Wowie Case Study

Wowie Case Study

We are in the boardroom of a top Internet company, Wowie Info, where the

two founders are deciding on where to bring their information portal next. The

company already dominates North America and Europe. They decide to look at the

Asian country of Jaigunda. But what happens to the values of a company dedicated

to the free flow of information, when it comes to a country with a government

hostile to the unfettered exchange of ideas? On the one hand, Wowie Info provides a

service that could help this nation close its technological gap, encourage innovation,

boost economic growth, and perhaps loosen the authoritarian grip of the

government; on the other hand, by refusing to do business with a country that

embraces censorship, the company could take a moral stand on freedom of speech.

Wowie Info decides to move into Jaigunda, and eventually faces demands by the

government to hand over their clients’ names and information. They first demand

the name of someone who is selling child pornography. Next, they demand the name

of a blogger who is writing about police brutality. Both are crimes in this totalitarian

country. What are Wowie’s obligations to its shareholders, employees, customers,

suppliers, and the community, and do they change when the nature of the alleged

crime changes?

 

1. Identify the ethical frameworks used in the video discussion on this case.
2. Identify the pros and cons in the case above.
3. Decide on what you would recommend if you are a consultant to Wowie.