Managerial Ethics, Essay Example

The firm’s practice was ethically inappropriate and irresponsible because it essentially created a situation where the firm blatantly lied to its customers, knowing what the actual outcome would be. This is a difficult circumstance to be in and it creates a breach of trust between the company and the customer when they discover the real delivery date. This is a serious issue that requires the company to reevaluate its stance regarding the customer and the promise that has been made.

The jobs of the sales group are not as important as the integrity of the firm and its overall mission to provide excellent customer service at all times. In this case, customer service principles have been compromised in favor of personal gain. This is not an appropriate use of resources and does not provide any real benefits to the organization over the long term. Therefore, it is important to recognize the challenges of sales growth over customer expectations, as this poses a serious concern for the organization over the short and long term. This case demonstrates that many people working in organizations favor themselves and their personal gain over the provision of honest customer service. This is an important consideration to make because it limits the integrity of the sales team and the organization as a whole. In this example, integrity, honesty, and professionalism are at stake.

The worst advertising concern in the reading is the blatant lies that are told to the customers and how it might impact retail sales at Christmastime. The manufacturer has not been forthright in addressing production and shipping delays that could ultimately dampen the Christmas season for retailers. In particular, if the slippers are in holiday packaging, they would be of no use after the holiday season has passed. Therefore, the company is providing its customers with false information that could trickle down and impact their business over the holiday season. These factors are relevant because they demonstrate the primary concerns that customers might have in obtaining the shipments of slippers to meet customer demand during the holiday season. This is a critical issue and does not enable the organization to achieve any real benefits. At the same time, the customers are subject to false advertising and the inability to receive the necessary products when they are needed the most.

Customer service depends largely on truth in advertising in that products will be delivered as promised in a timely manner and without delays. This is particularly true during large-scale rollouts of new products, such as new versions of Apple iPhones and iPads. In addition, popular toys often create a demand so high that it is difficult to keep these products in stock for long periods of time. In these cases, product sellouts are imminent, even though manufacturers and retailers typically realize that they must be able to offer customers a sufficient number of products during release launches and during other periods such as holidays, when the demand is likely to be the greatest. Therefore, it is important for retailers to be effective communicators regarding realistic expectations for customers rather than creating tension between customers who are attempting to purchase the same types of products at the same time. This is a critical concern that may create mass hysteria, particularly on Black Friday in the United States, typically when technology products are deeply discounted for brief periods of time, causing large numbers of shoppers to fight for only a few available products. This situation is largely toxic and erodes the capabilities of individuals to be effective in obtaining these products as needed.

In this reading, there is a clear and direct violation of environmental ethics at work, as the business is not adhering to required guidelines regarding the safe disposal of oil products. Instead, they have chosen to introduce them to the water supply, which could have a serious and devastating impact on wildlife and even human beings. In this example, NIBMY is at work on a small scale because although the company is aware of its responsibility to dispose of products in the appropriate manner to protect the environment, they are unwilling to do so because of cost considerations and their lack of interest on protecting their surroundings. In other words, although they recognize the importance of protecting the environment, this is not something that they are required to address themselves. This is a highly perplexing concern and a critical fault of many organizations, particularly those that do not “practice what they preach” so to speak and do not demonstrate their own willingness to work on protecting their surroundings through their actions. This is a disturbing yet real component of modern business practices in many settings, particularly those who work with chemicals or other products that are harmful to the environment in different ways. 

If I am a participant of a business or an activity where there is a clear lack of decency in behavior and a failure to fight based on principle, then I am also responsible for the activities taking place and the consequences that may occur afterwards. This is an important reminder that my actions are just as important as the actions of others, and that if I do not oppose behaviors are activities that are clearly harmful in spite of my recognition of these activities, then I am an active contributor to the problem. This is an important distinction because it supports my own lack of awareness of my actions if I were to stand by and allow negative actions to take place without addressing them. I believe that taking no action is just as bad as the negative action itself, particularly in the example provided in the reading. It is more important than ever to be as honest as possible when negative circumstances occur because there is an opportunity to turn a bad situation into something where a lesson might be learned that may improve a person’s life in one way or another.

If I were in the position described in the reading example, I would consider my options heavily and have a plan in place that would enable me to try to reason with the business owners one more time before taking additional action. If they do not agree to revise their practices, that would leave me no choice but to take action and report the company to the authorities for the violations that are taking place. This would almost certainly lead to the loss of my job, but in standing on principle and what is good, this would be the only answer. When companies take action in which there is a clear and blatant lack of respect for regulation and authority, it is the responsibility of employees to make decisions to notify others of these indiscretions so that these errors are corrected. Hopefully business owners will consider making the required changes before somebody reports them, but this is not always the case. Therefore, all options must be considered very closely before making any final decisions that could have a negative impact on the business and on my role in the organization. However, doing the right thing is always my priority, so I will do what is necessary in order to achieve the appropriate outcomes by taking action in a timely manner.