The VanB manufacturing plant, located in the small town of Castle, Illinois, claims that it supports the local community and looks after its workers. However, to increase productivity and reduce costs, VanB recently replaced 125 of its production-line employees with automated machinery. Given that approximately 90% of the laid-off workers live in Castle, most local residents are outraged. If VanB truly supported its community, these residents say, the company wouldn’t have even considered eliminating any of its human re- sources. What do you think? Was it unethical for the company to re- place so many of its workers with automated machinery? Or do the Castle residents have unrealistic expectations for VanB?
