Tobacco is one of the oldest industries in the world, even though it has been subjected to a lot of control since 1992, primarily due to health concerns. Tobacco companies continue to earn significant profits while at the same time a substantial number of people die annually due to cigarette smoking. As a result, the industry has attracted a controversial ethical debate, especially based on who to blame for the high number of deaths and diseases that are linked with tobacco ( Novotny & Carlin, 2005) . Nonetheless, the tobacco industry has the moral responsibility to less harmful products.
The continued production of tobacco is mainly based on the utilitarianism ethical principle which asserts that an action is ethical or moral if it can be used to generate the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Countries have allowed tobacco companies to continue operating because their benefits outweigh the cost, especially based on economic aspects such as revenue and employment opportunities. However, I support consumers whose health and wellbeing have been affected by tobacco products significantly. According to the recent surveys and reports, the dangers of tobacco outweigh the perceived benefits. It is estimated that more than 500 million people will soon die of tobacco-related products ( Novotny & Carlin, 2005) . More than have of these people will die in their middle ages. Shockingly, tobacco-related products are expected to have killed more than one billion people by 2100 globally ( Novotny & Carlin, 2005) . Therefore, the production of tobacco should be stopped because it is unethical, as only a few people now benefit from the industry.
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Capitalism is an economic and political system where the primary objective of many organizations is to maximize profits while reducing cost substantially. A lot of decisions that are made at the corporate level are to maximize profits while minimizing cost. Thus, capitalism is influencing a lot of activities and operations that are taking place in corporations across the globe. The main role of capitalism, however, is to ensure that the interests of shareholders are met and protected at all time. Shareholders or investors are relying on capitalism mindset to make profits and minimize losses. Capitalism prevents corporate from adhering to ethical business requirements ( Rossouw, 2012) . Industries like tobacco are thriving because of capitalism, which is facilitated by a few rich people whose main interest is to make profits. Capitalism plays a significant role in corporate decision-making.
Finally, I do not believe that it is possible for a company to serve its interests and those of consumers conjointly. For a company to maximize its profits, it must optimize its revenue through the highest price possible ( Rossouw, 2012) . Customers, on the others hand, are determined to purchase products or services at the lowest price possible. As a result, companies, and consumers have sharply conflicting interests that are not easy to be met conjointly. However, a company may strive to strike a balance between the interests of investors and that of consumers by setting favorable prices while using corporate social responsibility to address other needs of customers. No company would like to operate without making profits, which explains why the interests of consumers and companies cannot be addressed conjointly. Nevertheless, companies can enjoy sustainable success and growth when it is highly sensitive to the needs of customers ( Foroudi et al ., 2016) . Failure to address the interest of consumer can easily fail a company.
References
Foroudi, P., Jin, Z., Gupta, S., Melewar, T. C., & Foroudi, M. M. (2016). Influence of innovation capability and customer experience on reputation and loyalty. Journal of Business Research , 69 (11), 4882-4889.
Novotny, T. E., & Carlin, D. (2005). Ethical and legal aspects of global tobacco control. Tobacco Control , 14 (2), 26-30.
Rossouw, G. J. (2012). Global business ethical perspectives on capitalism, finance, and corporate responsibility: the impact of the global financial crisis of 2008. Asian Journal of Business Ethics , 1 (1), 63-72.
