Dilemmas As a purchasing manager, you may be faced with making product decisions that conflict with your
Question:
Dilemmas
As a purchasing manager, you may be faced with making product decisions that conflict with your own strongly-held values and beliefs. For example:
You are concerned about the environment, but are faced with ordering items that (according to you) are over-packaged in unsustainable plastic or cardboard.
- You are concerned about the environment and public health, but are faced with ordering household cleaners which (according to your research) contain cancer-causing chemicals.
- You are concerned with public health, but your job is to order sugar-laden sodas, and fat-laden potato chips.
- You are concerned with human rights and basic working conditions, but you order electronic equipment composed of minerals that are mined using essentially slave labor.
- You believe in basic human civility, but your job is to order music with vulgar, sexist, or violent lyrics.
Your Dilemma
Using one of the above examples--or better yet, an example of your own that would be an ethical issue for you--discuss how you might deal with the dilemma.
You can't just say "I don't care about any of that! So, it wouldn't be a problem for me." Nor can you say, "Even if I do care, there is nothing I can do about it. I just order what I am told to."
For this discussion, you need to figure out how to stay true to your principles, and yet still achieve your company's gross margin goals (or close to them). Be creative!
Voice Your Opinion
Voice your opinion and keep in mind these requirements for your main post: Support your reasoning with at least two outside sources not given to you in this course.
- Use in-text citations so we know where in your main post you use the information you found.
- Include the URLs at the end of your post in case we want to read more from your source.
- If you have a personal experience share it but it is not required.
Use the 5-Paragraph Format
Paragraph 1: Describe the ordering scenario (what exactly you are tasked with purchasing)
Paragraph 2: Explain why purchasing the product presents a problem for you.
Paragraphs 3 and 4: Describe how you would resolve the dilemma.
Paragraph 5: Summarize your posting