Activity 1

to decision making? What conclusion would probably result if he employed the individualism approach? 2. Put yourself in Antonio's position and decide realistically what you would do. Is your response at a preconventional, conventional, or postconventional level of moral development? How do you feel about your response? 3. If Antonio or Kevin were fired because they reported Empress's fraud, would they be justified in removing all traces of their employment at the cruise line from their resumes so they don't have to explain to a prospective employer why they were fired? Why or why not?Case for Critical Analysis - EMPRESS LUXURY LINES From what computer technical Kevin Pfeiffer just told him, it looked to Antonio Melendez as if top management at Empress Luxury Lines finally found a way to fund the computer system upgrade, he'd been requesting ever since he'd taken the job two years ago. It all begun innocently enough, Kevin said. When he reported to the luxury cruise line's corporate headquarters, his supervisor Phil Bailey informed him that the computer system had been hit by a power surge during the fierce thunderstorms that rolled through southern Florida the night before. "Check out the damage, and report directly back to me," Phil instructed. When Kevin delivered what he thought would he good news - the damaged underground wires and computer circuits could be repaired to the tune of about $15,000 - he couldn't understand why Phil so deflated. "Go out to the reception area. I've got to call Roger," Phil snapped, referring to Empress's CFO - and Antonio's boss. In a few minutes, Phil called Kevin back into the office and instructed him to dig up nearly all the underground wire and cable and then haul it all off before the insurance adjustor appeared. If Kevin carried out Phil's orders, he knew the costs would balloon astronomically to about a half-million dollars, a tidy sum that would go a long way toward covering the costs of a computer system upgrade, as Phil pointed out. Kevin took a deep breath and refused, even though as a new hire he was still on probation. When Antonio congratulated Kevin on his integrity, the technician shook his head. "Didn't really matter, "he said. "On my way back to my cubicle, Matt passed me on his way to do the deed." Antonio could, at the motivation behind the scam. During the 1990s, Empress increased its fleet of ships in response to the healthy demand for its luxury cruises during the stock market bubble. But the bubble burst, the nation was traumatized by September 11, and some of the vacationers who did venture onto cruises were felled by an outbreak of the Norwalk virus. Bookings fell off precipitously. To top it all off, the 2005 hurricanes hit, forcing Empress to write piles of refund checks for their Caribbean and Gulf cruises while coping with steep increases in fuel costs. Seriously sagging earnings explained why Antonio's requests for that system upgrade went unheeded. He could also guess at the likely consequences if he chose to do the right thing. Since taking the job, he'd heard rumors that Empress successfully defrauded insurance companies before he arrived. He dismissed them at the time, but now he wasn't so sure. No confidential mechanism was in place for employees to report wrongdoing internally and no protections were available for whistle-blowers. Shaken, Antonio wasn't feeling at all confident that, even if he bypassed the CFO, he would find upper-level management all that eager to thwart the scheme. He had hunch that the person most likely to be penalized was the whistle-blower. "I debated about just calling the insurance company," Kevin said, "but I decided to come to you first." So, what should Antonio do? Should he advise Kevin to go ahead and report Empress to the insurance company? Or should he treat Kevin's communication as confidential and deal with the situation himself, in effect putting only his own job in jeopardy? And really, considering the high degree of personal risk and the low probability that the problem would actually be addressed, should he just sweep the problem under the rug? Questions 1. When determining what his obligations are to his subordinates, Kevin Pfeiffer, what decision would Antonio Melendez mot likely reach if he applied the utilitarian approachDirection: Answer the following questions briefly and cite examples/illustrations. 1. Over the past 20 years, entrepreneurship has been he fastest-growing course of study on campuses throughout the country. However, debate continues about whether you can teach someone to be an entrepreneur. Do you think entrepreneurship can be taught? Why or why not? 2. Why would small business ownership have great appeal to immigrants, women, and minorities? 3. Consider the six personality characteristics of entrepreneurs. Which two traits do you think are most like those managers in large companies? Which two are least like those of managers in large companies? 4. How would you go about deciding whether you wanted to start a business from scratch, but an existing business, or buy into a franchise? What information would you collect and analyze? 5. If you were to start a new business, would you have to search for an idea, or do you already have an idea to try? Explain. 6. Do you think entrepreneurs who launched a new business after deciding to leave a job on their own versus hose who have been forced to leave a job as a result of downsizing are like to have difference traits? Which group is more likely to succeed? Why