Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study - Essay Example Keywords: moral awareness, ethical dilemma, utilitarianism, ethical decisions, ethical approach, moral judgment CASE STUDY ETHICAL DILEMMA Problem Karen Hathaway is in a dilemma trying to decide who shall be the best candidate who deserves the promotion, among the three managers who are vying for the same position. All of the potential candidates are highly qualified for the coveted position in the company. The decision she has to make is very critical in order to ensure that the company is placed in the hands of only the best manager. She is being pressured by her superior and upper-management people to promote their own bets. She has also been informed by her immediate superior that making the wrong decision would not be good, either internally or externally, and will affect her work performance and credibility. Karen is now facing an ethical dilemma on who among the three candidates is most worthy to receive the promotion. Input The three candidates are the following: The first ca ndidate is Carmen, who is 34 years of age, an African American, recently divorced and, a single parent to an only child. She graduated in the lower half of her college class in Northwest State. She has been with the company for four years and in the industry for eight years, with average performance ratings, but is notable for her high energy level. As a superior, she has experienced some difficulties in managing her staff. Aside from this disadvantage is also her child’s poor health condition. Clinching the promotion will be a big help to manage her financial condition. In the event that Carmen gets the promotion, she will be the first African-American female manager at this level. Karen has known Carmen only a short time, but she has never had problems with her and they have become friends as Karen has once baby-sat Carmen’s daughter during an emergency. The drawback in promoting Carmen will place Karen in a tight situation as she might be accused of having biases an d favouritism. The second candidate is Ralph, an American, 57 years of age, married with three children and graduated top half in his class from a private university. He has been with the company for twenty years and in the industry for thirty years. He has been classified as a steady performer in the company, receiving mostly average ratings, with average to very low energy level. He was lauded in his work performance when he was able to produce many of the company’s top sales performers in the past. He has been not been promoted from his current position because of his refusal to relocate. This promotion would be his last before retirement, and his colleagues believed that he should be next in line because he has earned the position as an employee of the company for 20 years. In fact, one senior manager stopped Karen in the hall and said â€Å"You know, Karen, Ralph has been with us a long time. He has done many good things