Answer the individual questions and write 500 words for each ethical dilemma:

Define relevant terms from Topic materials and your own research. Present an overview of the events and identify possible unethical behaviours.

Answer the questions with your recommendations.

3. Provide one Reference list for the sources your use for both dilemmas at the end of the report. Refer to the WIN Academic and Writing Guide; refer to APA Referencing.

ethical Dilemma 3

Jayla recently landed an internship with Acme Incorporated in the Payroll Department. She was excited because these internships usually turned into a full-time job after graduation. Jayla was hired by Deon, the head of the Payroll Department. He told her about their policies and stressed the need for maintaining strict confidentiality regarding employee salaries and pay scales. Several years ago we had an intern who violated the confidentiality policy and was given a negative internship summary, explained Deon. Early in the internship, while studying sales data, Jayla began to notice abnormalities in one salespersons salary. Greg, one of the senior sales representatives, made three times as much as the next salesperson. Jayla assumed he must be a spectacular salesperson and worked efficiently. She often overheard Mia, the General Manager, and Deon praise Greg for his sales numbers. She also noticed the three of them would often go to lunch together. One morning, Deon handed a stack of client folders to Jayla. He explained, These are the clients for the salespeople for the week. They will come to you when they need more work, and they are only to take the files on top of the pile. You are in charge of making sure the salespeople dont pick and choose the files. This is how we keep things fair among the sales force. Mary, one of the salespeople, came by to get files for the week. They made small talk as Mary looked into her files. She looked disappointed. You didnt get any good clients? Jayla asked. Nope, not a one, replied Mary, which is just my luck! She threw down the files in exasperation. Jayla was concerned and asked, Whats the matter? Im sorry, she replied, Its just that my sales have been slipping, and my pay checks are much smaller than they used to be which impacts my ability to cover my commitments. The next week, before the salespeople arrived to pick up files, Jayla had some documents for Deon to sign. She peeked in the office and saw Deon and Greg going through the stack of client files. Jayla watched as Greg rifled through the pile and picked out files. Thanks, Deon. These are the top clients for the week, Greg said. No problem, Greg, Deon responded, Anything for my favourite brother- in-law. Just keep up the good work. Jayla stood there, mouth open. The boss was giving Greg all the good clients, while the rest of the salespeople had no choice in their assignments. What am I supposed to do? Jayla wondered. If I say something to Deon, he will give me a bad evaluation. If I say anything to Mia, I may get fired. And I definitely cant say anything to the other salespeople. There would be a riot. Saddened, she sat at her desk and wondered what to do.

Questions: 1. Discuss how this conflict of interest situation affects other salespeople, the organisational culture, and other stakeholders. Refer to Topic materials.

2. Describe the decision that Jayla must make. What are the potential ramifications of her choices?

3. Are there legal ramifications to this kind of behaviour? If so, what are the potential consequences? (adapted from Ferrell, Fraedlich & Ferrell 2019)

Ethical Dilemma 4

One year out of the university system, Randy was hired by Meeker, a medical warehouse that provides pharmaceutical products to various hospitals and clinics within a three-state area. Meeker was the dominant company in the market. As a new employee, he was required to go through extensive training to learn about hospital and clinic regulations, laws, various system procedures, and software applications. The two-month training included descriptions of the usual type of emergencies experienced in clinics and hospitals and what the needs were concerning equipment and supplies. He learned how to use various products and equipment and to train others in these areas. Part of his training was working in all areas of the medical warehouse. One day Randys supervisor, Cheryl, brought him into her office to discuss his next assignment. She explained to him that several of the hospitals they serve were about to begin their annual inventory counts. When these inventory counts occur, a representative from Meeker must go into the hospitals and replace all expired supplies and equipment with new ones. One of the problems weve been having is the expiration dates on the products we supply are shorter than those of our competitors, Cheryl explained. To keep our clients loyal, we offer a credit to our clients when we take back the expired products. Unfortunately, thats caused us to lose profits. She continued, We cant keep losing profits like this, so Ive developed an idea for cutting costs and increasing our competitive advantage. Cheryl handed several sheets of sticky labels to Randy. The labels were exact replicas of the labels on their medical products for over-the-counter medications; yet expiration dates on these labels were three months after the current date. Cheryl told Randy to replace the old labels with the new ones and leave the inventory in the hospitals. Randy said, But Cheryl, couldnt this be dangerous if the hospital uses expired products? Cheryl shook her head. You dont have to worry. Our competitors offer similar products with a longer expiration date, and theres really no harm in using these products after their expiration date. They are just a little less potent, but not more harmful in any way. Randy took the labels and headed to the hospitals. Randy thought, he would only be extending the date by three months, which is not a long time for medications. However, thinking back to his training about expired medical products, Randy recalled being cautioned against using expired prescription medications, not anything about over-the-counter medications. Randy also wondered if he would be questioned by the hospital administration staff when he asked for their signature on the inventory paperwork. He knew they would find it odd if there were no credits to their account for expired medications. How would he explain the new policy to them without being dishonest?

Questions 1. How should Randy deal with the dilemma he is facing? Refer to Topic materials.

2. What are the implications of comparing Meekers practices with those of its competitors?

3. What kind of responsibility does Randy have to the different stakeholders involved in this situation? Does his responsibility to Meeker differ from his responsibility to the hospitals? (adapted from Ferrell, Fraedlich & Ferrell 2019)