Case 2-B: ethical Considerations A major computer parts manufacturer has decided

Question

Case 2-B: ethical Considerations
A major computer parts manufacturer has decided to open a plant in a medium-sized city in the southeast that
has been especially hard hit with job losses in the textile field. The new company will receive substantial incentives in the form of free land, tax relief, and generous training allowances from local and state government. Hiring for the new operation has been announced and will include high-tech positions, supervisory positions, and a few tech- nical positions. The published pay rates for these posi- tions appear to be at or near the top of the local range for comparable jobs.
Marilyn is an experienced supervisor with one of the remaining textile plants in the area. She has received some literature in the mail explaining the mission of the new company and alerting the community to its need to fill a number of positions, including supervisor positions. An employment application for the new company was enclosed with the materials.
At lunch and on breaks, Marilyn has heard her crew talking about the opportunities at the computer manu- facturing company. She has been told that several of her people plan to fill out applications for the new company. In the last week, a representative from the new company left a message on her home phone saying that she would like to invite Marilyn to visit the company and interview for a supervisor’s position. Marilyn is in a quandary about several issues.
ReSPonDInG To The CaSe

2-17.

What is Marilyn’s responsibility to her present employer regarding her knowledge that several em- ployees are planning to seek positions with the new company?

2-18.

How should Marilyn reply to the recruiter who is asking her to come in for an interview? Does this constitute an ethical decision for her?

2-19.

Is it ethical for one company to receive funds to move into an area when other companies struggle to keep jobs from going offshore or from being lost to automation?

Each response should be at least 150 words

Explanation / Answer

2-17. Marilyn’s responsibility to her present employer about the knowledge of her colleagues is to inform the employer about the possibility of attrition. She does not have any obligation to inform her employer about the situation. However, ethical principles also dictate least harm to concerned parties. Keeping that in mind, Marilyn should inform the employer about some of her colleagues looking to move out of the company. At the same time she should be careful not mention individual names or positions to avoid the employer’s backlash.

In addition, there is also ethical principle of beneficence. According to this, Marilyn should do what is good and right. The right thing for her to do is to engage the colleagues directly into a conversation about their plan to apply to the new company. The situation in the city is well known to everyone and there should be no ill feeling towards someone who is attempting to move away from a risky venture towards a more secure one.

2-18. As stated in the case, the textile industry is under pressure and there have been a lot of shutdown in an around the city. This means Marilyn’s current occupation may be at risk due the external environment of the business. On the other hand, replying to the recruiter about the interview may seem like an ethical breach of responsibility to her current employers.

So the situation poses an ethical dilemma for her. However, considering the stability of the textile industry in USA and the external factors that are causing the instability, Marilyn should choose to secure her job and source of income. With that situation in mind, she should reply to the recruiter and set an appointment for an interview. In case she wants to be completely transparent, she may choose to inform her current employers about the scheduled interview.

2-19. Companies are competitive in marketplace. As a result, often the line of ethics are breached. Being competitive often means fighting for resources. This includes human resource as well.

In the case we learn about the impact of automation and outsourcing to the textile industry. This in turn is causing the people of the city and the state to lose jobs. When a new company sets up their operation in the same city and offer these people jobs it is not a breach of ethical duties. In an exceptional case, if the new company was attempting to recruit people by taking advantage of their desperation, then it would have been unethical. However, considering ethical principle of least harm, the new company is not causing harm to the textile manufacturing company. It is in turn providing employment and jobs to the people of the city.

It is true that some of the current employees are likely to shift to the new company. This may pose as an unethical move. However, the case suggests the struggle of current company and from the details the company is likely to shut down in some time anyway. Hence the new company is actually beneficial to the people of the city more than the current company.

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