Ford Pinto CaseThe history of mankind has probably never known a completely successful product: a product that never broke or malfunctioned. "The ideal product is a myth because in reality there have been and always will be errors and defects in technology and production. When there is only a small percentage of defective parts, it is easy to blame the individual product. It is when occurs a repeated failure of the same system under the same conditions in which people start asking the question." (Birch, et. al. 21) Who is to blame? Is this a production line error? Is it the engineer who designed it or the person who developed the process? Ford Pinto is one of the examples of repeated product failures, which led to the death of many consumers. In this case, in the 1960s and 1970s, the American auto industry was constantly challenged by foreign automakers with better offerings and yet cheaper cars. Another problem plaguing the industry was gas consumption, which, during the period of the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, became a truly critical issue. The survival of the American auto industry lay in designing and building subcompact cars that were accessible to the masses and consumed as little gas as possible. The car of the Ford Motor Company became the Ford Pinto which was introduced to the public in September 1970. Since the competition among the domestic automobile manufacturers was very intense, the Ford Motors Company decided to build the Ford Pinto in just 25 months against the normal 43 months. The general manager of the Ford Pinto project, Lee Iacocca, was so obsessed with the idea of ​​creating an affordable car and conquering the market, that he specifically set a certain goal... middle of paper... :Birch, et. al. “The Ford Pinto Case: A Study in Applied Ethics, Business, and Technology,” Boston: McGraw Hill, 1994Mallor, et. al. “Business Law and the Regulatory Environment,” 11th edition, Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001Mark Dowie. "Pinto Madness" Mother Jones (September 1977): 38 pars. September 28, 1977 http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1977/09/dowie.htmlFord Pinto Case: Valuation of Life as it Applies to the Negligence - Efficiency Argument, Christopher Leggett, 1999 University of Illinois. Spring 1999 http://www.sprynewmedia.com/clients/wakeforest/Papers/1999/Leggett-pinto.html Velasquez, Manuel G. Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002