Uber – Ethical Obligations to Consumers
Uber, a San Francisco based, alternative to tax services, is
being sued for the alleged rape of a passenger that used their service in
India. The suit states that Uber did not maintain basic safety procedures for
its passengers. Uber advertises they have the best background checks available
for its drivers; however the driver in this case had multiple arrests for rape
and assault in his background. The case alleges Ubers business structure has
allowed them in the past to not be liable for what happens from the time of
pickup to drop off; any incidents are the driver’s responsibility alone.
What are the ethical issues at the forefront of this case?
Does a company have an ethical responsibility to consumers of their product
and/or service? Does profit matter more than safety? Do they have an ethical
responsibility to advertise with truth and fact or with half-truths and fluff?
Corporations do have a responsibility to their shareholders;
this is to turn a profit. Making money is the primary backbone of business. They
have a responsibility to their employees to provide a safe non hostile workplace
(Beauchamp, 1979, pg 232). There is also
a corporate ethical responsibility to consumers; this is to provide honest
information that will allow them to make an educated decision (Beauchamp, 1979,
pg 265). This company provided inaccurate and non-complete information to their
customer, which allowed them to feel safe. The lack of concern for customer
safety over profit is highly unethical and leans towards the utilitarianism
school of thought, that there are no natural rights and all actions are
motivated by pleasure.
I agree with the philosophy
of John Locke, which is frank in its statement that there is a law of nature
given to us that provides the morals we should abide by. Basic human rights are
protected by the moral code given to us in the Bible, as well as the governmental
laws that govern our lands. When a company offers a service, they should be
held liable for the actions performed by agents of the company. The driver was
not acting on his time, we was acting on the companies time. Ethical
Theory and Business discusses the reasonable expectations of a customer and the
vulnerability of the customer, who does not have the full knowledge needed to
make a crucial decision (Beauchamp, 1979, p265-267). It is unethical for a
salesperson to withhold information that could be important to the decision a
customer makes.
The company in this case is taking the necessary steps to
repair the breaks in their system and ensure the safety of their customers. I
believe that the strategy they are taking in this case will result in an improved
product with stronger ethical implications. This is entirely contingent upon
the fact that they follow thru with the plans they are making. We as human
beings should feel safe in our daily lives, if we are unable to use
corporations known worldwide for basic services, such as transportation,
without being able to trust their advertising and claims, we are just
contributing to the utilitarianism views taking over society.
Dunfee, T., & Donaldson, T. (2995).
Toward a Unifed Conception of Business Ethics: Integrative Social Contracts
Theory. The Academy of Management Review, 19(2), 252-284.
Retrieved January 30, 2015, from http://www.tulevaisuus.fi/keko/KURSSITIEDOT/jo11_kalvot/DonaldsonDunfee_1994.pdf
Beauchamp, T. (1979). Ethical theory and
business. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
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