Supporting a Return to the Credo

Essay

Supporting a Return to the Credo
In the 1982 Tylenol recall, Johnson & Johnson put its famed Credo on the line and recalled all of its Extra Strength Tylenol capsules nationwide within a week of someone lacing the product with cyanide, killing several people in Chicago. Since then, the company has frequently faced ethical issues. The 1982 recall has been hailed as an exemplary business ethics action, yet thirty years later, after a number of safety and regulatory problems, the shareholders of the company filed a lawsuit (called a derivative action) against the management of the company for not adhering to the Credo. The company's reputation was further damaged after losing a case on the dangers of talcum powder and for manufacturing and selling opioids. Suppose the executives of J&J came to you to ask for advice. What would you advise the company to do to live up to its corporate Credo? Support your answer based on the chapter's explanation of pragmatic and philosophical ethics.