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Product cover image for Ethics Versus Survival: The Case of DOES Tech 2.0

Ethics Versus Survival: The Case of DOES Tech 2.0

Carmen Ocasio Rodriguez, Neha Mittal, Aaron Sneed

Product #:W47053
Supplier:Ivey/Temple
Discipline:Entrepreneurship, Operations Management
Setting:United States, 2025
Details:Case (PDF) • 8 pages • 2026-01-16

Subjects:

Business ethicsSupply chain managementCompliance managementEntrepreneurshipOperations and supply chain management

Industries:

Healthcare sectorHealthcare sector

Geography:

United States
Your Price:$10.54

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In August 2025, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the pharmaceutical supply chain start-up Defense Operations & Engineering Solutions Inc. (DOES), faced mounting pressure as ethics and company survival collided. DOES was founded with the aim of reducing US dependence on overseas suppliers. The company developed Tech 2.0, an artificial intelligence–enabled platform for safer, more personalized drug manufacturing. Yet supplier violations, environmental concerns, and incomplete audits threatened its credibility. With just US$0.8 million left and investors demanding rapid progress, the CEO considered three options: partner with a low-cost but non-compliant supplier, delay production to achieve full compliance, or disclose all risks to investors and regulators at the cost of losing short-term funding.

Learning Objectives

This case is intended for business students in an undergraduate or graduate program. It is best suited for courses in strategy, business ethics, or health sector entrepreneurship. The case challenges students to examine the ethical and operational dilemmas faced by a pharmaceutical start-up under financial and regulatory pressure. Students explore how ethical blind spots emerge under investor pressure, how sourcing and data practices affect public trust, and how disclosure and transparency shape start-up credibility in life sciences. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:
  • Explore how start-ups deal with ethical challenges, when the need to survive conflicts with their core values.
  • Examine how ESG standards, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance, and data ethics shape decision-making in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
  • Apply ethical frameworks to evaluate trade-offs between short-term survival strategies, and long-term reputation, trust, and mission alignment.
  • Debate the role of transparency and disclosure in building investor confidence and sustaining public trust in life sciences.
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Case Study: Ethics Versus Survival: The Case of DOES Tech 2.0 (English version) | Ivey Publishing