As organizational structures are becoming more complex and external forces (competition, the economy, immergence of artificial intelligence/technology) are affecting organizational decision making, there are times when downsizing is necessary. Effective workforce planning and workplace efficiency is paramount in making vital strategic organizational decisions. In the next activity, you will demonstrate your ability to make ethical and efficient decisions in the workplace.

Ethical Dilemma: What would you do?

As firms struggle to compete in the global economy, many have downsized. As such is the case, in some firms, part time workers are performing jobs that were once held by full-time employees. Utilizing part-time workers saves companies money, as part- time employees do not receive many benefit enjoyed by full time workers. Walmart (discussed in the last module) is known for maintaining a very high ratio of part-time to full time employees as a way of keeping costs down. Because of this, Walmart is able to continuously offer lower prices.

Answer the following questions in a 1 page Word Document,

• Is downsizing ethical and socially responsible?
• Is using part-time employees rather than full-time employees ethically and socially responsible? Explain.
• Would you be willing to pay higher prices at stores such as Walmart, so that more full-time workers could replace part-time workers?
• Is production less efficient because of having more part-time workers than full time?