Essay Assignment
To Hire or Not to Hire (by Tim Timmons)
SELECTING A NEW COMPUTER ANALYST
As a manager in human resources, part of my job is to guide the process by which my company selects new employees. Recently, we selected an applicant to fill a computer analyst position. The supervising manager and a selection panel selected this applicant over a number of others based on her superior qualifications and interview.
BACKGROUND CHECK
However, a routine background check indicated that the applicant had been convicted 18 years earlier for false check writing. The application form has a section where the applicant is asked if he or she has ever been convicted of anything other than a traffic violation. In response to that question, this applicant wrote "no." When informed of this, the supervising manager stated that she would still like to hire the applicant but asked me for my recommendation. The job does not involve money handling.
Assignment Guidelines (based on Carroll & Buchholtz, 2009)
1) Name this section Problem Identification; address the following:
a. What are the central facts of the case and the assumptions you are making on the basis of these facts?
b. What major questions/issues does this case address that merit(s) their/its study in Management?
2) Name this section Analysis/Evaluation; address the following:
a. Who are the stakeholders in this case, and what are the stakes? What challenges/threats/opportunities are posed by these stakeholders?
b. What Corporate Social Responsibilities (economic/legal/ethical) are present in the case? How do these impact the various stakeholders?
3) Name this section Recommendations; address the following:
a. What ethical framework guides your thought process on this particular case? Choose from: Utilitarian, Self-Interest (Ego), Rights, Justice, Religious/Deontological, or Social/Cultural.
b. What recommendations would you make in this case? Be specific, and include a discussion of alternatives (right now, short-term, and long-term)
c. If the applicant mistakenly thought that her record had been cleared over time and therefore did not lie intentionally, would that make any difference?
d. Should the fact that the applicant did not tell the truth on one part of the application automatically disqualify her from further consideration?
e. Should the supervising manager be allowed to hire this applicant despite the fact that the applicant lied on her application, provided the manager is willing to take the risk and assume responsibility for the applicant?
f. If the applicant freely admitted the conviction, should she still be considered for the position? Should a minor offense committed 18 years ago, when the applicant was in her early twenties, disqualify her when she is overall the most qualified applicant? What types of convictions, and how recent, should disqualify potential new hires?
Review our previous exercise on Ethical Decision Making and the accompanying documentation for more information.
There's no right/wrong ethical framework; therefore, I won't grade this on your ability to choose a particular ethical framework. Instead, I'm more concerned with your ability to explain your answers to the subsequent questions based on the chosen approach. These will help me assess whether or not you understand the concepts.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.