Santa Monica College Business Law Discussion

SIMAC Assignment

Please read the scenario provided in the drop file and answer the different sections of the SIMAC assignment. Use the PowerPoint file to help guide the way to answer the SIMAC sections. I have broken down each section, but the PowerPoint will help me better understand. It is very important to take read at the PowerPoint.

S- Stakeholder

Identify who the stakeholders are in the issue

I-Issue

Create a question on what the issue is (for example: is it ethical to use in clothing)

M- Model (answer each model in bullet point format)

Utilitarianism (outcome-based)

Kantian (duty-based)

Virtue (virtues-based)

A- Analysis

The analysis is the breakdown provided in all the models (aka the bullet points)

C – Conclusion

Answer the ISSUE on if the scenario is ethical or not

Immediately after graduation, Randy was hired by Meeker, a medical warehouse that provides
pharmaceutical products to various hospitals and clinics within a three-state area. Meeker was the
dominant company in the market. Equipped with his degree, Randy was eager to learn, get ahead, and
begin his career. As a new employee, he was required to go through extensive training to learn about
hospital and clinic regulations, laws, various system procedures, and software applications. The twomonth training included learning about the usual emergencies experienced in clinics and hospitals and
what the needs were concerning equipment and supplies. He learned how to use various products and
equipment and train others in these areas. Part of his training was working in all areas of the medical
warehouse.
One day, Randy’s supervisor, Cheryl, brought him into her office to discuss his next assignment. She
explained to him that several of the hospitals they serve were about to begin their annual inventory
counts. When these inventory counts occur, a representative from Meeker must go into the hospitals
and replace all expired supplies and equipment with new ones. “One of the problems we’ve been having
is the expiration dates on the products we supply are shorter than those of our competitors,” Cheryl
explained. “To keep our clients loyal, we offer a credit to our clients when we take back the expired
products. Unfortunately, that’s caused us to lose profits. We can’t keep losing profits like this, so I’ve
developed an idea for cutting costs and increasing our competitive advantage.”
Cheryl handed several sheets of sticky labels to Randy. He looked them over and found they were a new
set of expiration stickers for the company’s over-the-counter medications. The expiration dates on these
labels were three months from the current date. Randy looked at Cheryl for more of an explanation.
Cheryl told Randy to replace the old labels with the new ones and leave the inventory in the hospitals.
Randy began to feel uncomfortable. “But Cheryl, couldn’t this be dangerous if the hospital uses expired
products?”
Cheryl shook her head. “You don’t have to worry. Our competitors offer similar products with a longer
expiration date, and there’s really no harm in using these products after their expiration date. They are
just a little less potent, but not more harmful in any way. Plus, I read that the owner of a supermarket
chain ate expired food and used expired drugs and cosmetics for an entire year to demonstrate the
waste caused by expiration dates. I do not want to contribute to filling up landfills with these drugs.”
Randy took the labels and headed to the hospitals. As he drove, he went over the instructions in his
head. Something about this made him feel uneasy, but he also understood there was no harm in
changing the labels. In fact, there were times he remembered taking expired over-the-counter
medication himself, and it didn’t hurt him in any way. Additionally, he would only be extending the date
by three months, which is not a long time for medications.
On the other hand, he recalled a moment from his training when he was cautioned about expired
medical products. Thinking back, Randy only recalled being cautioned against using expired prescription
medications, not anything about over-the-counter medications. Randy also wondered if he would be
questioned by the hospital administration staff when he asked for their signature on the inventory
paperwork. He knew they would find it odd if there were no credits to their account for expired
medications. How would he explain the “new policy” to them without being dishonest?