HWcase4 Q1

[esabbs]

The Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

Source: https://ideas.darden.virginia.edu/vw-emissions-and-the-3-factors-that-drive-ethical-breakdown

-The car company Volkswagen was caught using software in its diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests in 2015
-The vehicles emitted up to 40 times more nirtogen oxide more than the legal limit
-This contributed to air pollution & public health risks also contributing to respiratory diseases
-Volkswagen also advertised their vehicles as "clean diesel"
-Countries that were impacted were the U.S., Canada, Germany, the U.K., France, and Italy
-Volkswagen admitted guilt and agreed to pay over $30 billion in fines and vehicle buy backs
-The current CEO of Volkswagen at the time, stepped down from the company when the scandal happened
-The true emissions were uncovered by independent researchers at West Virginia University

-Is there anyway possible Volkswagen at this time was trying to do any "good" by doing this?
-Do you think the customers of Volkswagen should have been compensated or repaid in more ways?
-Do you think Volkswagen has regained trust back from there customer since this issue?

-How could the software that allowed the emissions testing to read normal when it wasn't be prevented?

What does virtue ethics say about this case?
What does utilitarianism say about this case?
What does deontology say about this case?

Comments

[livie202]

It’s hard to say if Volkswagen was trying to do any "good" by engaging in the emissions scandal, but it seems more like they were trying to cut corners and improve their numbers without considering the ethical implications. Even if their intentions were to compete in the market, deceiving customers and regulators about emissions was never the right way to go about it. As for compensating customers, I do think they should have been repaid in more ways. Simply offering buybacks and repairs didn’t fully address the damage to their trust and the environmental impact. Volkswagen should have gone further in offering more substantial compensation or benefits, like rebates, free maintenance, or even a commitment to more environmentally-friendly practices moving forward to make up for the harm caused.

HWCase4 Q2

[ijjeon]

-Is there anyway possible Volkswagen at this time was trying to do any "good" by doing this?

I dont think specifically at this time but i do remember the the EU is trying to make all car's electric by 2026 or something. I feel like then it is difficult to say and same for now, but I do feel like it is the cards are not playing in the favor of the company at the moment and instead they have to face the cards that are dealt to them head on.

Is there anyway possible Volkswagen at this time was trying to do any "good" by doing this?

[enderben]

It’s possible that Volkswagen planned to eventually meet emissions standards legitimately but used the cheat software as a short-term fix while improving their technology.

[tgoodwin]

Hey! This whole Volkswagen scandal was crazy. It’s wild how a company that big thought they could actually get away with this.

I don’t think VW was tryna do any “good” at all—more like they just wanted to cut corners and sell more cars. Maybe they told themselves it was fine since people would get better fuel efficiency and performance, but really, they were just straight-up lying.

Customers definitely shoulda been paid back more than just buybacks and fines. A lot of people bought those cars thinking they were eco-friendly, only to find out they were polluting way more than allowed. Some probably paid extra for that whole “clean diesel” thing too. So yeah, they shoulda done more—maybe refunds, better warranties, or something extra.

As for trust, I feel like VW kinda got some of it back, but not all the way. People forget stuff after a while, and they’ve been pushing electric cars hard to fix their image. But scandals like this don’t just disappear. Some people probably never buying VW again.

To stop stuff like this, there gotta be stricter testing—like random on-road tests instead of just lab ones. If some researchers at WVU could figure it out, regulators shoulda caught it too.

Ethics-wise:

Virtue Ethics: This was just bad. A good company don’t lie to customers or cheat the system. They showed no honesty or integrity.

Utilitarianism: Depends on how you look at it. VW mighta thought cheating meant more sales, jobs, and a good economy, but the harm (pollution, health risks, loss of trust) way outweighed that. So, utilitarianism would prob say this was wrong.

Deontology: This was just straight-up unethical. Lying and cheating is wrong no matter what. VW broke moral rules, so deontology would say they messed up big time.

What you think? You think VW really bounced back from this, or people still looking at them funny?