Case Title: The Produce Department “I’ve worked at the local supermarket for 5 years as a part-time associate in the produce department. I work around a lot food that can easily be eaten. If you go into the cooler there aren’t any cameras, so it’s unlikely you’ll get caught unless the store manager or store assistant walks in on you.
A. When we cut fruit to put into mixed fruit bowls, even our manager snacked on it. Everyone in our department does it.
B. Sometimes when I stock shelves, if I see a bruised fruit or veggie, I take a bite before throwing it into the compost bin. Those compost bins save money for the company because food doesn’t go into the trash that we pay to haul away.
C. The produce department looks out on the hot food bar outside of the deli, which offers wings, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, etc. Customers and associates fill to-go containers to bring to the register and pay per pound of food. I see customers and associates eat food on the way to the register. One employee got food from the hot food bar during his breaks and lunchtime, filling the container partway. He paid but didn’t go right up to the break room that is behind the registers, as most employees do after purchasing food. He would go back to the hot food bar and continue to fill the container, then head upstairs. The produce associates all witnessed this employee take food he hadn’t paid for.
D. I once witnessed our manager steal from a customer. A woman had left her wallet in her shopping cart. When she walked away from her cart to look for something in another aisle, our manager took some of the cash out of her wallet. I didn’t say anything because I thought my manager would retaliate against me.”
1. Rate each of the above scenarios (A, B, C, and D) on your perception of their moral intensity on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 = “no moral intensity” and 10 = “high moral intensity.” Explain why you rated each scenario with the value that you assigned it. You should provide a separate rationale for each of the four scenarios, even if you assigned two or more scenarios with the same number.
2. Consider Scenario C and Scenario D and the four-component model of ethical decision making. At what stage of the model do you think the individuals “went wrong?” In other words, for Scenario C, identify at which stage you think they determined that it was okay to take food without paying for it (moral awareness, moral judgement, or moral intent). Explain why you chose that stage of the model.
For Scenario D, identify at which stage you think the manager determined that it was okay to steal the customer’s money (moral awareness, moral judgement, or moral intent). Explain why you chose that stage of the model.