Ethical Case Studies

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School

SKANS School of Accountancy (Tariq Block Campus) *

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12009A

Subject

Management

Date

Nov 24, 2024

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docx

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Case 1: Lorna is an administrative assistant in the Human Resources Department. Her good friend, Bill, is applying for a job with the company and she has agreed to serve as a reference for him. Bill approaches her for advice on preparing for the interview. Lorna has the actual interview questions asked of all applicants and considers making a copy of it for him so he can adequately prepare. Ethical Issue or Problem: Providing an unfair advantage to Bill by providing him with the actual interview questions that all applicants are asked. Anyone Affected: Bill, other applicants for the position, Human Resources Department Possible Solutions: Solution 1: Lorna provides Bill with the actual interview questions Pros: Bill is more prepared and may be able to better present himself as an attractive candidate for the job Cons: Other applicants to the job are not being given the same advantage, which is unfair and could lead to Bill being given an unfair advantage over the other applicants Solution 2: Lorna provides Bill with general information and advice on preparing for the interview Pros: All applicants are being given equal opportunity and chance to practice and present themselves Cons: Bill may be less prepared and have greater difficulty during the interview than if he had the actual questions in advance. Determined Solution: Solution 2 - Lorna provides Bill with general information and advice on preparing for the interview. This way all applicants are being given an equal opportunity to practice and present themselves, while still ensuring that Bill has the necessary information and advice to adequately prepare for the interview. Case 2: Emily works in quality control. Once a year her supervisor gives away the refurbished computers to the local elementary school. No specific records are kept of this

type of transactions and Emily really needs a computer for her son who is in college. Her supervisor asks her to deliver 12 computers to the school. She is considering taking one for her son. Ethical Issue or Problem: Taking advantage of the company's resources for personal gain. Anyone Affected: Emily, the company, Emily's son, other students at the school Possible Solutions: Solution 1: Emily takes a computer for her son. Pros: Emily's son can have a computer and Emily will not have to pay for a computer. Cons: The company's resources are being used for personal gain, which is unethical, and could lead to disciplinary action. Solution 2: Emily does not take the computer for her son Pros: The company's resources are not being used for personal gain, thus avoiding any potential disciplinary action. Cons: Emily's son will not have a computer and she will have to pay for one. Determined Solution: Solution 2 - Emily does not take the computer for her son. This way the company's resources are not being used for personal gain, and Emily will have to pay for her son's computer. This decision upholds the ethical ideals of her workplace, while still ensuring that her son can obtain the necessary equipment he needs for college. Case 3: Marvin is the secretary in the Facilities Management Department. He has just received a new computer and wants to try it out. Though his supervisor has a strict policy about computer use for business purposes only, he wants to learn the email software more thoroughly than his training provides. One good way to do this, he figures, is to write emails to his friends and relatives until he gets the knack of it. He is caught up with his work and only has 30 minutes left to work today. His supervisor left early.

Ethical Issue or Problem: Using the company computer for personal gain. Anyone Affected: Marvin, the company, friends and relatives, supervisor Possible Solutions: Solution 1: Marvin uses the computer to write emails to his friends and relatives. Pros: Marvin can learn the email software more thoroughly and gain some basic practical experience with the system. Cons: The company's resources are being used for personal gain, which is unethical, and could lead to disciplinary action or suspension. Solution 2: Marvin refrains from using the computer for personal gain. Pros: The company's resources are not being used for personal gain, thus avoiding any potential disciplinary action. Cons: Marvin will not be able to learn the email software more thoroughly and gain the indicated practical experience. Determined Solution: Solution 2 - Marvin refrains from using the computer for personal gain. This way the company's resources are not being used for personal gain and to ensure that Marvin does not face disciplinary action. While Marvin will not be able to learn the email software more thoroughly, he can still use his remaining time to work on tasks assigned to him by his supervisor. Case 4: Richard and Conway are talking in the hallway about the employee benefit program. Conway, who has had some recent financial trouble, explains to Richard how the benefits program has a loophole that will allow him to receive some financial assistance that he really needs to help pay health care costs for his Mother. Cathy, a fellow worker, overhears the conversation. Later, Cathy is approached by her supervisor who says he heard a rumor that some people were taking advantage of the company benefits program. Ethical Issue or Problem: Taking advantage of the company benefits program for personal gain.

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Anyone Affected: Conway, Richard, Cathy, the company, and the supervisor Possible Solutions: Solution 1: Richard and Conway do not disclose the information about the loophole. Pros: They will not have to worry about facing disciplinary action for taking advantage of the company benefits program. Cons: The supervisor will not be able to find out about the loophole, and it could continue to be taken advantage of by employees and cause financial losses for the company. Solution 2: Richard and Conway disclose the information about the loophole to Cathy's supervisor. Pros: The supervisor can further investigate the loophole and take the necessary steps to ensure that it is no longer taken advantage of. Cons: Richard and Conway are putting themselves at risk of disciplinary action for taking advantage of the company benefits program. Determined Solution: Solution 2 - Richard and Conway disclose the information about the loophole to Cathy's supervisor. By taking this action Richard and Conway are helping protect the company’s resources from any further losses due to fraudulent activity. However, they are also putting themselves at risk of disciplinary action. It is important to balance the needs of the company and the individual employees when faced with these types of ethical dilemmas. Case 5: Jennie was recently hired to work as a receptionist for the front lobby. As receptionist she is responsible for making copies for the associates. Her son, Bruce, comes in and needs some copies for a school project. He brought his own paper and needs 300 copies for the class. If he doesn’t bring the copies with him, he will fail the project. The company copier does not require a security key nor do they keep track of copies made by departments. Ethical Issue or Problem: Taking advantage of company resources for personal gain. Anyone Affected: Jennie, Bruce, the company

Possible Solutions: Solution 1: Jennie makes the copies for her son Pros: Bruce will have the copies he needs to complete the project Cons: The company resources are being used for personal gain, which is unethical and could lead to disciplinary action for Jennie. Solution 2: Jennie does not make the copies for her son Pros: The company's resources are not being used for personal gain, thus avoiding any potential disciplinary action for Jennie. Cons: Bruce will not have the copies he needs to complete the project. Determined Solution: Solution 2 - Jennie does not make the copies for her son. This way the company's resources are not being used for personal gain and to ensure that Jennie does not face disciplinary action. Jennie can find another solution to help her son obtain the copies he needs, such as using a local copy store. This decision upholds the ethical ideals of her workplace, while still ensuring that Bruce can obtain the necessary copies he needs for his project.

Ethical Case Studies

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