You are the general manager of a high end, full service restaurant. You just placed a $10,000 wine order for two upcoming events. As a thank you, the supplier just stopped by to give you a voucher for a two-night stay at an inn which included dinner and a tasting at the winery. Using the guidelines listed below, analyze the situation. What are your conclusions? Ethical Guidelines from Textbook (Dopson)
Is it legal?
Any course of action that violates written law or company policies and procedures is wrong.
Does it hurt anyone?
Are benefits accruing to the manager that rightfully belong to the owner of the business? Discounts, rebates, and free products are the property of the business, not the manager.
Am I being honest?
Is the activity one that you can comfortably say reflects well on your integrity as a professional, or will the activity actually diminish your reputation?
Would I care if it happened to me?
If you owned the business, would you be in favor of your manager behaving in the manner you are considering? If you owned multiple units, would it be good for the business if all of your managers followed the considered course of action?
Would I publicize my action?
If you have trouble remembering the other questions, try to remember this one. A quick way to review the ethical merit of a situation is to consider whom you would tell about it. If you are comfortable telling your boss about the considered course of action, it is likely ethical. If you would prefer that your actions go undetected, you are probably on shaky ethical ground. If you wouldn’t want your action to be read aloud in a court of law (even if your action is legal), you probably shouldn’t do it.