Week Eight Assignment
Rebecca Schulz
Professor Craig
Business Ethics
August 15, 2011

1. Explain how you would handle this situation if you were Charles Renfold.
If I were Charles Renfold and Darlene came into my office complaining about the smell of old smoke, and insisting that she would not complete a task that I asked her to do, I would first be upset. I would feel that she is really putting me on the spot. I have a task that I need completed as soon as possible, and I have someone telling me that they are not going to complete the task. I would have to think about everyone involved in the situation. I would have to make sure that I am not violating anyone’s rights. And at the same time I still need to make sure that this task can be completed.
Darlene has approached me to tell me that she is upset about the smell of old smoke in the file room. She does not want to complete a task that I have given her to do because she says that she can’t stand the smell of the file room. I may feel differently if Darlene came to me earlier and complained about the smell. But this is the first I have heard of it. I am pretty shocked. I try to explain to Darlene that if she had come to me sooner, maybe I could have done something about it. But as things stand right now, there is nothing I can do about it at this present time. I tell her that I will look into the situation further, but for right now I just need her to do what she can to get through the day and complete the task.
I would certainly feel bad that I have asked Darlene to complete a task in an area that she feels uncomfortable. The first thing I would do would be to look into the current laws for my state to make sure that I am not breaking any laws by allowing employees to smoke inside. I would also want to make sure that asking an employee to work in an area that smelled of smoke was not breaking any laws

2. Describe the policy on smoking that you would recommend to Redwood Associates.
The policy that I would recommend to the Redwood Associates is simple. I would ask the people that smoked to smoke outside during their breaks. That way, the people that did not smoke would be able to work in a comfortable work environment. I think that that would be the best thing to do because the smoking employees would probably get more work done by only being allowed to smoke during designated break times. I would also set up a comfortable smoking area with a picnic table with an umbrella, preferably in the shade, and a little ways from the building. That way they can still be cool when they go outside to smoke and they won’t be too close to the building. I feel it is important to make a comfortable area for the smokers so they don’t feel they are being treated any differently. Placing the smoking area a little ways from the building will make it more difficult for the smell of the smoke to get into the building and therefore it won’t bother the other employees so much.
3. Explain how this case would change if what bothers Darlene is not old smoke but the smell of Alice’s perfume or Frank’s body odor.
It is hard to see how this case was to change if there were the smell of perfume or body odor that bothered Darlene. I personally suffer from migraines and am sensitive to smells. The smell of body odor and perfume bothers me and triggers migraines. However, trying to speak to someone about their body odor or the fact that they are wearing too much perfume may make it a more sensitive subject. I don’t think that it would really change the case from my point of view, because bad odors are bad odors, in my opinion, and they all can trigger a migraine. The thing is thought, that I would not ask people to change their way of life because I am sensitive to smells. It is not their fault that I have sensitivity. If these smells really bothered Darlene, then I would talk to Alice and Frank. I would explain to Alice that we have someone that works for us that is sensitive to smells, and that I don’t care if she wears perfume to work, but maybe ask her if she could tone it down a little. When it comes to Frank it would be a little more difficult, because I would not want to insult him on his body odor problem, so I am not sure if I would say anything at all.
Sometimes, I feel that employees need to work out things for themselves and between themselves. I believe that this tactic helps them grow and learn how they would handle situations in a management position. So I may ask Darlene to speak to Frank herself, and explain the situation to him. He may not be so insulted if it didn’t come from management. But really, I don’t think that this situation would change the case because some people are just sensitive to smells. It would just need to be handled differently. Some subjects are more sensitive to others. In this instance I would make sure no one’s feelings got hurt. 3. Explain whether it is fair or reasonable for companies to ban employees from smoking in their cars in the company parking lot.
I think that it is ok for employees to smoke in their cars in most cases. But there are some cases where I think that it would be acceptable to ask them not to smoke in their cars. Sometimes there may be a company that feels that it has an image to protect, and that company may not want customers or clients to see the employees smoking. I think medical clinics, daycares, health spas, and obviously schools would be great examples.
Mostly, I don’t see the damage in employees smoking in their cars. Their cars are usually parked away from the building, and it is their own private piece of property. As long as they are not throwing their cigarette butts on the ground, I don’t see the harm in it.

References Shaw, W. H. (2010). Business ethics (7th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage.