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Week 1 Written Assignment

Keri Cobb

Department of Business, University of Wilmington University

ORG 444: Organizational Justice, Ethics, and Social Responsibility

Instructor: Anne Pedrick

July 10, 2024

Week 1 Written Assignment

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While running a business can go smoothly, you will also face some obstacles. It may be

hard to find employees that will do a good job. Finding a good work-life balance can be

challenging as well. A major obstacle that many businesses will face will be revenue. How to

make enough money to keep the business running efficiently. To stay in business, the price of

your product must be reasonable for the customers that you are trying to attract, and it also must

make sense for the business to stay afloat. I read an article that says, “Do the best work for the

best price.” (Gentile, 2011) You do not want to undersell as you still must pay for things to keep

the business running.

In this week’s assignment, our reading talks about a corporation that has been on the right

thing for the company and its business. Using my imagination, I have been hired to work for this

company as an assistant to the CEO. A job that can open many doors as I move through my

career. The products are affordable, the corporation has made sure to comply with all

regulations, and very importantly, our customers are satisfied.

In recent days, the corporation has been hit with some backlash. Some regulations have,

not long ago, changed, and a group of people are demanding that the corporation comply with

these changes right away. The demands have been emphasized in emails written to the media and

shareholders. Petitions have been put together and attention has been brought to the corporation

by outside protests. If the corporation complies with the new regulations, prices will increase,

which could convince some customers to not do business with us anymore. As the CEO’s

assistant, he has asked for my advice. This is where my critical thinking comes in. The following

are questions I will consider.

Week 1 Written Assignment

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1. What could I do? There are several things I could do, and one would be to turn in my

resignation. I am just joking. However, some people would consider this to avoid the

pressure of deciding. What I could do is advise the CEO that if we do not comply with

the new regulations it may lead to future legal trouble for the company and tarnish our

good name. Up until this point, we have kept a clean nose and followed all rules and

regulations. Change is inevitable and we are up against change that we cannot avoid.

2. What would I do? I would keep complying with the legal regulations and keep our

customers. Per the textbook, my answer would be A. Continue to comply with only the

legally required regulations to maintain your price advantage over competitors.

3. Why is this the right option to choose? This is the right option to choose because the

customers will still support it, and the business will still go on as it has been. We do not

want to raise any prices because that sends customers to another company. Some may

stay to be loyal, but any business loss, small or large, will hurt the company.

4. What are the ethics underlying your decision? The ethics that are underlying my

decision are fairness, empathy, and responsibility. In business, you cannot please

everyone, but you want to be fair. In this scenario, I do not know how long the customers

have been with the corporation but whether it is a short time or a long time, it is

important to be fair. If a price has been given, that is what the customer is expecting. To

be empathetic, you must put yourself in the place of the customer. How would you feel

about a change that would increase the amount of money that you have been spending?

Not good at all and the customer would not either. It is also the corporation's

responsibility to satisfy the customer. No, you cannot satisfy everyone.

Week 1 Written Assignment

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If the customers you have are already satisfied with the business, why change it if the change

can be prevented? Hence the saying, “If it is not broke, don’t fix it.”

5. How could the business or agency respond from a trauma-informed perspective?

The business or agency could and should think about the emotions their customers may

experience if they decide to go through with the change that would increase the prices of

their products. Their customers could be business owners themselves. The products they

are buying may be products that are keeping them in business. If the price increases, the

customers may go into debt trying to buy the products and then lose their own business in

the process.

References
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Collins, D., & Kanashiro, P. (2022). Business ethics: Best practices for designing and managing

ethical organizations. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Gentile, Tara )2011). Oh my! handmade goodness, Underselling: Why discomfort is a terrible

pricing strategy,

https://ohmyhandmade.com/2011/archives/entrepreneurship/underselling-why-

discomfort-is-a-terrible-pricing-strategy/