Mandatory Question (50 points): The question is based on the mini-case below. Please read the case and then answer the question that follows that case.

Imagine that 6 months ago you were hired to be the general manager at a retail distribution center for Home Depot. The distribution center lies just outside the limits of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex (DFW). Your distribution center supplies retail inventory for 9 DFW Home Depot locations. Previously, you had worked for a competitor as an operations manager. In your new role, you are now responsible for the floor, the HR department, facilities management, the delivery department, and the service department (the service department provides internal service to the 9 Home Depots that you supply). Each of these departments has a departmental manager that reports to you.

Your new role is much more demanding than was your previous role. You are responsible for the performance of the entire distribution center. Your personal workload has increased substantially with your promotion. To decompress, you often take walks around the distribution center.

Just after you were hired, John Milton, the delivery manager, retired. John had been the delivery manager for over 20 years. In many ways John was a stereotypical good-ole boy from Texas, and he was well-liked by the delivery loaders and drivers. To fill the delivery manager position you hired Ashley Sims, your assistant operations manager from your previous job. Ashley has about 5 years of industry experience and an MBA with an emphasis in operations management. When she worked as your assistant manager, you found her performance to be outstanding. However, you have noticed that Ashley seems to be having some issues with production in her new department. Delivery times have increased by 15% since she was promoted (delivery times should be as short as possiblean increase in delivery time is essentially a decrease in the overall performance of the delivery department). You are not sure why this is the case. You have reviewed the driver logs from the last 12 months, and you have noticed that for the last 4 months or so, it has taken drivers longer to make the same deliveries they made before Ashley was hired. In addition, the delivery trucks that Ashley sends out are filled to an average of only 75% of capacity (down from 89% when she started the job). Overall, longer delivery times and lower loading capacities increase delivery costs considerably for the distribution center. The higher delivery costs contribute directly to distribution centers bottom line (in a negative way).

With the exception of Ashley, all of the employees (the delivery loaders and drivers) in the delivery department are male. On some of your recent walks you have overheard the delivery loaders and drivers make negative comments about Ashley. You have heard several comments about her hiring being due to special treatment. You have also heard comments about her fancy education that have had a negative tone.

Home Depot requires general managers to submit performance evaluations for department managers every 6 months. In keeping with standard operating procedures, the time has come for you to conduct your first round of performance reviews for the managers that work under you. You arrive to work early on a Monday morning and spend several hours reviewing the performance of the floor manager and the HR manager. When it is time to review Ashleys performance, you decide to first take a walk around the distribution center to think about what kind of review you will give Ashley. On your walk you hear two of the drivers talking about Ashley. The drivers are standing on the opposite side of a delivery truck cab and they do not know that you are there. You hear one of the drivers make a sexually related comment about Ashley. Shocked and angry, you hurry back to your office. Waiting on your desk is Ashleys performance review packet, which is due to the corporate office by the end of the week.

Question: Now what do should you do? Your answer needs to (a) correctly identify the problems in the mini-case and (b) describe how you will address these problems. Please note that your answer must be specific and should outline clear courses of action that you will take. Your answers should be tied to the concepts and reading material from the course where appropriate.

Option 1: Imagine that you been asked to speak to a group of mid-level managers about how they can be more effective in their efforts to persuade and influence the people that work for them. Create a short set of instructions for the managers. The instructions should be in the form of a guide the managers can take with them after your presentation is complete.

Option 2: Develop a plan of action that would help a leader avoid encouraging deviant behaviors among his/her employees. In addition, explain how leaders can influence employees to engage in ethical behaviors and ethical decision-making.