Busi 561 Case Study 1

Case Study 1

Unfortunately for both Christians and other ethically minded individuals, ethical and spiritual dilemmas are all too common in the business world. Even when a venture begins with good intentions, sometimes the power of money can manipulate its direction closer to evil than righteousness. Benji is already experiencing this ugly side of business right out of graduate school. A profitable company, New Gen manufactures, has presented Benji with a contract after he has learned of their questionable business practices. While the offer and presentation may be appealing, it is this author’s opinion that Benji decline the offer from New Gen and choose to work with a company more in line with his ethical and spiritual beliefs.

Corporate Culture

After a basic background search on New Gen, Benji found mostly positive reviews. The company has spent a lot of time and effort developing a pleasing façade. It wasn’t until he spoke with the recruiter and witnessed the true corporate culture being preached by the company’s CEO that he realized that their culture wasn’t based on ethical practices, but economical gain. The CEO, stated at the recruiting “pep rally” the company offered salvation to fat, lazy, lethargic Americans, then hinted that getting rich at the same time might actually be the true motive. When a company presents products to the public as a solution to a very serious problem, that company’s motivation should be focused more on the solution than the possibility of financial gain. When consumers purchase products based on these misleading motives, we continue on a cycle of our incessant quest for money (Lasn, 2001). The CEO is promoting this toxic culture and it trickling down throughout the company, as seen by Benji’s discussions with the recruiter.

Honesty

At first glance, New Gen is a great company doing wonderful things for the good of humanity. Dig a little deeper and the truth starts to reveal itself. Presenting New Gen as a...