Free Essay

Case Study

In:

Submitted By weihong09441
Words 1100
Pages 5
MGT 3213/MGT 3219 – BUSINESS ETHICS.

Task 2: Group Assignment – 20 %. Submission Date: APR 11 , 2016 Presentation Date: APR 11, 2016

 SELECT ONE CASE STUDY ONLY
CASE: 1.0
Web Porn at Work
Al Smetana is the founding president of a medium-size, Midwestern manufacturing firm, Rayburn Unlimited. He’s proud of the way his company has grown, and done so on the basis of an organizational culture committed to honesty, integrity and the intrinsic value of each individual. But now those values are being put to the test. It began when Al Smetana learned that an employee had tapped into the company’s computer system and figured out how to read people’s e-mail and to learn what websites they visited. Determining who the culprit was wasn’t difficult. When confronted about it, the employee admitted what he had done. Al Smetana immediately terminated his employment. But as he left, the employee said angrily, “Just ask Lindley about his computer usage,” referring to Craig Lindley, associate vice president for human resources and an old friend of Al Smetana’s. Although Al Smetana did not trust the discharged employee, he was disturbed by his comment and reluctant to let it go. So he called Craig Lindley into his office and asked him about it. After a few minutes of gentle questioning, Craig started weeping. When he recovered himself, he explained that for the past year or so he had been hooked on pornography on the web and at the office sometimes spent an hour or so a day looking at it. Al Smetana asked him whether his wife knew. Craig said she did not. He was too ashamed of his habit to talk to her or anybody else about it. Al Smetana then told him to take the rest of the day off, to think the matter over, and to return to Al Smetana’s office the next morning. When Craig left, Al Smetana stood and looked out the window, silently asking himself what he should do.

Questions:
1. Is Craig Lindley’s behavior a sign of some psychological problem that Rayburn Unlimited should help him overcome, perhaps with personal counseling? Or is dismissal called for? Should Al Smetana fire Craig to send a message to other employees not to misuse company time and resources?
2. Does the fact that Craig is a valued member of the company with a long record of service make a difference? Or that he is a personal friend of Al Smetana’s?
3. Was it right for Al Smetana to have asked Craig about his computer usage in the first place? Did he violate Craig’s privacy or civil liberties?
4. Because Al Smetana fired the employee who violated the company’s computer system, would it be inconsistent or unfair of him to treat Craig any differently?
5. Al Smetana and Rayburn Unlimited are committed to honesty and integrity (the upholding of which seems to support dismissal) and the intrinsic worth of each individual (which might argue for more lenient treatment). Are these values in conflict? What would you do if you were Al Smetana?

CASE: 2.0
Changing Jobs and Changing Loyalties
Cynthia Martinez was thrilled when she first received the job offer from David Newhoff at Crytex System. She had long admired Crytex, both as an industry leader and as an ideal employer, and the position the company was offering her was perfect. “ It’s just what I’ve always wanted,” she told her husband, Tom, as they uncorked a bottle of champagne. But as she and Tom talked, he raised a few questions that began to trouble her.
“What about the big project you’re working on at Altrue right now? It’ll take three months to see that through,” Tom reminded her. “The company has a lot riding on it, and you’ve always said that you’re the driving force behind the project. If you bolt, Altrue is going to be in a real jam.”
Cynthia explained that she had mentioned the project to David Newhoff. “He said he could understand that I’d like to see it through, but Crytex needs someone right now. He gave me a couple of days to think it over, but it’s my big chance.”
Tom looked at her thoughtfully and responded, “ But Newhoff doesn’t quite get it. It’s not just that you’d like to see it through. It’s that you’d be letting your whole project team down. They probably couldn’t do it without you, at least not the way it needs to be done. Besides, Cynthia, remember what you said about that guy who quit the Altrue branch in Baltimore.”
“That was different,” Cynthia responded. “He took an existing account with him when he went to another firm. It was like ripping Altrue off. I’m not going to rip them off, but I don’t figure I owe them anything extra. It’s just business. You know perfectly well that if Altrue could save some money by laying me off, the company wouldn’t hesitate.”
“I think you’re rationalizing,” Tom said. “ You’ve done well at Altrue, and the company has always treated you fairly. Anyway, the issue is what’s right for you to do, not what the company would or wouldn’t do. Crytex is Altrue’s big competitor. It’s like you’re switching sides. Besides, it’s not just a matter of loyalty to the company, but to the people you work with. I know we could use the extra money and it would be a great step for you, but still………”
They continued to mull things over together, but the champagne no longer tasted quite as good. Fortunately, she and Tom never really argued things they didn’t see eye to eye on, and Tom wasn’t the kind of guy who would try to tell her what she should or shouldn’t do. But their conversation had started her wondering whether she really should accept that Crytex job she wanted so much.

Questions:
1. What should Cynthia do? What ideals, obligations and effects should she take into account when making her decisions?
2. Would it be unprofessional of Cynthia to drop everything and move to Crytex? Would it show a lack of integrity? Could moving abruptly to Crytex have negative career consequences for her?
3. Is it morally wrong, morally permissible or morally required for Cynthia to take the new job? Examine Cynthia’s choice from a utilitarian point of view. How would Kant and Ross look at her situation?
4. What does loyalty to the company mean and how important is it, morally?
5. Under what circumstances do employees owe loyalty to their employers? When, if ever, do they owe loyalty to their coworkers?

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Case Study Case Study Case Study

...This case study is an excellent example of how different types of parties can be brought together in a large scale transaction and how the original energy of those early meetings can be lost over time. I imagine that when Anthony Athanas was purchasing those old piers back in the 1960s many, if not all, of his colleagues, friends, and family members told him that he was off his rocker. I’m sure Athanas was looking at this land as his family’s ticket to financial prosperity and somewhat of a legacy that he could leave to his descendants for years and years to come. One of the items I wish the case would have divulged is the amount of money that Athanas had invested in the properties. For me this information would have given an insight to his net worth and how much he had riding on this investment. I assume it was substantial given his actions later in the process. Twenty years later Athanas’ dreams came true and all those naysayers were more than likely green with envy. The amount of pride Athanas’ had in his investment at that moment had to have been insurmountable. Being approached by a big time real estate development company and their extremely wealthy client, Hyatt Corporation, must have made Athanas feel larger than life and made him feel like something he isn’t, which is a developer himself. The case doesn’t give much insight into whether Athanas had any representation or anyone consulting him throughout the process. From the beginning, I saw this as matchup...

Words: 1190 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Case for Case Studies

...A Case for Case Studies Margo A. Ihde Liberty University Author Note Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Margo A. Ihde, Psychology 255-B05, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va. 24515. E-mail: mihde@liberty.edu A Case for Case Studies Case Studies are utilized across many disciplines including but not limited to medical science, political science, social science and psychology. There is however some confusion as it relates to the use of case studies. The first such confusion that must be clarified is what the definition of a case study is and what constitutes a case study. The second clarification is to identify the reasons for using a case study. A third area is outlining the advantages and disadvantages of using a case study. Lastly, when a researcher concludes a case study would be the best option they then must determine where and in what ways would the data and information be sourced. Identifying the answers for these four areas is imperative to understanding and utilizing a case study. Case Study – Defined The definition for a case study within all many disciplines is very similar. A case study is usually described as an investigation into a real situation involving an individual, a group, an organization, or a society focusing on a single subject or object (Pegram, 2000). To begin, identifying a case studies purpose would contribute to determining what would and should be investigated. The study could focus on the “history...

Words: 855 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Select a case study from the University of Phoenix Material: Young and Middle Adulthood Case Studies located on the student website. Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing the influence the experiences have made on the person’s development. Address the following in your paper: Discuss the family, social, and intimate relationships of the person in the case study. Identify any role changes that have occurred. Explain the immediate and future effect of healthy or unhealthy habits practiced by this person. Include at least two peer-reviewed resources. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. University of Phoenix Material Young and Middle Adulthood Case Studies Read the following case studies in order to complete the Week Three Individual Assignment. Case Study 1: Jackson Jackson is a 25-year old male who has recently been admitted to a substance abuse program in Chicago, Illinois. He has been arrested several times for possession of a controlled substance but has not served any time in jail. He grew up in a single-parent household with his mother, Tina. Tina, 45, is employed as a high school teacher; his biological father is not involved in his life. Tina’s boyfriend, Michael, often attempts to serve as a father figure to Jackson. Jackson went to college immediately after high school, focused on a degree in chemistry. In high school, he was a good student who earned A’s and B’s in most courses. After a car accident, a slight head injury...

Words: 414 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Case Study

...A Case Study by any Other Name Cathy Foster Liberty University   A Case Study by any other Name Researchers have different methods of observing their subjects. Among the most popular is the case study. Case studies are used a lot in psychology and one of the most famous psychologists that used case studies to detail the private lives of his patients was Sigmund Freud. What is a Case Study? “A case study is an observational method that provides a description of an individual” (Cozby & Bates, 2012). During a case study the individual is usually a person however that’s not always the situation. The case study can also be a setting, which can include a school, business, or neighborhood. A naturalistic observational study can sometimes be called a case study and these two studies can overlap (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Researchers report information from the individual or other situation, which is from a “real-life context and is in a truthful and unbiased manner” (Amerson, 2011). What are some Reasons for Using a Case Study Approach? There are different types of case studies. One reason to use a case study is when a researcher needs to explain the life of an individual. When an important historical figure’s life needs explaining this is called psychobiography (Cozby & Bates, 2012). The case study approach help answer the “how”, “what”, and “why” questions (Crowe, 2011). What are Some Advantages and Disadvantages to the Case Study Approach? Some advantages...

Words: 548 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Case Studies

...Case 1. STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF REGENTS: What Am I Living For? Question: Is there anything wrong with the actions of the three personalities in this case? Elaborate your answer. After reading the case study and analyzing it, from my opinion I think yes there is anything wrong with the actions of the three personalities- Mr.Bondoc, his wife and Dr. Agao. For elaboration I will explain them one by one. Mr.Bondoc acted as the champion of the student’s cause therefore it’s his responsibility to fight for the own good of the students, the one who will voice out their stands and if possible disagree to the proposals that may greatly affect them like increasing of their tuition fee.It’s great that he has the attitude of convincing others in personal way for them to agree of opposing the proposals of Dr. Agao because of this they can stop his proposals. He must maintain and assure that he is doing his job and must not allow others to control him in bad way or stop him to do his obligation but stated on the case study his wife wished him to maintain good relationship with Dr.Agao which unfortunately leads him to suddenly accept his proposals. It showed that he let others dictate him what to do and failed to do his job. About the wife of Mr.Bondoc, she was carried away by the good actions showed by Dr. Agao without knowing his real intentions of befriending her. Shecan be easily manipulated like what Dr. Agao wanted her to do through doing special treatments...

Words: 674 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Case Study

...CASE STUDY COMPONENTS: Introduction: Identify case study topic and list assertions (3-6) that can be verified with evidence (field notes, interviews, etc.) 1. Assertions and Evidence: Discuss each assertion separately (minimum one paragraph for each assertion) and include supportive evidence. Underline assertion statements as presented. 2. Implications/Effects: Conclude with an interpretive discussion of implications/effects. Inferences and conclusions based on evidence presented can be drawn. SAMPLE CASE STUDY FOCUSING ON MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES: Management Case Study Introduction Throughout the study, Shelley’s class was well managed. Explanations and evidence to support the following six assertions regarding Shelley’s management style are presented: 1. Shelley did not focus extensively on behavior management; 2. Shelley monitored student behavior throughout lessons; 3. Shelley promptly dealt with potential disruptive behavior; 4. Shelley reinforced acceptable behavior; 5. Shelley was very tolerant of student interaction and discussion; and, 6. Shelley devoted a great deal of time to task management. Assertions and Evidence Throughout the study, Shelley did not focus extensively on behavior management. On most days, the students in Shelley’s class were very well behaved and seemed to be familiar with Shelley’s rules regarding classroom behavior...

Words: 1264 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Case Study

...Case Study for “Carl Robins a new employee for ABC, Inc.” Rodrequez M. Dover University of Phoenix Class: Comm/215 Essential of College writing Author Note This paper is my first case study report. My thesis for this report is: It is important before hiring for any job that we check all the requirements for the new recruits, and that we have all the things require for their training.". In this case study we learn quickly that Carl Robing was new at ABC, Inc. as a recruiter and he had recruited 15 new trainees to work for Monica Carrolls. We also learn that he did not have a outline or a way to keep up with what he would need for the new hires to start on time. Carl did not do some of the most important steps to make sure that this hiring process went off without a hitch. He did not secure the room that they would us for training or make sure that all the orientation manuals were correct. Carl did not make sure that all there information was in the system nor did he set up there mandatory drug screen. Carl upon receiving his new job should have took the time to research what he would be doing in his new position and what was the companies’ policies for each thing that he would be doing. I feel if Mr. Robing had done that doing his training he would have been better able to execute the task of hiring new trainees. I know some of you may be thinking how you know that they have these policies glad you asked. I know because the drug test was mandatory...

Words: 830 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Study: Trip Seven Screen Printing Carolina Barvo Vilaro, Professor Terrell Jones Purchasing Management TRA3132 Florida State College at Jacksonville ABSTRACT This paper has the purpose to analyze the case study of Trip Seven Screen Printing. Through this paper I will discusses viable solutions for the problem that arise with the current supplier of Trip Seven Screen Printing. INTRODUCTION Being in constantly communication with suppliers, meet with the payments and be transparent in what both parties need at the time of generating an order, it will allow supplier to deliver a quality product or service, and achieve the expectations of the customer. It is important to build a good relationships with suppliers. It is a characteristic that e companies should take in consideration to succeed in the market. This will allow them to get good results for their business, improve the quality of the inputs and achieve future agreements which are beneficial for the company. Proper coordination with vendors allows companies to produce a better final product or service, which will generate greater customer satisfaction and, therefore, higher sales for the business. The good relationship becomes more crucial in the case of companies that rely on a provider in specific. This can be related to the case study in which Trip Seven Screen Printing has as a unique supplier, American Apparel, even though their relation has been satisfactory for the past years, recently, issues...

Words: 1511 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Study: Considerations on group development Case Study: Considerations on group development In the current business world, several organizations have adopted the idea of creating a team to address an emergency situation, to improve something that is idling or to create a new thing from scratch, all in order to work in a more effective and efficient way. Every group faces challenges and victories, even if small ones. According to Robbins and Judge, “Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events than traditional departments or other forms of permanent groupings. They can quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband”. (Robbins 308) It is with this in mind that this paper will analyze the case study number 3, “ Building a Coalition”, and develop thoughts and considerations about the issues in the study, connecting them to the theory on building teams. Group Development The story begins with the creation of a new agency by the Woodson Foundation, a nonprofit social service agency, and the public school system in Washington D.C., with the participation of the National Coalition for Parental Involvement in Education (NCPIE), which is an organization of parents that is involved in the school through the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). They share a common interest in building this new agency in order to create an after school program to help students learn. The three separate groups opted to develop a cross-organizational development team, responsible for...

Words: 2209 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Study 1: Prelude To A Medical Error 1. Background Statement My case study is over chapters 4 and 7. The title is Prelude to a Medical Error. In this case study, Mrs. Bee is an elderly woman who was hospitalized after a bad fall. After her morning physical therapy, Mrs. Bee felt she could not breathe. Mrs. Bee had experienced terrible spasms in her left calf the previous evening and notified Nurse Karing. Nurse Karing proceeded to order a STAT venous Doppler X-ray to rule out thrombosis. She paged Dr. Cural to notify him that Mrs. Bee was having symptoms of thrombosis. Dr. Cural was upset that he was being bothered after a long day of work and shouted at the nurse, telling her he had evaluated Mrs. Bee that morning and to cancel the test. When Nurse Karing returned to the hospital the next day, Mrs. Bee’s symptoms were worse. She ordered the test. After complications, Dr. Krisis from the ER, came immediately to help stabilize Mrs. Bee. Unaware of Nurse Karing’s call to Dr. Cural, Dr. Krisis assumed the nursing staff was at fault for neglecting to notify Dr. Cural of Mrs. Bee’s status change the previous evening. Denying responsibility, Dr. Cural also blames the nursing staff for not contacting him. Not being informed of Mrs. Bee’s status change, her social worker, Mr. Friendly, arrives with the news that her insurance will cover physical therapy for one week at a rehabilitation facility and they will be there in one hour to pick her up. An angry Nurse Karing decides...

Words: 1288 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Case Study

...1. In the case of Retrotonics, Masters’ management style has several features ,such as disrespecting and improper decision-making. Firstly, Masters ignored his subordinates’ feeling which make them embarrassed. For example, the production manager, Lee, who suffered Masters’ criticism in front of other employees(Drew 1998, para 4). Although employees need the evaluation from the manager, they tend to accept the criticism privately. Another factor of Masters’ management style is making decisions in improper ways. According to Drew(1998, para 3), Master set difficult and stressful deadlines for the staff. This is the main reason why employees in engineering apartment are stressed. Therefore, those decisions that Masters made have negative effects on both staff and productivity. 2. There are three management styles are suit for Masters’ situation, in terms of delegating, democratic style and autocratic style. Firstly, delegating which is an important competence for managers. Delegating can avoid to interferes in management. In Masters’ case, Imakito and Lee are experienced and professional in their work. Hence, delegating assignments to them is a method to achieve the business goals effectively. Furthermore, democratic style which encourage employees to share their own opinions and advice is suit for manage the engineering department, because most staff in this department are experts in their work(Hickey et al 2005, pp.27-31). Having more discussions and communication with those...

Words: 450 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Studies  Engineering Subject Centre Case Studies:  Four Mini Case Studies in  Entrepreneurship  February 2006 Authorship  These case studies were commissioned by the Engineering Subject Centre and were written  by: · Liz Read, Development Manager for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (Students) at  Coventry University  Edited by Engineering Subject Centre staff.  Published by The Higher Education Academy ­ Engineering Subject Centre  ISBN 978­1­904804­43­7  © 2006 The Higher Education Academy ­ Engineering Subject Centre Contents  Foreword...................................................................................................5  1  Bowzo: a Case Study in Engineering Entrepreneurship ...............6  2  Daniel Platt Limited: A Case Study in Engineering  Entrepreneurship .....................................................................................9  3  Hidden Nation: A Case Study in Engineering Entrepreneurship11  4  The Narrow Car Company...............................................................14 Engineering Subject Centre  Four Mini Case Studies in Entrepreneurship  3  Foreword  The four case studies that follow each have a number of common features.  They each  illustrate the birth of an idea and show how that idea can be realised into a marketable  product.  Each case study deals with engineering design and development issues and each  highlights the importance of developing sound marketing strategies including market ...

Words: 4018 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Study 3 Randa Ring 01/25/2012 HRM/240 1. How did the problems at Deloitte & Touche occur in the first place? I feel that the problem began in the work environment. It looks as if there was limited opportunity for advancement. As well that the company was not able to handle issues that a raised from work and family. I think that it was a wonderful idea to have the company made up of women. I feel that it was a very positive thing because a lot of their issues where not geared towards men. 2. Did their changes fix the underlying problems? Explain. Yes I feel that the changes that they made did fix some of their underlying problems. With them keeping their women employees no matter what position that they were in at the time went up. For the first time the turnover rates for senior managers where lower for women than men. 3. What other advice would you give their managers? They really need to watch showing favoritism towards the women. They did to treat everyone as an equal. I also feel that they should make the changes geared towards the men and women’s issues that have to deal with family and work. 4. Elaborate on your responses to these questions by distinguishing between the role of human resources managers and line managers in implementing the changes described in this case study When it comes to Human resource managers, they will work with the managers in implementing changes. As well they will make a plan to show new and current...

Words: 330 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Case Study Southwestern University Southwestern University (SWU), a large stage college in Stephenville, Texas, 20 miles southwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, enrolls close to 20,000 students. In a typical town-gown relationship, the school is a dominant force in the small city, with more students during fall and spring than permanent residents. A longtime football powerhouse, SWU is a member for the Big Eleven conference and is usually in the top 20 in college football rankings. To bolster its chances of reaching the elusive and long-desired number-one ranking, in 2001, SWU hired the legendary BoPitterno as its head coach. One of Pitterno’s demands on joining SWU had been a new stadium. With attendance increasing, SWU administrators began to face the issue head-on. After 6 months of study, much political arm wrestling, and some serious financial analysis, Dr. Joel Wisner, president of Southwestern University, had reached a decision to expand the capacity at its on-campus stadium. Adding thousands of seats, including dozens of luxury skyboxes, would not please everyone. The influential Pitterno had argued the need for a first-class stadium, one with built-in dormitory rooms for his players and a palatial office appropriate for the coach of a future NCAA champion team. But the decision was made, and everyone, including the coach, would learn to live with it. The job now was to get construction going immediately after the 2007 season...

Words: 1096 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Case Studys

...Recovery of Trust: Case studies of organisational failures and trust repair BY GRAHAM DIETZ AND NICOLE GILLESPIE Published by the Institute of Business Ethics Occasional Paper 5 Authors Dr Graham Dietz is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at Durham University, UK. His research focuses on trust repair after organisational failures, as well as trust-building across cultures. Together with his co-author on this report, his most recent co-edited book is Organizational Trust: A cultural perspective (Cambridge University Press). Dr Nicole Gillespie is a Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on building, repairing and measuring trust in organisations and across cultural and professional boundaries. In addition, Nicole researches in the areas of leadership, teams and employee engagement. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the contact persons in the featured organisations for their comments on an earlier draft of this Paper. The IBE is particularly grateful to Severn Trent and BAE Systems for their support of this project. All rights reserved. To reproduce or transmit this book in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, please obtain prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Recovery of Trust: Case studies of organisational failures...

Words: 16669 - Pages: 67