During senior year in college, I developed a mobile phone application that allows area restaurants to make their menus available to customers, who can use the application to place their orders for take-out food from the restaurants. The application sorts different restaurant options for the customers by price range, restaurant location, preparation time, and menu items. In order to increase sales of the company’s application, we have decided to hire an employee to market the application to local businesses. The company is based in the city where I went to college. We believe that the addition of a marketing manager can increase sales of the application to restaurants that offer more international food items than what is offered by the existing group of customers, restaurants that generally sell pizza, deli sandwiches, and hamburgers. Two people applied for the post.
One applicant graduated from college three years ago with a degree in marketing. She was president of the campus chapter of the American Marketing Association student organization and had an internship with a “guerilla marketing” start-up company that specialized in developing Internet marketing campaigns. The second applicant graduated from college this past May with a degree in accounting. Although she only completed the required introduction to marketing class during college, the second applicant stated in her cover letter that she is “excited” about working for your company and is “willing to learn how to best market” your mobile phone application. From the interviews, I saw that the first applicant was the best for the firm over the second one. My partner on the other hand preferred the second applicant because he shared the same religious group and he knows the applicant’s grandparents. This presents an ethical dilemma whereby I must hire one of the two applicants.
Primary Values
My primary values are; professionalism, this means that I deal with the affairs of the firm in a professional manner. Not to be swayed by unprofessionalism like hiring people based on religion. This will make the firm’s reputation grow positively. Another value is impartiality this means that as a manager I do not take sides due to personal reasons but to the right side. As for hiring, I do so from a merit point of view. Honesty is another value I use in making ethical decisions. This covers the values mentioned above; making ethical decisions with fairness.
The source of my ethical values comes from various sources. For instance honesty came from the moral upbringing that I had and from other sources like school, experiences in life that emphasized its value. The others came from the society, school and the corporate world where you learn firsthand of the importance of these values in making crucial decisions.
The ethical issue here is the hiring of the best applicant due to merit and not personal reasons and incentives like funding. The dilemma can be seen thus the company desperately needs to hire a qualified marketing manager as sales of the application have been slower than expected. On the other hand, your business desperately needs additional capital to keep the business operating. The firm also knows that know that state and federal employment discrimination laws prohibit employers from making hiring decisions based on the religious beliefs of job applicants. I also know, however, that your company does not employ enough workers to be covered by these laws.
There are critical issues that affect the decision. One of them is work experience of the applicant and the familiarity they have in running the firm of this kind. Another result of the decision is that funding that was readily available will be withdrawn. Also, the sale of the application and general business growth will go up in future due to hiring a professional. The decision may create bad will among us, the partners. Also, the community may take it as a rejection of one of their own.
Possible solutions to this scenario include searching for funds from other sources like family, banks and our savings. This will upset the void left by the funds of the second applicant’s family. This may be seen as an advantage in the long run. The partner will realize the advantages of hiring a professional later as the business thrives. There will be various community service drives by the firm to maintain the goodwill between the firm and their consumers. The success of the firm will also mean more opportunities for the people in the community.
The decision will have ripple effects in that it will affect all the people associated with the firm. These include the community we operate in. They will be impacted in that they will benefit from its operations when the firm becomes successful. Also, us as the business owners will be greatly affected by the decision. The local clients will also be affected by the decision made. Our stakeholders are the clients like restaurants, the community investors, us as the owners, our employees among others.
The community may reject our services as the decision is not in favor with them. This translates to loss of major clients and future investors to the growing firm. The community, in terms of the businesses it offers as clients, is a major contributor to our growth and revenue. Their support is crucial. Another response is the dispute that may cause between the business owners. This may be very harmful to the future of the firm. Approval and commendation from investors due to the decision may be another response. This is good for the future of the firm.
My decision is to hire the first applicant who graduated from college three years ago with a degree in marketing. The president of the campus chapter of the American Marketing Association student organization and had an internship with a “guerilla marketing” start-up company that specialized in developing Internet marketing campaigns. Using the Badaracco’s four Frameworks for a Decision, the viability of the decision is looked at below;
Best net/net
This applicant will add more value to the firm in the long run and ensure its growth and expansion. First of all she graduated from college three years ago with a degree in marketing. This is appropriate and exactly fits the role she will play in the firm, marketing. She has experience in that she was president of the campus chapter of the American Marketing Association student organization and had an internship with a “guerilla marketing” start-up company that specialized in developing Internet marketing campaigns. She has the values and competencies required.
Individual rights
The applicant has the right to fair consideration. To be considered and judged on merit not on religion, gender or the background they come from. This is fairness and justice. Using this criterion, the first applicant should be hired.
Message Sent About Character
The applicant let the achievements she had; send a positive message about her. One, it can be said, she is a focused and hardworking individual. This is because she was the president of an association that dealt with her field of study. We also see she is experienced. She has worked in a project closely related to the firm. She doesn’t require words of praise, her actions speak of themselves.
What will work in the world as it is
The current world is very competitive and it requires a person who has the capability of keeping up with this competition. Also, firms today consider both short run and long run success. The first applicant had the capability and skills to tackle the world as it is.
This decision was ethical due to various reasons. For one, the applicant was not judged due to their background and religious beliefs. She was judged with her competency, experience and achievements in the field we are interested in. Also, monetary incentives did not influence the choice of choosing her over the other applicant. It can also be seen that there was no bias involved as she did not know anybody in the firm. Finally, there was no law broken when choosing her. For there are state and federal employment discrimination laws prohibit employers from making hiring decisions based on the religious beliefs of job applicants. In all capacities, this was an ethical decision.
Works Cited
Davila Gomez, Ana Maria, and David Crowther. Ethics, Psyche And Social Responsibility. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Pub., 2007. Print.
Ortmeier, P. J, and Edwin Meese. Leadership, Ethics, And Policing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
Pfeiffer, Raymond S, and Ralph P Forsberg. Ethics On The Job. Print.
