Ethics in Business: Case Study Analysis and Recommendations

Running head: ETHICS IN BUSINESS
Ethics in business
Name of the student
Name of the university

1ETHICS IN BUSINESS
Questions from the case study
Question 1
In the case study provided, Rajah has been working as a retail manager of a discount
general store. After three months, he received orders from his regional manager that cashiers at
the store would not indulge in returning one cent to the customers in case the bill was an amount
like 2.99 dollars. However, if customers objected, the cashiers would give them the back change.
It was estimated that such a policy would increase the overall profits of the company. However,
Rajah finds it ethically wrong and equivalent to stealing from customers. As per the instructions
given to Rajah by his regional manager, Rajah had unwillingly instructed his subordinates to
impose the one cent in change policy with respect to the customers. However, he knew that such
a policy was unethical and unfair as far as the customers are concerned. However, he was scared
to raise his voice against his superiors, because he was new to the job and did not want to come
across as rebellious. It could even cost him his job. Yet, a code of ethics must always be
maintained in business (Trevino & Nelson, 2016). However, since Rajah knows that the business
practices of his company are unethical, staying silent would make him an accomplice. Thus,
Rajah must raise his voice against the unfair policies imposed by the manager and take it up with
the management of the company.
Question 2
Whistleblowing may be defined as the process of exposing the unethical or illegal
practices within an organization to the general public (Bartuli, Mir Djawadi & Fahr, 2016). A
whistleblower is usually someone internal – like an employee or a manager who has witnessed
the unethical practices firsthand (Gao, Greenberg & Wong-On-Wing, 2015). Rajah has been the