Personal Information
Peter Green
John Murphy
Bob Franklin
Academic
A college graduate
A local high school graduate
Position
Sales representative
District manager
The owner of Peabody Rug
Business experience
The first graduate of the Scott’s five-month training program. No on-the-job experience.
Had fought his way through the stiffest retail competition in the nation. Arrogant, skilled, tactful, experienced, started empty-handed.
Ethics
School boy
Conventional morality
Conventional morality
What Bob Franklin wants, “Freight Cost?”
To claim to the front office of Scott Carpets that some of the carpet was damaged due to the transit from mill to the store (Defective merchandise). Therefore Peabody Rug would be given a discount which approximately equal to the cost of shipping the carpet back to the warehouse for replacement.
Peter’s argument
Immoral. It’s a lie to the front office.
John’s argument
Every company even their competitions do it.
Peter Green’s contradiction in this situation
Principal contradiction for Peter Green:
Get the order from Bob Franklin. In order to get the order, Peter has to face the problem of “freight cost”.
Secondary contradiction for Peter Green:
1) His supervisor, John Murphy makes no bones about his scorn for the new breed of salespeople at Scott Carpet, such as Peter himself.
2) Tiff with John Murphy.
How to deal with the principal contradiction for Peter Green
As Peter Green has to face his ethical principle of no lies, he cannot bear from lying to the front office or he will encounter a faith breaking. That leaves only choice is to satisfy Bob Franklin in order to not lose the commission, at the same time, not breaking his ethical rules.
There is one way to finish the task and benefit both sides. Peter could ask the company to bring forward a preferential strategy that all the firms that have a long-term partnership with Scott Carpets (Such