1. Identify the Moral Issue

2. Identify Additional Facts Helpful to Making a Decision

3. Identify the Alternatives Available to Apply to the Problem

4. Identify the Personal Impacts to the Decision Maker

5. Apply a Moral Theory such as shareholder, stakeholder, or virtue

6. Conclude with a decision

7. Build an ethical culture

The Boeing Company is a global aerospace corporation and the largest manufacturing exporter in the United States with over $100 billion in revenue and $8 billion in profit in 2018. But Boeing began falling behind Airbus, its primary competitor when Airbus introduced the A320neo. To rush a competing airplane into production, Boeing chose to develop a derivative plane, the 737 MAX, that would only require Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for changes from the base plane, not the entire plane.

The larger engine on the 737 MAX shifted the airplanes center of gravity, causing the plane to tend to tilt up during flight. Boeing responded with a software solution that would incorrectly push the plane down if a single, temperamental sensor failed. This was a known issue, but a proposed fix was rejected due to additional cost and pilot training. The pilot could prevent catastrophic results but only if they responded within ten seconds. Boeing convinced the FAA to allow flight training for the 737 MAX on a tablet computer rather than a flight simulator, a policy it would later use in its sales pitch for the 737 MAX. The issue was raised in neither airplane manuals nor pilot training materials for U.S.-based airlines.

In October 2018, a new 737 MAX crashed in the Java Sea off Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers and crew. In March 2019, another new 737 MAX crashed in Ethiopia shortly after taking off, killing all 157 passengers and crew. Both crashes were caused by the known software issue. Within three days, every major aviation regulator had grounded the 737 MAX, and the 737 MAX would stay grounded for the better part of two years.

Boeing does not have a board committee directly responsible for monitoring airplane safety, and its Audit Committee does not regularly or meaningfully address or discuss airplane safety. Nor does the board as a whole. Management does not deliver safety reports or summaries to the board on a regular basis. Boeing does not have an internal reporting system for whistleblowers.

You are general counsel (the chief in-house attorney) for Boeing. Dave Calhoun, the chair of the Boeing board of directors, has asked to prepare an analysis of the situation using the Six-Step Process (including the seventh step) and the moral theory of your choice. Your analysis should consider both risks Boeing faces from the fallout from the crashes and how Boeing should move forward.

Your analysis should be roughly 1-2 pages long.