Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: Your American Company operates manufacturing plants throughout Asia, with a combined staff of 20,000 employees. In 2003, after Asia was hit with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, your company introduced a policy to stockpile drugs in locations where employees don’t have access to high-quality health care. In 2005, SARS was replaced by avian influenza—bird flu—as the primary risk for the next pandemic. Your company responded by stockpiling quantities of the drug Tamiflu, the antiviral drug that is regarded as the best treatment for bird fl u in humans.

There has been a reported outbreak of bird fl u in a remote region of Vietnam, about 100 miles from where you have a manufacturing plant. The government clinic has a small supply of Tamiflu, but aware of your company’s stockpile, the clinic has approached your local plant manager to share some of your supply. The plant manager contacted you for help in responding to the request. Your company policy on this is to make sure employees are taken care of first, and so you decline the request for assistance, claiming that you have insufficient quantities of Tamiflu to meet your immediate needs.