Resolving Ethical Business Challenges: Karl - Essay Example

Resolving Ethical Business Challenges: Karl Resolving Ethical Business Challenges: Karl An ethical issue at stake in the scenario is determining whether it is acceptable to advertise a video game that contains nude scenes and simulations, violence, and gambling behavior (Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell, 2009). A legal issue at stake in this scenario is whether the law permits one to advertise video games with violent and nude material in overseas markets or even on the internet. If the law allows Karl to market “Breakaway” in overseas markets, then his organization has to alter portions of the video game for every nation that Will has surveyed.

One option for Karl is to continue with the production of “Breakaway” but including the reduction of nude scenes or simulations for the American market. Another option is creating a version of the video game with all the original, adult material for America’s online market. a third option is producing a version of the game for the Mexican market but with moderated violence (Ferrell et al., 2009). Many organizations use sex, violence, and gambling for campaign or advertisement purposes in the United States but are all under strict regulation.

Partial nudity is almost a norm in the American advertising world with countless billboards across the nation often depicting half-naked women or men in an attempt to sell a product. In video games, the ESRB allows the depiction of violent and gambling behavior but with stringent regulation (Wan and Youn, 2004). Films and video games with sex, full nudity, intense violence, and gambling depictions are only available on the internet or sold as adult products in select shops across the nation. If sex, violence, and gambling do not conflict with the local cultures of other countries, then marketing it is acceptable.

For example, Japanese culture treats sex as a norm. As a result, forms of entertainment for children such as comic books and television shows have nudity. Similarly, Australian television shows are free to depict actors’ sexual organs without any kind of censorship (Wan and Youn, 2004). Iranian television allows for the airing of intense violence because of the nation’s civil and international situation over recent years.ReferencesFerrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., and Ferrell. (2009). Business Ethics 2009 Update: Ethical Decision Making and Cases.

New York, NY: Cengage Learning.Wan, F. and Youn, S. (2004). Motivations to Regulate Online Gambling and Violent Game Sites: An Account of the Third-Person Effect. Journal of interactive advertising, 5(1), 46‐59.