Sony online Entertainment

ETHICS & CSR ASSIGNMENT

Name: GOURAV SARKAR

Roll no: 2016PGP133

Section: B

ECSR Individual Assignment A

Problem Statement

• Considering the history of death, abuse and personal emotional damage associated with the players of Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest game, is the company justified in releasing its sequel?
• Was Sony Online Entertainment responsible for the physical and emotional sufferings of its customers?
• Should their ad campaign for EverQuest II be adjusted in the light of the situation?

Situation Analysis

Many leaders of the world face the same situation as Scott Mc Daniel is facing right now. Many organizations face this issue during the launch of their products because even though their products are going to be best sellers there is a chance of any mishap happening. Many ethical issues like this were compared to the classic Tylenol case and the leadership qualities showed by James Burke. In 1982 seven people died from poisoning resulting from drug tampering happened in the Chicago metropolitan area. The victims had all taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Tylenol brand belongs to Johnson & Johnson and James Burke was the CEO at that time. The actions of Johnson & Johnson and James Burke to reduce deaths and warn the public of poisoning risks has been widely praised as an exemplary response to such a crisis. The leadership qualities shown by James Burke are considered to be the principles of leadership and can be related to any situation. Johnson & Johnson's handing of the Tylenol crisis is clearly the example other companies should follow if they find themselves on the brink of losing everything.

Case Analysis

The case has been analysed on the basis of the “Principles of Leadership” that Scott McDaniels, Vice President of Marketing for Sony Online Entertainment, should follow while responding to the ethical dilemmas that the company is facing.

• Be forthcoming and honest- SoE should not try to hide the fact that there were some mishaps which have occurred to some of their customers due to their addiction to EverQuest I. They should be completely open and accepting of this fact and not try to shift the blame to others. They should also be prepared to take any steps which are required to rectify this situation.
• Act quickly and decisively- SoE should take immediate steps to pacify the families of those adversely affected by SoE and also those customers who are apprehensive about playing the game because of the recent unfortunate events. In this regard they can offer monetary and medical support to the victims and educate its customers about the harmful effects of addiction.
• Act pre-emptively and pro-actively- SoE can issue warnings on the game cover or prior to the opening of the game, informing players about the harmful effects of excessive gaming and playing addiction. In this regards they can tell the players about the threshold time limits for gaming on one go or per day. It can also include such warning in its ad campaigns or work with organisations who work with addiction patients.
• Take responsibility, even if you don’t have to- Addiction is a human frailty. Addiction to gaming is not something that the game developers are directly responsible for. It is up to the players to understand how much gaming is healthy. For every case of physical and emotional damages that have been caused by the game there are many more case of players who have had healthy experiences with the game. Thus, it will be wrong to put the entire responsibility on SoE. However, even though they don’t have to,Sony Online Entertainment should take responsibility for the well-being of its players. This shows that SoE is not just a money-making machine but an organisation that cares for its customers.
• Treat people with respect- As Sony Online Entertainment is not directly responsible for the gaming related addictions, they might refuse to accept responsibility for the deaths that have occurred and disregard the victims and their families. However, Sony Online Entertainment should treat the victims with respect and be compassionate about the losses they have suffered. Or else they will come across as an unsympathetic organisation which only cared about their financial bottom-linesand this will adversely affect their image.
• Good behaviour and development of trust pay dividends- SoE should try to earn the trust of the customers by providing support to those who have suffered due to gaming addiction. It should take responsibility for the deaths that have been caused due to EverQuest I. This will not only help create a positive image about Sony Online Entertainment in the minds of the customers but also lead to increase in customer sales once their faith in the company is restored.
• Do not hesitate to say ‘NO’, if it is not right- Sony Online Entertainment should not shirk away from refusing to comply with unreasonable demands from the victims. As stated before, addiction is a human frailty and the company is not the sole offender in such cases. However, Sony Online Entertainment should assume some responsibility for the tragedies that have occurred on moral and ethical grounds. Sony Online Entertainment should be wary of customers who try to take undue advantage of this.
• Bring novelty in thought and action- Sony Online Entertainment should come up with innovative ideas to bridge the gap between profitability and ethical responsibility. For instance, they can use social media and gaming forums to educate gamers about the harmful effects of excessive gaming.

The game is not totally responsible for the incident but, it is the responsibility of the company to make sure that this kind of incidents doesn’t happen and public trust them.Scott Mc Danielcan take the following steps to make sure that the launch of EverQuest II is ethically correct.

1. Scott can first inform the media about the incident so that public gets trust on him that he is showing responsibility towards public and concerned about them.
2. A campaign must be run from the company side making them aware of the misuse of the game.
3. Also, after launching, a special focus should be given on these kinds of incidents rather than on profits.
4. He should also make the people know that his company is so much concerned about them. A special media focus can be used in this aspect.
5. Special cautionary advice to be given on the game.

ETHICS & CSR ASSIGNMENT B:  Taxi Aggregators

Stakeholders are all the people who are affected by the actions undertaken by a particular company. In case of these two major taxi aggregators Ola and Uber, they will be:

(a) The customers who avail the services of the two companies.

(b) The employees of the two companies: the software developers, the team members of the two companies.

(c) The angel investors as well as the venture capitalists.

(d) The taxi-drivers who are associated with the two companies. Since, Ola and Uber do not own any vehicles, they are completely dependent on the drivers.