University Case Study: Ethical Decision-Making in Management (MGMT 9)

This case study delves into an ethical dilemma faced by a company regarding a job applicant. The scenario presents a conflict between hiring a qualified Asian candidate who may have limited English proficiency and the potential impact on customer satisfaction. The assignment analyzes ethical duties, values, and the implications of different courses of action. It explores the utilitarian approach and objectivity to determine the best hiring decision, considering factors like customer service, profit maximization, and employee relations. The analysis weighs the pros and cons of hiring either the minority candidate or a more qualified candidate with potential communication limitations, ultimately arguing in favor of the minority applicant based on their potential positive impact on customer relations and overall company objectives. The assignment justifies this choice, emphasizing the importance of aligning hiring decisions with company goals and the continuity of the business.

Running head: MANAGEMENT 1
Management
Name
Institution

MANAGEMENT 2
Case study
“Our company prides itself in hiring minorities. One Asian candidate fully fits the job
requirement for our open position. However, we are concerned that our customers won’t
understand his limited command in the English language. What should I do?”
Abstract
The thesis of the paper presented entails evaluation of ethical duties and values based on the case
study provided in the context above. The company set operational objectives is customers’
satisfaction which will contribute to the profitability and continuity of the company through its
maximized sales to the market. Therefore, from the case study provided above, hiring more
qualified personnel into the company will alter customer’s satisfaction due because he is limited
to English language hence will result to poor communication with the customers which in turn
affects the company in terms of sales and marketing of their products.
From the case study provided based on the company’s choice on recruiting new staff, the paper
will further evaluate some of the ethics and values related to the case study, the proper course of
action and justification of the scenario.

MANAGEMENT 3
Evaluating ethical duties and values
Every company is believed to have a set ethical standards and values which guides the
activities and behavior of the employees in order to meet its set operational objectives and ensure
continuity of the company. In evaluation of ethical duties and values set aside by the
management body of the company, duties of each employee in that particular company must be
identified according to their job specialization in order to ensure customers satisfaction which is
the main objective of every company.
One of the ethical duty of each employee in every company or profit-making organization is
to work towards customers’ satisfaction. Through customers’ satisfaction, the company will
realize high profits in terms of sales’ volumes since they will attract many customers from the
market to their products due to their excellent customers’ services they offer to their prospective
customers. Customers’ satisfaction will put the company in a better position in the market
following stiff competition from other local companies offering the same services and products
hence maintaining the profitability of the company. (Trevino & Nelson, 2016).
In order to ensure that customers are satisfied with the services and products offered to them,
the company through its management body has to design some unique procedures in handling
and attending to customers’ when they are seeking for their services or products. Some of the
customer satisfaction processes entails setting customer care desk.

MANAGEMENT 4
Customer care desk is considered essential in every profit-making company since through the
desk, customers complains and recommendations will be responded to by the team in charge
hence customers will feel more important and respected by the company, therefore, they will
prefer company’s products and services. Through this process, complains raised by the
customers regarding the kind of services and products offered to them by the company will be
considered by the firm in improving the quality of their products and services. (Thornton III,
Mueller-Hanson & Rupp, 2017).
The implication of courses of action
Utilitarian Approach
Theory of utilitarianism implies that one has the choice to choose or prefer a course of action
which will positively impact the situation. According to the case study based on the company’s
hiring options, it will be more positive to hire minority staff in the company since it will
positively impact the sales volume of the company products as the minor staff will better interact
with the customers in a better way than the qualified staff with the limited English language.
(Renz & Herman, 2016).
The theory will favor the company’s decision of hiring the minor staff thus according to set
company’s objective of profit maximization and customers satisfaction since the hired minor
staff will positively impact sales of the products and services as compared to more qualified
personnel.
Following the utilitarian approach, I will prefer hiring the minority staff in order to meet the
set company operational objectives of profit maximization and continuity which will be easily

MANAGEMENT 5
achieved by hiring the minor staff due to his marketing impact he has to the company following
his perfect customer relationships based on his common language for communicating with the
customers in service delivery.
The impacts of hiring either minor or qualified staff are analyzed as follows:
Minor staff qualified staff
stakeholder impact Stakeholder impact
company Increased sales
volume.
company Reduced sales
volume due poor
communication with
customers.
Customers Improve customers’
satisfaction.
customers Unsatisfied due to
language barrier.
Applicant Self-satisfaction as a
result of securing a
job.
Applicant Gain of job
experience.

MANAGEMENT 6
Ethical analysis used in quantifying the options:
Course of action Minor applicant Qualified applicant
objectivity Contribute to set company
objectives like profit
maximization.
0123
Contribute to low profits
which is not part of set
objectives.
0123
values Not qualified, doesn’t meet the
job qualification, more
interactive, good
communication skill.
0123
Qualified, experienced, poor
communication skill.
0123
Total marks 5
Hiring minor applicant is the
right decision since it
maximizes utility more than
qualified and experience
applicant.
3
Therefore, from the analysis conducted, hiring minor applicant will be of more positive impact to
the company than qualified and experienced applicant.

MANAGEMENT 7
Objectivity approach
In deciding on the course of action for the company, objectivity approach that is the set
company objectives and goals must be considered before hiring the most qualified staff and the
impact they will impose on the objectives and goals of the company. (Lefkowitz, 2017).
When a company hires more qualified staff which is limited to English language that is not
popular among the market population it serves, the company through its marketing team will
experience communication problems since he will not understand the local language used by the
customers when seeking for a service or product from the company hence the company will lose
many customers which will negatively impact their objectives and goals, for instance, profit
maximization goals will not be achieved due to low customers turn out hence reduced sales
volume.
On the other hand, when minor staff is hired who is familiar with the local language, he will
freely interact with the customers in the market when marketing the company’s products hence
the company will gain more customers thus increasing its sales volume hence increasing the
profitability of the company which is the main operational objective.
From the two scenarios, I will hire a minor staff as he will be more advantageous to the
company than qualified staff who is limited to the English language since his presence will
contribute to the profitability of the company which is the main operational objective.

MANAGEMENT 8
Justification
Continuity of the company relies on the type of staff within the company and their
relationship with the customers since through the staff, company will be able to successfully
market and sell their manufactured products and services to the consumers. Therefore from the
analysis conducted on two applicants, the company management should prefer minor applicants
due to his marketing influence and customer relation skills.
Consensus
Though the company is bound with set regulations and policies in hiring new staff, company
objectives and goals too has to be considered when hiring new staff by evaluating the impact the
staff will have on the set objectives and goals of the company. However if the qualified staff who
is limited to the English language will be needed in another department apart from marketing,
then I will consider hiring him, therefore a few courses of actions may be considered:
1. Since the qualified staff will be of help to another department part from marketing,
then I will consider hiring both of the employees in order to ensure smooth
operation and continuity of the company.
2. If the cost of hiring two staff members is manageable, then I will hire both
applicants since they will both positively impact the set goals of the company.

MANAGEMENT 9
References
Lefkowitz, J. (2017). Ethics and values in industrial-organizational psychology. Routledge.
Renz, D. O., & Herman, R. D. (Eds.). (2016). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership
and management. John Wiley & Sons.
Thornton III, G. C., Mueller-Hanson, R. A., & Rupp, D. E. (2017). Developing organizational
simulations: A guide for practitioners, students, and researchers. Routledge.
Trevino, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2016). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do
it right. John Wiley & Sons.