Walmart case study answers
Wal-Mart
1. What is the ethical dilemma facing Wal-Mart in this case ? Do Wal-Mart’s associates also face an ethical dilemma? If so, what is it ?
Wal-Mart is facing an ethical problem by implementing computerized scheduling system. Indeed, before the store managers had to arranged manually the schedule for the employees but Wal-mart begun to use Kronos system to create work schedule. Obviously, this implementation helps to increase the profit margin of the company.
But what are the consequences for the employees ? The new system scheduling time work is totally irregular and unpredictable which may decrease the employee’s job stability and potentially create financial hardships. The result was a computerized system that totally overhauled employee scheduling. The system optimizes the schedule so that employees are matched with customer demand. It completely changes the balance of the scheduling equation from the employee. Employees are a fungible resource. Actually, their associates are simply another resource to be scheduled, like trucks. People are not automatons, they are not “resources”. And due to the human behaviour we can say that people are resistant to change and yet wonderfully flexible at the same time, but in this case we have to take into consideration that the job stability is decreasing and might affect the life’s employees especially regarding irregular hours working, inconsistent paychecks, make it more difficult for employees to organize their lives, from scheduling babysitter to paying bills. I’m not surprised that they deeply resent being treated like machines.
2. What ethical principles apply to this case ? How do they apply ?
In my opinion the principles that apply to this case are :
• Principle of respect for persons
It means that we have to take into consideration four dimensions of human life such as : biological, psychological, social and spiritual. To sum-up the persons should not be treated as an object or machine
1. What is the ethical dilemma facing Wal-Mart in this case ? Do Wal-Mart’s associates also face an ethical dilemma? If so, what is it ?
Wal-Mart is facing an ethical problem by implementing computerized scheduling system. Indeed, before the store managers had to arranged manually the schedule for the employees but Wal-mart begun to use Kronos system to create work schedule. Obviously, this implementation helps to increase the profit margin of the company.
But what are the consequences for the employees ? The new system scheduling time work is totally irregular and unpredictable which may decrease the employee’s job stability and potentially create financial hardships. The result was a computerized system that totally overhauled employee scheduling. The system optimizes the schedule so that employees are matched with customer demand. It completely changes the balance of the scheduling equation from the employee. Employees are a fungible resource. Actually, their associates are simply another resource to be scheduled, like trucks. People are not automatons, they are not “resources”. And due to the human behaviour we can say that people are resistant to change and yet wonderfully flexible at the same time, but in this case we have to take into consideration that the job stability is decreasing and might affect the life’s employees especially regarding irregular hours working, inconsistent paychecks, make it more difficult for employees to organize their lives, from scheduling babysitter to paying bills. I’m not surprised that they deeply resent being treated like machines.
2. What ethical principles apply to this case ? How do they apply ?
In my opinion the principles that apply to this case are :
• Principle of respect for persons
It means that we have to take into consideration four dimensions of human life such as : biological, psychological, social and spiritual. To sum-up the persons should not be treated as an object or machine