1. The dilemma that Robert is facing is whether to remain silent about the company's decision to halt the development of the new medication, despite believing that it could greatly benefit individuals with the rare anxiety disorder, or to take action by advocating for the release of the drug's information to potentially interested parties.

2. The stakeholders impacted by the issue:

• ACME Pharmaceutical Company: The company is a stakeholder as it has the authority over the decision to halt the development of the new medication and its subsequent release.
• Individuals with the rare anxiety disorder: They are stakeholders as they stand to benefit from access to a potentially effective medication.
• Robert Bonifacio: As the new laboratory technician who discovered the memos, Robert is a stakeholder as he personally involved in the ethical dilemma and its potential outcomes.
• Robert's friend and friend's mother: They are stakeholders as they would directly benefit from the availability of the new medication for the rare anxiety disorder.

3. Resnik's norms, Merton's norms, and Mitroff counter norms that play a role in the company's choice of action and Robert's decision include:

Resnik's norms:

• Truthfulness: ACME Pharmaceutical Company's decision not to produce the medication raises questions about transparency and truthfulness in their business practices.
• Confidentiality: The company's desire to keep the discovery to themselves aligns with the norm of confidentiality but conflicts with the potential benefit to individuals with the rare anxiety disorder.

Merton's norms:

• Universalism: The decision not to produce the medication, based on cost-effectiveness, raises concerns about the ethical principle of universalism, which involves making decisions based on universal rules principles.
• Communism: The potential benefits of the new medication for a specific group of individuals brings up the challenge of applying the principle of communism, which involves the fair distribution of benefits and burdens within a society.

Mitroff's counter norms:

• The norm of optimizing production and reaching the most cost-effective outcome: ACME Pharmaceutical Company's decision aligns with the emphasis on optimizing production and profitability, but it may conflict with the ethical concern for the well-being of individuals with the rare anxiety disorder.

4. Robert should advocate for the ethical consideration and potential release of the information regarding the new medication to other interested parties, while balancing the need to retain his position at the company. This choice is in line with the ethical principle of beneficence, which emphasizes the obligation to act for the benefit of others, especially those who are vulnerable and in need.

5. This decision statement aligns with a combination of both utilitarian and deontological. The utilitarian aspect considers the greatest good for the greatest number, as advocating for the release of the medication's information could potentially benefit many individuals with the rare anxiety disorder. The deontological aspect emphasizes the duty to act for the well-being of others, aligning with the ethical principle of beneficence.

1. Robert is facing a moral and professional dilemma: should he respect his employer's decision to a drug that could benefit individuals with a rare anxiety disorder for future profit, or should he act on his belief that this information should be shared for the immediate benefit of patients, like his friend's mother, who could potentially find relief from this medication?

2. The stakeholders impacted the issue include:

   • ACME Pharmaceutical Company: They have financial interests and intellectual property rights in the medication.
   • Patients with the rare anxiety disorder: They could benefit significantly from the new medication.
   • Robert Bonifacio: As an employee and the discover of the information, his professional and moral beliefs are at stake.
   • The broader medical and scientific community: They have an interest in new treatments for diseases, sharing of knowledge, and ethical business practices.
   • Potential competitors in the pharmaceutical industry: They could be interested in producing the medication if the discovery was made public.

3. Involved norms in the scenario are:

nik’s norms:

• Honesty: being truthful in communicating information about the drug's effectiveness.

• Integrity: adhering to ethical standards and corporate policies while also considering the obligation to society.

• Social Responsibility: considering the impact of the decision on society, especially individuals with the rare disorder Merton's norms (CUDOS):

  • Communality: the norm that scientific findings should be shared with the community.
  • Universalism: applying scientific criteria uniformly, which in this case may suggest no exception on producing beneficial medication.
  • Disinterestedness: focusing on the benefit of the public rather than personal gain in terms of the company and Robert.

  Mitroff’s counter-norms - Secrecy: which ACME Pharmaceutical Company is exercising by keeping the drug's information private.

  • Particularism: where the decision of whether to produce the drug could be influenced by specific interests.

4. Robert should advocate within the company for the continuation of the drug's development, or at least for the release of its to parties that can produce it because this serves the greater good and aligns with Resnik's norm of social responsibility and Merton's norm of communality, which prioritize sharing valuable scientific knowledge for societal benefit.

5. This decision statement combines both utilitarian and deontological ethical. Utilitarian because it considers the greatest good for the greatest number by potentially benefiting those suffering from the disorder, and deont because it is motivated by duty-bound principles such as honesty, integrity, and social responsibility.