Unit 4 Journal LDRHP
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Scenario
Susan Meyers currently works as a purchasing manager for a small manufacturing company, and she has been tasked with choosing a vendor for a $100,000 contract relating to a production line part. Typically, the process would entail the company asking vendors for proposals and then choosing the best option at the lowest cost; however, in this instance, Susan’s boss has requested that she select one vendor from a choice of only two. Susan discovers that one of the vendors is owned by a spouse of a board member. The other vendor is owned by a local politician who is highly inluential in the community. Being that both vendors have quoted seemingly competitive rates, and there were no other rates solicited, Susan cannot determine if any other company could offer a better rate. Being that there appears to be a vested interest in the shortlist provided, she is unsure if choosing a vendor in this type of manner would result in a violation of established organizational guidelines.
On one hand, if Susan follows the instructions of her boss, she will earn the good will of the selected party, yet if she goes against her boss’s wishes, she will likely face a reprimand from senior management. She is mostly concerned as to whether her decision will result in an undesirable or unethical precedent. If you were Susan, what decision would you make? Would it be easier to make a decision if you were not worried about losing your job or being financially burdened as a consequence to your choice of action?
Internal Versus External Motivations
Job input versus output
(Armache, 2012)
Making ethical decisions as a leader or a subordinate is not always easy. Individuals are motivated by various internal and external factors. Internal motivations are what a worker internally puts into a job including hard work and commitment while the output factors include rewards and pay (Armache, 2012). Providing a monetary reward for motivation is one of the most common means, as it relates to one’s needs, emotions, and self concept. Financial rewards are generally based on member status, seniority, job level, or