Read and select one of the ethical dilemmas below. Based on your chosen situation which approach would prove most beneficial, individualistic, communal or a combination of both? Please explain your position in a page or two -- no more than pages 2.
1. A New Pair of Eyes
Mark started his new role as a closing manager, where he had to record the daily sales, returns, tax, etc. on a worksheet. He had been instructed on how to do this earlier, but the training manager said he could look at any of the previous 30 days sheets done by other managers to use as examples. Mark looked at the previous day's numbers which Barb had recorded and found an extremely high amount of returns that day, but no receipts for these returns were saved, which he was told is a requirement. Mark immediately thought Barb must be stealing.
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.
2. He's Family and He Knows It
Jane works at a family owned store in a small town. The owner has hired her son, Carson, to work there as well. Carson often does little to no work while on the job, and his mother often turns a blind eye to his lack of responsibility. Jane notices that Carson takes a little cash and steals some of the product while at work. When Jane questions Carson about his actions he shrugs and implies that is doesn't matter because his mom owns the store anyway.
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.
3. The Customer is Always Right. Right?
You are the store manager at a local grocery store and are called to the front end to assist one of the cashiers. When you arrive at the register you see one of your most dedicated employees, Leann, a 50 year old woman who has been with the store for over fifteen years, looking shaken and tense. She had stopped in the middle of ringing up the order of a regular customer, Scott, who comes in every week and buys around $400-500 worth of groceries. Leann claims that Scott, a man in his 30s whose regular business is important to your small store, violently started yelling at her after she told him that he got the wrong item for a particular coupon. He called her stupid, incompetent, and added gender-specific slurs. Scott, who was angrily shoving the groceries that Leann had rung up into paper bags, balked at the idea of apologizing to Leann, saying that he had spent more than enough money at the store to earn himself a little courtesy from its employees. Scott added that if Leann didn't apologize to him he would stop buying groceries there.
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.
4. She Stole My Idea
Amy is Charlotte's boss at a medical device manufacturer. Charlotte has to clear all ideas through Amy before she can present them to the company. On Monday, Charlotte shared her plan for a new medical device that she believes would revolutionize the industry. Amy said she would review the plan and get back to her. At the company meeting on Wednesday, Amy presented Charlotte's plan as her own.
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.
5. Tossing the Cookies
A grocery store deli maintains a policy to throw all unsold perishable items at the end of the day. One of the employees, Jessica, was caught giving away some of the items to other employees. When questioned she admitted to her view that "throwing away perfectly good food was not only wasteful, but unethical." She then admitted to taking some of the unsold items to her own home.
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.
6. Family Matters
At the last minute, Jay was informed that he was expected to work over the weekend. This posed a problem, as this was Jay's weekend with his children. He told the foreman that he could not, because of his parenting responsibility. The foreman replied, "if you don't show up, you'll be fired."
What would you do? Which approach would you use, individualistic, communal or both? Explain.