This Discussion Board requires you to review the following Scenario and write a 3-4 paragraph response that makes a clear and thoughtful recommendation to the Corporate Vice President on how to resolve or address the issue(s) raised. This is an exercise in how to elevate your thinking from employee-type thinking to thinking like an executive or upper-level manager. Such thinking involves not only knowing what the law is (in this case, basic contract and criminal law), but prudent consideration of corporate goals, loyalties and practical considerations, such as adequacy of training, corporate morale and ultimately, ROI or "return on investment." What would you recommend after careful consideration of the following scenario? When doing the Memo response, be mindful that any decision made by your VP boss will be reviewed, in all likelihood, by the corporate President - and may well reflect on your abilities too!

Scenario: Lord Berkeley Corp. owns and operates approximately twelve department stores (typically anchor stores in malls) throughout the tri-state area. Approximately six months ago, it hired Heather Smith, a 23-year old college student, to work part-time at the cosmetics counter in one of its larger mall stores. Heather had been performing well after she trained with her Supervisor for the first two days of her employment and she often met or exceeded the weekly and monthly sales goals, earning her and her supervisors sales bonuses on a few occasions. In an effort to increase her sales reach, Heather left the store one Friday with six samples of cosmetic product that she intended to bring to a few of her elderly relatives that weekend. Heather was optimistic that her relatives would purchase product from her once they saw the samples. Heather's hunch was correct! One of her aunt's liked the sample and purchased a large bottle of skin creme as a result.

When Heather returned to work the following Wednesday, Heather's Supervisor called her into her office and played a security video of Heather putting the six cosmetic samples into her purse and leaving her work area with them. The Supervisor explained that the store policy permitted the use of samples to in-store customers only and prohibited all sales personnel from removing such samples from the store. In addition, the Supervisor cited the company's Code of Ethics that prohibited theft of merchandise and criminal activity that is in any way related to the performance of one's job. The Supervisor reminded Heather that she was told of the company policies during her initial training and then terminated Heather, effective immediately, for this breach of the company policy. Heather responded that she didn't recall the policy limiting sample distribution to in-store customers but the Supervisor merely reiterated that she was terminated and advised that no criminal charges would be filed.

You are the Assistant to the Vice President of Lord Berkeley Corp. For this Assignment, you must think more like an Executive, and less like an employee. Your boss (the VP) received a letter from Heather advising that she was very sorry for her improper action and imploring the VP to reinstate her in her former position. Your boss tells you that he spoke with Heather personally and that he thought she might still be a valuable asset to the Company given her otherwise solid sales performance in the short time that she worked for us. However, he also confides in you his belief that the Supervisor was acting within her rights to terminate Heather given the clear corporate policies in this regard. Because your boss is ambivalent about this matter, he asks you to write a Memo that outlines and thoughtfully evaluates the facts and potential courses of action that he might take, along with your recommendation and a reasoned explanation of why you think your recommendation is the best course of action. Be sure to identify relevant considerations, including need for any further inquiry or investigation, need to re-evaluate any pertinent company policies, affects on supervisors/employee morale, etc. and to identify and critically think about alternative approaches, the relevant ends and factors involved and the overall Mission of Lord Berkeley Corp. contained in its Mission Statement: "Lord Berkeley Corp. is committed to building a family of the world's best fashion brands offering captivating customer experiences that drive long-term loyalty and deliver sustained growth for our shareholders."

please don't copy the old post that may have been answered previously.