quiz did not give the young girls a fair shot at finding something that will best suit their body, but instead they focused on promoting singular drug that will in fact suit their employees’ pockets in a nice way. Not only was Sourour not honest, but he was aware of the new Canadian law where companies must be transparent, and he did mention there are strict laws on how pharmaceuticals companies must advertise prescription drugs to the
consumer. Instead, he continued with the code, and ensured his loyalty was more with the company than to consumers. Ultimately, this is immoral and also does not support the Confucian way of thinking. Some actions ought to be performed for the sole reason that they are right– regardless of what they produce; not for the sake of something else. Simply do unto others what you would want done to you. It was obvious Bill was aware that the role he took on was unethical, because he advised his younger sister to get off the drug after hearing the fatal news about the child that unalive herself. He spoke about experiencing a sense of relief, since she listened and therefore, he knew she was safe. It is very cruel that he did not have that same empathy on the other girls he did not personally know. I am sure the girl who unalive herself had a father, brother, and uncles who were affected. I do not have mercy on Sourour, even if he did resign because he still attended a dinner to celebrate and continue working for them. He was
okay with the practices he participated in as long as it did not affect him personally. This does
not only go against the code of ethics, but it goes against Confucian.

In the end, I think if I were to view Sourour’s story from a Confucian perspective then I would suggest that not only was his actions were unethical, but so was the Canadian pharmaceutical company. The medication was recommended to almost every young girl who participated in the quiz advertised on their website. I believe that Sourour should have stepped outside of his role or done more in order to prevent his coding from becoming harmful. The safety of consumers is a key aspect in running a company and providing a product, especially when it deals with medicine. It is easy to make excuses and say that he was only doing his job, or new to the company. However, that does not make it morally right at the end of the day. The actions that led being taken after a fatal incident was published, let me know that he was aware of the potential harm his coding caused. It was very unfortunate, but the responsibility falls on
him and the company. Even though, it seems he may have realized eventually and changed his way of thinking since he resigned – it still does not negate the fact that he was aware at the time what he was participating in. I believe that eventually his guilty conscience got the best of him, and he did not want to be apart of something immoral.