Resolving Ethical Business Challenges

Read, “Resolving Ethical Business Challenges” on pages 148-149 of your text.

1. What are the legal and ethical risks associated with the decision about hiring truck drivers at Zyedego?

The legal risk associated with the decision to hiring truck drivers at Zyedego is owed to the fact that the company is making a decision that goes against the law. The corporate officials at the Zyedego company have been hiring truck drivers that have previous records of abusing alcohol and driving while they are under the influence of alcohol. The ethical risk associated with the decision to hiring truck drivers at Zyedego is owed to the fact that the company’s decision could, in fact, ruin the company’s reputation. If one of the company’s truck drivers were to get in a car accident and police officers found high alcohol content in the driver’s system, the Zyedego company would then be at fault for hiring the truck driver knowing that the driver had a history of executing such behavior, like drinking and driving. The backlash and public scrutiny that could result after such an incident may prove to be a bit much for the company to handle without the assistance of a professional whom the company would have to hire to perform some sort of damage control on Zyedego’s behalf.

2. What should Peter recommend to Gwyn about Dana’s case?

In the case regarding Dana, Peter should recommend Gwyn to give Dana the appropriate amount of time that is needed for the new mother to heal considering the fact that she has just given birth. Though the company may be knee-deep in work that needs to be taken care of in an immediate amount of time, offering Dana the pre-approved maternity leave will make sure that the Zyedego company is remaining compliant with the employment laws that exist in the United States of America. In addition, granting Dana with the time off of work that she needs for her body to heal will show Dana that her employer actually cares about her wellbeing in addition to the state that the company is currently experiencing.

3. Do you think Peter is too emotionally attached to the Martin case to make an objective decision?

I do think that Peter is most definitely attached to the Martin case. However, I do not believe that his personal attachment to the Martin case will hinder his ability to remain impartial. Being that he had a personal relationship with Martin does not necessarily mean that Peter is unable to make an objective decision. As the story described, Peter and his employee, Martin, were the close of friends. Considering their friendship, Peter is just trying his best to make sure that Martin’s remaining family members are placed in good hands in spite of their current financial situation. Yes, it is true that Peter wishes to see that Martin’s wife and child get the best resources that they can in effort to repair the current financial state and move on with their lives, but this does not mean that Peter is playing favoritism. Peter and Martin were friends and as a friend (as well as a manager), Peter is in the position to make sure that Martin’s wife and child receive all of the assistance that they need in order to survive without the presence of the recently deceased Mr. Martin.