As anyone who knows me well can tell you I am a die hard car fan. One of my most frequently (and by frequently I mean daily) visited sites is AutoBlog.com This comprehensive site has all sorts of news on everything related to the auto world. Back during Christmas break this one story in particular caught my attention.

Synopsis: A cargo ship containing several thousand Mazda vehicles capsized and sat listing at an extreme angle off of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska for nearly a month before it was repaired and towed to Oregon. The vehicles contained in the ship were tied down at extreme angles. Mazda initially planned on a full disclosure to the purchaser before selling the vehicles. However the president & CEO of Mazda announced that the cars would instead be scrapped instead of sold to the public.

Discussion Points:

1.) What is your opinion of Mazda's decision to scrap the vehicles? Was this a correct move considering the amount of inventory lost to Mazda was in the millions not to mention the production and destruction costs.

2.) Why couldn't Mazda (which had determined that the vehicles had suffered no significant damage) release the vehicles to the general public or charities at a reduced or tax-deductible price with a full disclosure statement about the history of the vehicle? How does this relate to the company image?

3.) What is the company's social responsibility?

4.) Is Mazda, as a publicly held company, responsible only for their return on investment and share value? Or do they have a larger, bigger picture responsibility to address?

5.) What ethical issues does releasing the vehicles for sale or charitable donations present in your mind?
-------------------------------------------------------

These are all questions that I considered when I read the article (available here with historical articles as well) So let's discuss it! Think about these questions, answer them, raise new and perhaps overlooked ones.