Case study

Case Study: Better Boston Beans. 3 pages

To answer the above question, we should apply profitability ratios that helps shareholders or owners of a business to find out the profitability of the operation, as well as return on their investments. Profitability ratios are also called activity ratios because they indicate the ability of company to earn profits in relation to the sales made, assets employed, or equity, the numerator can be net profit, operating profit or gross profit.

Cindie Rosen has worked for Better Boston Beans for six months. She took the job right out of college because she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to go to graduate school before beginning a career in financial services. Cindie hoped that by taking a year off before starting her career or going on to graduate school, she would experience “the real world” and find out firsthand what it is like to work a 40-hour week. She did not have a full-time job during college because her parents helped pay for the tuition.

  Since Cindie is the “new kid on the block,” she is often asked to work the late shift from 4:00 p.m. to midnight. She works with one other person—Jeffrey Lyndell—who is the assistant shift supervisor. Lyndell has been with Boston Beans for three years but recently was demoted from shift supervisor.

  For the past two weeks, Lyndell has been leaving before 11 p.m., after most of the stores in the Marketplace close down, and he has asked Cindie to close up by herself. Cindie felt this was wrong and it was starting to concern her, but she hasn’t spoken to Lyndell and has not informed the store manager. However, something happened one night that caused Cindie to consider taking the next step.

  At 11:00 p.m., 10 Japanese tourists came into the store for coffee. Cindie was alone and had to rush around and make five different cold-blended drinks and five different hot-blended coffees. While she was working, one of the Japanese tourists who spoke English very well approached her and said that he was shocked such a famous American coffee shop would only have one worker in the store at any time during the working day. Cindie didn’t want to ignore the man’s comments so she answered that her coworker had to go home early because he was sick. That seemed to satisfy the tourist.

  It took Cindie almost 20 minutes to make all the drinks and field two phone calls that came in during that time. After she closed for the night, Cindie reflected on the experience. She realized it could get worse before it gets better because Jeffrey Lyndell was now making it a habit to leave work early. She had to either approach him about it or speak with the store manager. She felt much more comfortable talking to the store manager. In fact, in Cindie’s own words, “Lyndell gives me the creeps.”

Complete Case: Better Boston Beans.

Read the above case and write up an executive summary on the case, including answers to the following questions.

1.Evaluate the actions of the parties from the perspective of six pillars of character.

2.Evaluate the actions from the perspective of Kohlberg’s six stages of moral development.

3.What ethical reasoning can you develop from this case?

 

Include your opinions and your current leadership skills that will influence the process for creating awareness of appropriate ethical behavior.