The Problem: The Case of the Bug Spray As a bio-tech firm, you are concerned ove

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The Problem: The Case of the Bug Spray

As a bio-tech firm, you are concerned over the outcry against genetically modified food products. A sister division is working on production of genetically modified seeds which will (in your mind) be much more disease resistant and nutritionally sound and another which is concerned with products which will enhance the performance of athletes.

However, you have a new twist on the situation. Evidentially, in California which is where one of your test fields is located, there has been an outbreak of a particularly nasty bug which causes leaf blight. The Executive Committee has asked you to consider this situation and give it your considered opinion. The company is not too worried because your product should be resistant to this particular infestation. However, the various other farmers in the area are gathering together to request that the State of California spray all of the farms in the area with a chemical which will take care of the problem but, if the chemical gets on the fields of the organic farmers, the farms will lose their organic status. The Executive Committee of your company has been approached by two groups. One is representative of the traditional farmer which represents about 80% of the market. This group is requesting your support for the general spray to protect their crops. The second group is the organic farmers who represent about 20% of the market. They are concerned that if the general spray happens they will lose their organic certification which takes about 5 years to earn. Thus, they will basically be out of business. The Executive Team has asked you to write a white paper on this issue which will become the official company position.

Please complete each section of this worksheet.

Be ReasonablePreserving Rights and Responsibilities

Compare and contrast at least two options, preferably three. Choose one option which you intuitively believe is the right answer and then choose another with which you disagree or which is a close second. As you work through the four lenses, you will find words to support your first choice or discover that another option is in fact preferable.

After brainstorming with the leadership team, you have identified four options:

1.Support the organic farmers so they can protect their land.

2.Stay out of the fray as you will not be directly affected.

3.Support the local farmers to stop the spread of the disease.

4.Support the local farmers to stop the spread of the disease and lobby for the least invasive method of controlling the disease possible.

In three to four coherent paragraphs, compare and contrast your options using the Responsibility Lens. In the process, consider the following questions:

Motive: What are the reasons that the ethical agent would choose these options?

Universalizability: Can everyone use these reasons for acting in choosing what to do?

Reversibility: Am I willing to have someone else use either of these reasons how they treat me (reversibility)?

Prior Agreements: Am I treating people the way they have freely consented to be treated? Am I treating them as means to my ends or with dignity, as ends in themselves?

General Expectations: How does this option meet the general expectations of duties in our community?

2.The Greatest Good

In three to four coherent paragraphs, compare and contrast your options using the Results Lens. In the process, consider the following questions:

Influence Factor: Given that different stakeholder groups are affected in different proportion, determine the impact that the decision will have on various groups?

Criteria for Happiness: What are the criteria for happiness for the various stakeholders? In considering the criteria, determine what options may be "deal breakers" and what factors might be "tipping points."

Units of Happiness: How many "utils" of happiness do each option provide to each stakeholder?

Greatest Good: Determine which option creates the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

3.Assuring Justice

In three to four coherent paragraphs, compare and contrast your options using the Relationship Lens. In the process, consider the following questions:

Basic Liberties: What are the basic liberties to which each person is entitled? These liberties include right to speech and right to notice.

Just Savings Principle: Which option best assures that our resources will be available for next generations?

Equal Opportunity for Success: How well does each option assure that social and economic inequalities are arranged so that all constituents have an equal opportunity for success?

Reflective Equilibrium: Using the tool of reflective equilibrium, which option gives the best advantage to the least advantaged without unduly burdening those who are the most advantaged? .ting people the way they have freely consented to be treated? Am I treating them as means to my ends or with dignity, as ends in themselves?

Ecology of Care: Which option best contributes to an ecology of care? Which option best meets the requirement for building a strong community and strong institutions?4.The Virtuous Option

In three to four coherent paragraphs, compare and contrast your options using the Reputation Lens. In the process, consider the following questions:

Components of the Practice: Consider the (a) standards of excellence, (b) rules that must be follows, (c) internal goods achieved, and (d) external goods achieved by the ethical actor in their role.

Expectations of the Community: What do the stakeholders expect of an "excellent" person in the decision-maker's role?

Core Virtues: Considering your options, which one best meets the requirements of the core virtues: integrity, courage, justice, and civility?

Unity of Life: Now, reflecting on the options, which one best meets the ethical actor's requirements for unity of life? Which on best exemplifies the standards of a life as a whole?

Core Benefits: Which option is most consistent with the ethical actor's core beliefs? Which option has the potential to energize and transform both the ethical actor and the community?

Explanation / Answer

Answer –

The company will allow the spray of chemical to the field area of 80% in the center of the field and will keep the 20% of outer field without spray, by this process it is to ensure that the spray of chemical is not linked with the organic field . Hence by this solution, the company is able to protect the organic field as organic without getting affected by the spray process and at the same time the inside spray of chemical will help the other people to save their field from the disease.

This will help to preserve the right and responsibilities of both the parties

Following three options can be worked out as below

1.     Allow the spray of chemical in the normal field

2.     Do not allow the spray of chemical in the normal field which will have impact on the organic field.

3.     Allowance of limited spray of chemical in the field area away from the organic field.

Option 3 looks to be the best answer or option, as it meets the balanced requirement of both the parties.

As per decision lens method- there are four basic lenses which needs to be applied before making any decision in such scenario. The lenses are

1.     Rationality Lens – helps to view the rationality reasoning for the decision.

2.     Equality lens – Helps to view the equality among the parties instead of their positions.

3.     Sensibility Lens – Helps to view reasoning from sensitivity point of view.

4.     Autonomy Lens – helps to view reasoning from autonomy point of view
After brainstorming with the leadership team, you have identified four options:

Based on these four lenses, the option 3rd looks to be the best option, as it meets most of the reasoning of these four lenses method.  

After brainstorming with the leadership team, you have identified four options:

1.     Support the organic farmers so they can protect their land.

2.     Stay out of the fray as you will not be directly affected.

3.     Support the local farmers to stop the spread of the disease.

4.     Support the local farmers to stop the spread of the disease and lobby for the least invasive method of controlling the disease possible.

Option 4 – looks to be best option.

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