Does This Milkshake Taste Funny
I. Major Issue(s), Key characters
George Stein is just the average worker trying to make a space for himself in Middle Class America. His primary motive for working at Eastern Dairy was to fortify his savings account and avoid the pursuit of a college degree. His parents, also middle-class workers, were pushing George to pursue higher education because they wanted a better life for him than they had for themselves.
In George’s mind, working at Eastern Dairy seemed relatively easy. He could keep his life simple by earning a decent wage, with a predictable daily schedule and relatively easy job duties. By doing so, George could also avoid long-term papers and tedious reading assignments. George quickly realizes that any job can present challenging situations that he could have never imagined as he encounters a serious ethical conundrum when his co-worker Paul at Eastern Dairy tells him to ignore a potentially hazardous and threatening sanitary problem as maggots are found in the manufacturing pipes.
II. Analysis of the Issue(s)
In this case, there are several bi-products of poor management including: lack of proper training, accountability and adherence to manufacturing industry standards to name a few. A company as large as Eastern dairy should have a trained, qualified manager on site and more than 4 employees for the night shift, especially given how critical the night shift is in meeting production needs. The so-called “leader” of the group, Paul is worried about going home early and the cost impact to the company if product needs aren’t met for one night. This is a prime example of how overly aggressive financial and business objectives can cause unethical behavior (O.C. Ferrell, 2009). The Will Paul lose his job if the team falls short of its production standards for this one night? Paul’s decision to turn his back on the issue at hand ended up putting George in an extremely difficult situation. Strong leaders do not turn their back
George Stein is just the average worker trying to make a space for himself in Middle Class America. His primary motive for working at Eastern Dairy was to fortify his savings account and avoid the pursuit of a college degree. His parents, also middle-class workers, were pushing George to pursue higher education because they wanted a better life for him than they had for themselves.
In George’s mind, working at Eastern Dairy seemed relatively easy. He could keep his life simple by earning a decent wage, with a predictable daily schedule and relatively easy job duties. By doing so, George could also avoid long-term papers and tedious reading assignments. George quickly realizes that any job can present challenging situations that he could have never imagined as he encounters a serious ethical conundrum when his co-worker Paul at Eastern Dairy tells him to ignore a potentially hazardous and threatening sanitary problem as maggots are found in the manufacturing pipes.
II. Analysis of the Issue(s)
In this case, there are several bi-products of poor management including: lack of proper training, accountability and adherence to manufacturing industry standards to name a few. A company as large as Eastern dairy should have a trained, qualified manager on site and more than 4 employees for the night shift, especially given how critical the night shift is in meeting production needs. The so-called “leader” of the group, Paul is worried about going home early and the cost impact to the company if product needs aren’t met for one night. This is a prime example of how overly aggressive financial and business objectives can cause unethical behavior (O.C. Ferrell, 2009). The Will Paul lose his job if the team falls short of its production standards for this one night? Paul’s decision to turn his back on the issue at hand ended up putting George in an extremely difficult situation. Strong leaders do not turn their back
Cited: O.C. Ferrell, G. A. (2009). A Changing World, 7/e. McGraw-Hill.