A popular diet cola, "Diet Joke," advertises that it contains merely a single calorie. Yet,
in actuality, it contains sixty calories per 12 ounce serving. Every year the Food and
Drug Administration finds the company guilty of false advertising. And for the past
ten years, the cola company has paid the $3000 fine and continued to advertise
falsely. Evaluate the ethics of the cola company's decision based on rights, justice,
utility and care. Is it ethical for Diet Joke to continue to advertise falsely? The
evaluations of rights, justice, utility and care should support the answer to the
question, Is it ethical for Diet Joke to continue to advertise falsely? Keep in mind that
if Diet Joke has to say that it is sixty calories, it will not be able to compete with Diet
Poopsi, which also falsely advertises. In addition, if the company suffers, workers will
suffer as well. The answer should explain HOW the evaluations of rights, justice,
utility, and care support it. In the case of conflicting support, that conflicting support
should be explained, and the answer justified in light of the conflicting support
(clarification: conflicting support is okay, just explain how, for example, two other
evaluations overrode the one that didn't agree).
