2020 Corporate and Business Law 3 Assignment: Ethical Dilemmas Faced

This assignment solution addresses ethical dilemmas faced by employers during business downsizing, focusing on human resource and management relations. The analysis examines the ethical considerations of layoffs, including potential discrimination or bias, and suggests performance-based criteria for downsizing decisions. It explores the stress experienced by employers during the decision-making process and the importance of balancing HR policies with employee tenure. The solution also proposes options for mitigating the negative impacts of downsizing, such as providing opportunities for existing staff, offering compensation, or facilitating recommendations to other companies. It emphasizes the ethical issue of unemployment and the need to support affected families. Finally, the solution outlines a downsizing approach for a specific facility, emphasizing work ethic, multitasking capabilities, and adherence to HR policies and documentation to prevent legal issues. The assignment draws on academic sources to support its arguments.

[Human resource and management relations ]
Ethical dilemmas faced by the employers
2020
University
Student Credentials

Corporate and Business Law 1
Question 1:
The ethical dilemma faced by the management as such is, though they do not wish to
remove people working from them and lay them off suddenly but since the demand of the
business is as such that they need to. Second thing here that needs to be discussed is the
people who need to be laid need to be analysed thoroughly as it might cause an issue of
discrimination or biasness. In such situation, the people can be laid off based upon their
performance and output to the company. People who have been working but not giving
enough efforts can be considered for the layoff. Situations like maternity leaves or injury or
disability also need to be considered inn case of temporary thing and their total growth in the
company needs to analysed for that matter.
Question 2:
During the downsizing decision making, Newell will have to analyse everything or
every person’s work or every employee’s work till date in detail. This kind of decision
making can get a bit too stress full for the employer as well. Letting go of some of the fine
workers is quite difficult for the company or the business as well. Maintaining a balance
between the policies of the HR as well as the term these people have worked for everything
has to be kept in mind. This is why to a certain extent the downsizing will become a stress
full part for Newell. In case Newell plans on just winging it and doing what he pleases, he
might end up being sued by various employees or ex -employees for that matter in the end
(Skorin-Kapov, 2019).
Question 3:
The options that can be applied by Newell in him downsizing the company are, the
company or the business can provide opportunities to the existing staff once the demand

Corporate and Business Law 2
increases. Or even a compensation alongside can be provided or any kind of recommendation
to another company or business can be made so as to prevent so many people losing their
jobs all of sudden. The biggest ethical issue that needs consideration here is that, so many
people will suddenly become unemployed because of the whole fiasco, hence leading their
families to be deprived of the financial security (Åhlin, Strandberg, Norberg, Ternestedt, &
Ericson-Lidman, 2017). Family members relying on these employees could be compensated
as well for a month or so, so that the family can conduct everything normally till the ex –
employee finds an apt job.
Question 4:
Downsizing in the Norwood facility can be done by analysing the work ethic and
importance of the job on holds. Also, another thing that needs to be kept in mind is that
people who are multi taskers can be kept as since so many people are being removed from
their positions, multi taskers would be a great help in this situation (Aalbers & Philippou,
2017). Quality of the work people have been doing also needs to be considered while
downsizing. Also removing people on the basis of their work can be done and not on any
other basis such as biasness or discrimination of any sorts. Everything needs to be done in
accordance with the HR policies and laws as they will be the ones that will prevent any
lawsuit being directed towards the business. Last but not the least; everything needs to be
done in writing or needs to be well documented as documentation is something that can be
helpful to the both parties in these cases.

Corporate and Business Law 3
Bibliography
Aalbers, R., & Philippou, P. (2017). The Executioner’s Dilemma: Explaining Role Stress by
Ethical Conflict Among Those Who Carry Out a Downsizing Event. In Turnaround
Management and Bankruptcy (pp. 196-217). Routledge.
Åhlin, J., Strandberg, G., Norberg, A., Ternestedt, B. M., & Ericson-Lidman, E. (2017). Care
providers’ narrated experiences of working in private non-profit residential care for
older people during downsizing and reorganisation, focusing on troubled conscience.
Nordic Journal of Nursing Research, 37(4), 177-185.
Skorin-Kapov, J. (2019). Professional and Business Ethical Challenges. In Professional and
Business Ethics Through Film (pp. 187-246). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.