Ba 3102
Professor: Lynne Andersson
Integrity is one of the most important attributes when it comes to moral gravity. Once that value starts to diminish, greed gradually begins to develop, and the urge just keeps on getting stronger everyday. I was exposed to the progression of this path when I received my very first job at 20 working as a cash register at Target. After one month of working there, I started noticing the wrongdoing of one of my coworkers. I noticed him pick pocketing the proceeds of a sale of some cosmetics. Unfortunately, he did not stop there. He continued on this act of embezzlement by stealing more proceeds of other sales and merchandise of the store. What he did was extremely wrong, on both legal aspect as well as moral. Not only his action was illegal, it violated ethical principles, most importantly being honesty. His misdeed could not only have affected his job, it affected the company’s assets, and also the reputation and the morale of honest employees like myself. He even denied to ever committing such a crime, which made the situation even worse. What he did deserve to be punished, because his action damaged the company’s financial resources and the staff’s prestige. Therefore, Target needed to be more cautious with their internal security system and be more attentive with its accounting. What my coworker did affected him, the company, and the staff. My coworker undertook an inappropriate measure that could potentially damage his future job opportunities. He violated the company’s rules that would get him in serious trouble. Cash misappropriation and theft aren’t something that can be taken lightly. What he did wasn’t a one-time thing; he perpetually continued to commit his wrong doing by stealing money and merchandise. Indeed, he violated Target’s commitment to conduct business lawfully and ethically, and that every team member is obligated to act all times with honesty and integrity. The company expects its employees to bring good judgment and a sense of integrity to their business decisions. My coworker was well aware of the obligations, but that did not stop him from restraining his action. However, cupidity or financial hardship may have caused him to conduct the misdeed. The money and the merchandise were easily accessible, so he wouldn’t have a difficult time obtaining them without anyone’s notice. Therefore, the easy accessibility to resources may have clouded his judgment, while greed became a more powerful force that prevented him from making a right decision. Another cause could have been financial hardship. He may have had a hard time with personal finance, which then made him to seek an illicit solution. Once a serious matter is defied, especially if it deals with legal affair, then that could potentially be transferred on to a criminal record. A breach in conducts isn’t something employers look for, even if it’s very minor. When employers hire employees, the first thing they do is look at an résumé on a piece of paper. That piece of paper represents one’s character, and something like an infringement is definitely a deficiency that employers would deter away from. If my coworker tried looking for other jobs, a flaw on his record would be a hindrance, thus prevents him from getting the job. Future employers would refer back to my coworker’s old employer, Target, to look for recommendations. Target would definitely not give positive feedbacks due to the fact that his deed showed dishonesty, a serious flaw in character that discourages him from getting hired. Indeed, the untrustworthy act that he committed not only could affect his future but also the company. The act of embezzlement that my coworker was entitled to damaged Target’s financial resources. He continually carried out his action for his own personal gains, thus neglected the rules. Even though Target is a big company and what my coworker stole wasn’t extremely significant, it still affected revenue and