Cost Justified
Case Study: Cost Justified
Managers face many challenges in the day to Day operations of their business. Often times some of the greatest challenges come from within their own ranks, as superior managers use their position and influence to coerce one to make decisions or commit acts that are sometimes on the boundaries of the law and often cross the ethical line. In the case of “Cost Justified,” we are introduced to Joe, the District Manager of Computer Operations for a large company. Joe is confronted with an ethical dilemma when he is confronted by is superior, Mary, and instructed to perform and unethical act. This paper will examine this case from an ethical and legal perspective and identify the stakeholders and their interest and help Joe conclude that he can live with.
We are introduced to Joe as he is being instructed to prepare false and misleading documents ensuring a fellow co-worker that their computer system is performing up to required and expected parameters. Joe knows from his own experience that there is a problem with the computer system. Mary, his superior and Division Manger for Information Systems, instructs Joe to falsify documents to the contrary. This directive does not sit well with Joe and he is not sure what to do.
First up is identifying the stakeholders. While we are given no reference as to the number of employees working for this company, we know that it is a large company. The stakeholders include the employees that work there, their clients that are served by the company all vendors, suppliers, business associates and fellow companies in the same industry. There interests are many and varied for a company of this size. We can suffice to say that if it is of interest to the company, then it is of interest to the stakeholders. If they are given a computer system that does not perform as they need it to then worker performance and productivity can
Managers face many challenges in the day to Day operations of their business. Often times some of the greatest challenges come from within their own ranks, as superior managers use their position and influence to coerce one to make decisions or commit acts that are sometimes on the boundaries of the law and often cross the ethical line. In the case of “Cost Justified,” we are introduced to Joe, the District Manager of Computer Operations for a large company. Joe is confronted with an ethical dilemma when he is confronted by is superior, Mary, and instructed to perform and unethical act. This paper will examine this case from an ethical and legal perspective and identify the stakeholders and their interest and help Joe conclude that he can live with.
We are introduced to Joe as he is being instructed to prepare false and misleading documents ensuring a fellow co-worker that their computer system is performing up to required and expected parameters. Joe knows from his own experience that there is a problem with the computer system. Mary, his superior and Division Manger for Information Systems, instructs Joe to falsify documents to the contrary. This directive does not sit well with Joe and he is not sure what to do.
First up is identifying the stakeholders. While we are given no reference as to the number of employees working for this company, we know that it is a large company. The stakeholders include the employees that work there, their clients that are served by the company all vendors, suppliers, business associates and fellow companies in the same industry. There interests are many and varied for a company of this size. We can suffice to say that if it is of interest to the company, then it is of interest to the stakeholders. If they are given a computer system that does not perform as they need it to then worker performance and productivity can
References: Brickhaus, D. (1992). Cost Justified? BUSINESS ETHICS PROGRAM | MINICASE: MGMT - 09 South Carolina, USA: Arthur Andersen & Co.