Examples Of Business Ethics

Submitted By Aggie26
Words: 1063
Pages: 5

BUSINESS ETHICS ACTIVITY
Ethics Scenarios:
1. You go to a weekend cookout with two coworkers, Tom and Jerry. Your coworkers begin talking about work. They mention that on three different occasions Tom has asked Jerry to clock out for him 30 minutes after he has already left work so he can get some extra time on his paycheck.
Go through the three levels of ethical decisions and determine if this activity is unethical?
What should you do in this situation? Who, if anyone is being hurt in this situation?
For this particular scenario, not only would this be considered unethical but also illegal and unfair. You as a person should hold higher standards for your work ethic and leaving work but wanting to get paid for more time is not right. This would also be considered stealing from the company that you work for, so it is hurting the company. You are also being unfair to the person that you are asking to punch you out. He could potentially lose his job over this situation. All in all, you are hurting the company, your friend and yourself, because this is a no-win situation.

2. You are working the closing shift at work. While doing your cleaning duties, you notice a $20 bill on the floor. It is near the register so you think that maybe the cashier or the manager may have dropped it when they took out the drawer. What would you do in this situation?
If you decide to keep the $20, is this unethical? Use the three levels of ethical decisions to decide.
Who, if anyone, is being hurt in this situation?
This particular scenario would not be considered illegal but could be seen as unethical and unfair. First off you do not know where the money actually came from but the one thing that you do know is that the money does not belong to you. The first thing you should do in this situation is to talk to the manager and cashier and explain the circumstances of how and where you found the money. It could be that the money did come from the cash drawer. In some cases, if a cashier is short that much money, she may or may not have to pay it back. So that would not be fair to her. Its best to go with your conscience in a situation like this because in the end, you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror.

3. A customer comes into your automotive business. The customer says they only have $500 to pay for services. While examining their vehicle, you notice that there is a minor problem with the customer’s battery that only costs $45. Your manager tells you to “find more things wrong” with the vehicle since the customer disclosed that they have $500 dollars to spare. The manager says they will give you a bonus if you can find more things wrong. What would you do in this situation?
If you decide to “find more things wrong with the vehicle”, is this unethical? Use the three levels of ethical decisions to decide.
Who, if anyone, is being hurt in this situation?
This situation would not be considered illegal because you haven’t actually done anything to the car but it would be thought of as unethical and unfair both to your customer and yourself. Your boss is in the wrong because he is asking you to do something that is unfair and could possibly be against your moral ethics. It would also be cheating the customer out of their hard earned money and possibly their future business. Not to mention the fact that they could pass on the fact that you run an unethical company. So all in all this situation is unfair to all involved. It would also make me question whether I would want to work for a boss that is asking to you to do “things that are wrong” in many ways.

4. You work as an administrative assistant for a local company. You have an important assignment due for your evening class at DACC right after