Manage legal and ethical compliance

Method

Read the following case study and address the questions:

You work in an office department of a large distribution company, a company that you have worked in for over 30 years. You work in the accounts department overseeing all purchases and cash flow. You are friends with a few of the Christian employees and you enjoy your solace from the sometimes toxic secular environment of the workplace with John, Hayley and Bill. John works in building management, he works hard and is a nice man. He doesn't earn that much considering the cost of living and his large family - wife and three young children. In the course of your job you notice that last year there were some discrepancies with the building management account. After digging around you notice that some minor items were over ordered but never seemed to arrive. The difference in money is about $800. The person who placed those orders was your friend John. You go to him privately one day and ask him about it and he tells you that he did forge those orders to take some money to help pay some bills after his wife lost her part time job. He seemed to be ashamed of it, said they had the bank wanting to take their house if they missed another mortgage repayment. He said it was only to get them through until she picked up another job, and he said he always intended to pay it back. You know that the company has been struggling due to the financial downturn, and while they might be able to go without $800, you are responsible for ensuring the books add up and every department is financially held accountable. You must report to your senior manager, who is the daughter of the company owner and a young woman that you have personally helped to mentor and you consider to be like family. You also know that if you report John to management he will surely lose his job, since a similar situation happened recently with one of thewarehouse staff stealing some stock. On the one hand you must consider the close relationship and loyalty you have to your senior manager, but on the other hand you must consider your friend John.

MANAGE LEGAL AND ETHICAL COMPLIANCE

1. What decision did you arrive at and why? What was the ethical framework you applied to the case study?

1. How could you incorporate your procedures, actions and processes into an ethical framework within your role?

1. How does your ethical responsibilities impact on workers, clients and the broader community?

1. What could you do when you discover a breach of ethical or legal practise in your organisation?