Tylenol Ethical Behavior 1982 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tylenol Ethical Behavior 1982 - Essay Example Tylenol had been the most profitable medicine for Johnson & Johnson and its contamination represented a big threat to the company and its goodwill in the market. The company’s market share fell drastically from 35% to a mere 8%. Thus, the company’s aim was to react in a way that does not damage its reputation. Following the announcement to stop consumption of the product was the announcement that the company had recalled its product completely from the market which resulted in an immediate loss of $100 million (Suder, 2006). The important point to note here is that, although the company wasn’t responsible for the alteration in the product, it assumed the ethical responsibility at the cost of its profits. By demonstrating that the company genuinely cared for the soceity’s safety, Tylenol got sympathy vote from customers who started realizing the fact that Tylenol had been a victim of a criminal act ( done by somebody else) and that the company was innocent (Suder, 2006). Additionally, the company established repute and strong links with the FBI, Police and the administration of the Food and Drug department (Kaplan, 1994). Through this the company hoped to gain the confidence of these groups along with searching for the individuals behind the contamination. Furthermore, it devoted heavy sums of money to the media and advertising agencies in order to inform the public about stopping the use of Tylenol and spreading this awareness amongst the masses (Kaplan, 1994). They went to the extent of using â€Å"1-800† hotline to deliver the message across the country and also used pre-recorded messages to inform news agencies about the latest developments with respect to the crisis (Cutlip, Center, & Broom, 1999). The company also ensured that all its press conferences were aired on national television (Kaplan, 1994). This was, however, a short term