of manufacturer responsibility: design, production, and information. Due care requires the manufacturer to design a product that is safe, test it to guarantee its safety, and fully study the effects of aging and wear and tear. The manufacturer is also obligated to closely monitor production and oversee quality assurance. Finally, the manufacturer should provide hazard information about that product through labels, notices, or instructions. The ethics of caring reinforces the importance of solid relationships, in this case between the seller and the buyer. Issuing a potentially unsafe product to the consumer violates the care for that relationship by intentionally putting the consumer in the presence of a known hazard. The ethics of virtue would also caution against issuing an unsafe product. Dishonesty, malice, and greed, generally acknowledged as vices, lend to less admirable behaviors such as withholding safety information, placing innocent consumers in harm’s path, and taking shortcuts on quality or safety. The character of a manager who allows this behavior is damaged. Therefore, issuing a defective product to consumers would violate the ethics of virtue. Finally, the rights of the consumers are violated when a manufacturer sells an unsafe product. Specifically, the freedom of choice is revoked, as the buyer is not freely choosing to accept the product. Without full disclosure, the buyer cannot make an informed decision, and subsequently is not freely choosing to engage in the agreement to purchase the product. ...
