Question

The Scenario Imagine that you have graduated and are working for a large manufacturer in the United States. One of your firm’s largest departments is Customer Service. Approximately 475 people located in 5 cities in the United States are employed in the Customer Service Department. Upper management in your firm is considering relocating at least half of the positions (not the people) to India. If the firm chooses to relocate these jobs in Customer Service, approximately 250 people in the United States will be laid off. However, the company will be able to cut the costs of operating the Customer Service Department by 1/3. This is a significant saving for the firm! You have been appointed to a cross-functional team of managers to make three recommendations regarding this proposal. There are 5 managers on the team. They come from the following departments: Accounting, Human Resources, Customer Service, Production and Marketing. Your answer must be divided into 3 clearly marked sections: Critical Thinking; Business Ethics; (Below are guiding to answer “From the critical thinking section, I would use the principle of breadth. Breadth requires that I evaluate a problem from multiple perspectives. As part of a team composed of co-workers from different departments in the company, I would have the opportunity to hear the points of view from accounting, marketing, production, etc. I would also have the opportunity to share the point of view from my department. This would provide breadth from within the company. However, I have also learned to consider the points of view of various stakeholders. For example, our shareholders, our customers, and our employees will likely have different viewpoints. Therefore, I could increase the breadth of my thinking by considering the points of view of different stakeholder groups.”

Answer 1