Ethical Issue Analysis
Your firm, Flyboy, Inc. is a successful U.S. manufacturer of aircraft. Flyboy would like to expand its market to Pamonia, a small, oil-rich kingdom that was once an Italian colony. The principal purchaser of aircraft in Pamonia is the government, although some private families have the resources to purchase the product. The same private families are, not coincidentally, also the nobility of the Pamonian kingdom. For a new entrant like Flyboy, breaking into the market without a local representative is not possible. You are also aware that local custom includes "grease payments" and lavish gifts to customers in Pamonia.
Step 1: Problem Definition
A case seldom involves one clear cut problem. Your task is to:
•determine the symptoms which require immediate attention.
•identify the fundamental issues and causal factors giving rise to these symptoms.
Note: It is important to separate the immediate problems from their more basic sources. For example, immediate problems may be a high rate of absenteeism, while the more fundamental issue may be a poor motivational climate. How you define a problem determines how you go about solving it. A short term solution for absenteeism is likely to be different from solutions which attempt to deal with motivational climate.
Write the Case Analyse from the point of view of an owner or manager of a private, commercial enterprise and s/he must solve the problem.
The problem you must address is how can Flyboy, Inc. break into the Pamonian market, considering all the relevant ethical and legal considerations. The Managerial Implications supplies you with all of the facts you need to get started.
Clearly define your problem in a short phrase. Put the short phrase in bold print.
Step 2: Justification for Problem Definition
Note: In this step you need to review what information you have. You may need to make some inferences to fill in gaps. Clearly label what is inference and what is factual. Do not be afraid to assume, but clearly state the assumptions you are making. You should make assumptions on the basis of your knowledge of what typical managerial practices are like, and they should be consistent with the facts you have about the case. Managerial decisions are always based on limited information. In fact, practicing managers find that many of their decisions must be made quickly on the basis of limited information.
Explicitly address the following four information factors:
2.1 what information is known,
2.2 what information is unknown,
2.3 what assumptions will the student make because of the missing information, and
2.4 why those assumptions are reasonable at the time of writing the analysis.
Step 3: List Alternative Courses of Action
Be creative. Jot down ideas as they come to you. List as many ideas as you can, without evaluating them or censoring anything. You can always cross them out later. The point is to let your imagination take over. Each alternative should be numbered and get its own separate paragraph.
The descriptive words or short phrase for each alternative should be in bold print in the text.
To get the most points, address at least 5 or more alternatives. Among these five, include the alternative of "doing nothing".
Step 4: Evaluate Alternatives
Look critically at the alternatives you came up with in Step 3. Analyze the alternatives in 5 columns regarding their:
1)costs, 2) potential benefits, 3) risks, 4) degree of effectiveness (high vs. medium vs. low), and 5) any other negatives not already covered under costs or risks. If there are none, then explicitly state that, do not leave it blank.
The more examples of costs, potential benefits and risks per each alternative, the higher your grade will be. The benefits must be described as "potential benefits". Address the quantity level (e.g., high, medium or low) of each cell of cost, potential benefit and risk.
Format: Excel table or similar table. No NARRATIVES! There is a fifteen (15) point penalty against the 30 points available for this section for an evaluation in narrative form instead of a table format. Short bullets will suffice. Write as though you were writing to a busy senior manager.
DO NOT ANALYZE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. You will only receive 5 points for this part of the analysis if you do.
Step 5: Draw Conclusions, Make Recommendations/Decisions
Select the alternative or alternatives you would recommend and fully explain/justify the logic behind your choice. Include specifics about the implementation of your recommendation: who should do what, when, and how.
Put your recommended solution(s) in bold print in your text.
Source: Myers, T. & Myers, G. (1982). Managing by communication: An organizational approach. New York: McGraw Hill.