Final Case analysis for ADMS 3660 Q WINTER 2020

Final Case analysis for ADMS 3660 Q WINTER 2020
IMPORTANT NOTES
1. Please work ONLY with the case facts presented in the case. Assume that the facts provided in the case are the most relevant ones. 2. Clearly indicate which moral standard, framework, or case you are utilizing. 3. Don’t invent facts to make the issues raised in the case easier. 4. Please also utilize only materials from the course in writing your answers. 5. There is no need to reference materials from the web or other sources. 6. Note that you won’t be graded on the specific policy or outcome you defend but on the quality of your analysis and your demonstration of your grasp of the course materials.
7. This assignment is to be completed by your group alone. 8. You may not ask or allow another group or anyone else outside the group to read, review, or give any comments on your analysis (or even an outline), and you may not review or give comments on any other group’s analysis or outline. 9. Failure to observe the requirement to write the response of the case within the group will be considered an ethical violation, so please be careful to avoid problems.
10. Please read the marking guides as indication of how to allocate your space.
11. BE CERTAIN EVERY QUESTION AND EACH SECTION IN A QUESTION ARE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AND MARKED WITH A HEADING Instructions for submitting assignment (important, please read carefully):
1. The individual PEER EVALUATION assessment sheets must be submitted clearly legible to
IN PDF format only NO LATER THAN ,
.
2. The Case must be submitted in typewritten format [hand written documents will NOT be accepted], to IN PDF format only by NO LATER THAN Friday , by .
3. 1 ½ spacing, 4. 12 font 5. Clearly identify yourself including name, student number and a contact phone number. 6. Word limit of 1500 words, please indicate word count on the document
7. On the Case there is an automatic grade deduction of 5% for each day late (24 hrs) for any reason (i.e., do not wait until the last day to complete the assignment). This policy will be strictly enforced.
8. On the Individual group assessment sheets MARKS WILL be deducted for incomplete or late work for any sheets handed in after the deadline of , by 9. Please note that the instructions for individual peer evaluation assessment sheets and the sheets themselves are posted on the Moodle website. PLEASE READ THEM Direct any additional questions to your team leader.
EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES IN AMERICAN CLOTHING COMPANY
You are on the management team of a rapidly growing, privately-held apparel company named AMERICAN CLOTHING COMPANY. They had $80 million in sales last year and are projecting $150 million for next year. The company’s operations are entirely U.S.-based, an anomaly in an industry that has moved almost all manufacturing to foreign countries in search of cheap labor. The company has succeeded by targeting a niche market that will pay more for fashionable styles, making the speed and flexibility of operations more important than the price.
The company is also unique in its employee policies. Poor working conditions are common at many apparel factories in the U.S. and abroad, and the industry is besieged by public criticism of labor practices. Yet a fundamental tenet of the company is the belief that apparel manufacturing should be profitable without exploiting workers. Management has worked hard since the company’s inception to treat employees as well as possible, and it has developed a reputation for these efforts.
This summer your team found the company could not keep pace with orders. You added
a second shift and hired 1,000 new sewers to staff it, bringing the total number of sewers to
3,000. During the summer months, all employees worked fulltime (eight-hour shifts, five days per week) and often overtime to meet sales needs and replenish dwindling inventories.
It is now September, and it has become clear that the company’s inventory is growing too large. Sales across the industry are usually slow during winter months, and you know the company must slow its production. Each of the 3,000 sewers assembles an average of 20 dozen pieces per day. Based on projected orders and the maximum inventory you can afford to carry, production cannot exceed 4,000,000 dozen pieces between October and March.
Therefore, you must determine how to reduce your actual production over the next 20 weeks to only two-thirds of full capacity. Wages for sewers are not based on the number of hours they work, but on the number of pieces they sew. The efficiency of production at your company is partly responsible for the high wages workers earn.
Typical industry practice in the U.S. and abroad is to lay off excess labor for the winter season, with no severance pay or other assistance and no promise of rehire. Many of your sewers have
lost their jobs elsewhere during the slow season for several years. However, if your company made such a move it would contradict the company’s philosophy regarding the treatment of employees as valued partners. Laying workers off seems like it would be a significant defeat in this respect, with possible repercussions in employee motivation and public relations. Also, your team has invested several thousand dollars in training each employee, and you are concerned that new sewers may not be skilled enough to meet the steep climb in orders anticipated in the spring. If workers are laid off, there is no guarantee that you will be able to rehire the same people in the spring. However, the company cannot afford to pay workers to do nothing for 20 weeks, and many workers will likely return to the company if they fail to match your wages or working conditions elsewhere.
How will your management team address the company’s excess labor problem during the upcoming period of slow sales? REMEMBER to identify each question and part of a question clearly and separately. For example under options you need a] the option, and b] why
1. Identify the key ethical issue and explain why [ 4 marks]
2. Identify the two critical stakeholders and explain how they are be affected [ 6 marks]
3. List the top 2 facts in the case and explain why each one impacts the ethical issue you have [10 marks]
4. Develop an option and explain with 3 reasons why it will solve the ethical dilemma. Be specific in your option. [10 marks for the question]
5. Defend the option you defined in question 4 using a maximum of 4 of the moral standards from: Core Values , Kant, Justice, and Moral Rights. Give 2 reasons for each moral standard you choose [20 marks]
REMEMBER to separate and identify each question and its parts clearly. Also remember the quality of your answer counts so use your words wisely
The answer should be no longer than 1500 words and written clearly. You may use point form.