Christian Worldview/ Operations Management Integration Paper

Ethical Dilemma

A lawsuit a few years ago made headlines worldwide when a

McDonald’s drive-through customer spilled a cup of scalding

hot coffee on herself. Claiming the coffee was too hot to

be safely consumed in a car, the badly burned 80-year-old

woman won $2.9 million in court. (The judge later reduced

the award to $640,000.) McDonald’s claimed the product

was served to the correct specifications and was of proper

quality. Further, the cup read “Caution—Contents May

Be Hot.” McDonald’s coffee, at 180º, is substantially hotter

(by corporate rule) than typical restaurant coffee, despite

hundreds of coffee-scalding complaints in the past 10 years.

Similar court cases, incidentally, resulted in smaller verdicts,

but again in favor of the plaintiffs. For example, Motor City

Bagel Shop was sued for a spilled cup of coffee by a drivethrough

patron, and Starbucks by a customer who spilled

coffee on her own ankle.

Are McDonald’s, Motor City, and Starbucks at fault in

situations such as these? How do quality and ethics enter into

these cases?

How can this issue be addressed from a Christian worldview? What guidance from a Biblical perspective could be apllied to understand and possibly resolve the dilemma?     Paper should include 6 external citations.