Martha Stewart: Lemons into Lemonade Before one can make an informed decision as to whether Martha Stewart's handled the incident responsibly or whether or not her actions were moral or immoral, one must first understand the basics of ethics and understand whose rights are involved and how they were affected. Then one must also examine who will be helped and who will be hurt by her actions and then make a decision based on the information and personal values as they relate to the issue. Martha Stewart was charged in 2001 with making false statements, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice during her sale of ImClone the day before the FDA announced its refusal to review a new cancer drug. This sale was scrutinized by authorities …show more content…

"I believe in the fairness of the judicial system and remain confident that I will ultimately prevail."
This statement could have prevented a significant drop in her stock and created confidence in her customer base that would positively affect more than it could hurt. The evidence that supports this is the fact that her stock prices have climbed, her ad sales for her magazine have increased 48%, and the sales of her new book "Martha Rules," has put it on the New York Times best seller list. The deontological theory addresses the moral nature of the action itself without consideration given to consequences. Martha maintained her innocence after the guilty verdict and this maintained her company's stock prices and customer support base throughout her prison stint and gave her a new perspective and regard for life after her release. This action helped the stock holders but negatively affected those that wanted a more severe punishment and felt like she was getting over on justice. She was found guilty of illegally lying to investigators and that fact within itself is morally unacceptable regardless of the end result of her actions. Her customers and shareholders have an inherent positive right to deal with someone of integrity and honesty while conducting business with her corporation or buying her products. They have the right to not conduct business with her based on the results of the trial that proved that she lied to