Bus 220 Ethical Business Challenge Chapter 9 Instructions

Bus 220 Ethical Business Challenge Chapter 9 instructions read The Resol

Read The Resolving Ethical Business Challenges on pages 242 and answer the questions on page 242 using MS Word or a compatible word processing application. Upload your answers to the appropriate assignment folder. DO NOT send a PDF file. The answer to each question must be a minimum of 50 words and must be in your own words. Plagiarism (ie. copying) from the web, the book, etc. will result in a grade of zero.

See Rubric under Content, Course Content Section, Rubrics. Make sure that you number your answers so that they correspond with the appropriate question. Failure to do so will result in a penalty. DO NOT retype the question. Chapter Review 9-6c Resolving Ethical Business Challenges Charles worked at Butterfly Corporation for two years after graduating from the University of Texas.

He liked his job but the firm was going through some rough times. Because the firm was losing money, Douglas, the CEO, set increasingly rigorous performance goals. Charles noticed a lot of employees were grumbling about these unrealistic expectations. He also heard rumors of quality control incidents and other problems. One day Charles was called into Douglass office.

“Hello, Doug. You wanted to see me?†Charles asked. “Yes, Charles. Come in.†Doug looked grim. After Charles sat down, he began to speak.

“Look, you know about the tough times we are in. We are losing money left and right. So far I’ve been able to keep this company afloat by drastically making cuts and speeding up production. I guess in all this cost-cutting, there have been problems that have come up. A lot of people have called the hotline to complain about ethical problems, such as employees cutting corners to make their quotas.

Now I’ve got the board on my back.†“I’m really sorry, Doug. How can I help?†Charles asked. “Well, the board requested we perform an ethics audit to make sure everyone is complying with company regulations. As if we don’t have enough to worry about. This is only going to increase our costs.

Anyway, I want you to lead the audit.†Charles was stunned. “Me? But Doug, I’ve only been here for two years. Shouldn’t you choose a more experienced manager to lead this?†Doug shook his head. “We need all our managers to continue doing their jobs.

I don’t have the time to pull one of them away from their responsibilities just because the board wants us to do an ethics audit.†Charles agreed to lead the audit process. That night he researched how to conduct an ethics audit. He promised to have a rudimentary plan outlining how the ethics audit should be conducted on Doug’s desk for approval the next day. As he researched on the Internet, he became more excited. He spent hours forming objectives for the audit, determining the audit’s scope, and defining what he thought should be the firm’s ethical priorities.

He created a plan for using focus groups of employees to see what the greatest concerns were. If time permitted, he wanted to get other stakeholders involved as well, especially their customers. Charles was interested in assessing the overall corporate culture of the firm. Because Charles knew his data analysis skills were not good, he recommended bringing in a committee of competent coworkers who had been in the organization for years and knew the system inside and out. He also developed a list of organizations Butterfly could hire to verify the results once data was collected and analyzed.

The next day, Charles turned in his report and waited while Doug read through it. When finished, he looked up at Charles and frowned. “Charles, I can see you put a lot of work into this. However, what you have recommended is not going to suit our needs.†“What do you mean?†Charles asked. “First off, I already told you, I don’t want to remove people from their jobs to work on this.

We’re behind schedule as it is. Also, focus groups of employees and customer feedback? That’s going to take up time and resources we can’t afford to lose. You also propose hiring an independent third party? We’re supposed to be cutting costs, not throwing money at some organization simply to check our results.†“So what would you like me to do then?†Charles asked.

Doug sighed. “That’s why I made you the person in charge of the project. You make the decisions. Just make sure it’s something that won’t cost a lot of money. I want this process to go as quickly as possible so we satisfy the board and get back to work.

Maybe you could survey a few employees and get it over with. Just remember to make us look good.†Doug handed back Charles’s proposal. “Revise this and bring it back to me tomorrow,†he said. Questions | Exercises 1. What is a key component of a successful auditing process missing from this situation?

2. How would you describe the corporate culture of Butterfly? 3. What steps would you recommend Charles take?

Paper For Above instruction

The provided scenario highlights critical issues related to ethical auditing within a corporate environment. An effective ethical audit requires transparency, independence, and thoroughness, which are noticeably lacking in this situation. Specifically, the process's independence is compromised because Charles is pressured to produce results that cast the company in a favorable light, rather than objectively assessing its ethical climate. Additionally, there is an absence of an impartial oversight mechanism, which is crucial to ensure integrity and unbiased findings. A successful audit must be comprehensive and include detailed procedures, stakeholder involvement, and data verification methods to accurately diagnose ethical issues. The scenario also reveals a hesitant leadership approach that prioritizes cost-saving over genuine ethical assessment, undermining the entire purpose of an ethics audit.

The corporate culture at Butterfly appears to be characterized by a strong emphasis on cost-cutting and maintaining operational efficiency, often at the expense of ethical considerations. The pressure to meet unrealistic performance goals has fostered a culture where cutting corners seems acceptable, and employees may feel compelled to prioritize quotas over quality and ethical standards. The leadership’s focus on appearance rather than substantive ethical improvements suggests a culture that is risk-averse but also short-sighted and driven by financial performance. This environment discourages transparency and potentially discourages employees from speaking openly about ethical concerns, contributing to a potentially toxic work climate that can compromise long-term organizational integrity.

To address these issues, Charles should take several steps that focus on creating a more ethical corporate environment and improving the integrity of the audit process. First, Charles should advocate for an independent and objective third-party review to ensure unbiased results, rather than relying solely on internal assessments that can be biased. Second, he should involve multiple stakeholders, including employees, customers, and external experts, to provide a comprehensive view of the organizational culture. Third, Charles should emphasize transparent communication about the audit’s purpose and procedures to foster trust and openness. Fourth, he could implement a whistleblower policy that encourages employees to report unethical behavior without fear of retaliation. Finally, Charles should work to cultivate a corporate culture that values ethical behavior alongside financial success, encouraging leadership to prioritize integrity and accountability at all levels.

References

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