Case study analysis (30%)

Read the following case and answer the questions listed in order to analyse it. You should adopt a critical thinking approach in viewing the case from multiple perspectives and ethical considerations.

You may find that not all aspects apply. You should not worry about this. The quality of your responses will be judged on your ability to present a well- grounded and well-defended analysis and justifications.

Sexual Harassment

Paula, a recent college graduate, is a newly hired manager in the Production Department of a medium-sized US company. The first woman selected for this production training position, Paula takes her work very seriously. She has been with the organization for three months. For the first two months, she performed her duties very well, but during the last month, Steve, her boss, has noticed a change in Paula. She seems more tense and uneasy and is not concentrating on her work as conscientiously as she previously did.

During the last month, Paula has been continually harassed by Richard, a coworker. At first she tried ignoring his jokes and sexual banter. However, his persistence has caused Paula to have very uncomfortable feelings while she is at work and at home as well. Paula looked into the employees handbook concerning sexual harassment policies and found none. She really did not know what to do.

Finally, after noticing her continually declining work, Steve asked her what was bothering her. She told him the problem and showed him information concerning the EEOC laws dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace she had found in a human resources textbook from college. She also said that she was considering taking action against Richard if his actions continued.

Steve told her he was totally unaware of the problem but agreed something should be done. He asked her to investigate what the organization needed to do to stop this from occurring now and also to anyone else in the future. He also thanked Paula for her patience and honesty and also promised her that something would be done.

Author: Dr Marilyn M. Helms

Questions

1) What is the main issue being presented in this case study? (3 marks) 2) Who are the key stakeholders in this case, and what impact could the issue have on them? (4 marks) 3) What approaches could the main character take to resolving this issue? Describe at least two approaches. (8 marks) 4) Which approach do you believe that the main character should adopt? In answering this question, you should draw on information provided in this case study, as well as the ethical frameworks discussed in this course. (15 marks)