Universidad Metropolitana

Department of English
English IV

Business Ethics
Mini Case 1: Short Shorts

Topic: Workplace Policies and Discrimination

Lucy, a college student, is a waitress at a popular eating and drinking

establishment called The Sandtrap, located on the local beach. This restaurant is
known for nightly bands and great entertainment. The usual uniform for
waitresses is jeans or similar long pants and a “Sandtrap” T-shirt.

Business is always good during the spring and summer months while everyone is
vacationing, but during the winter months there is a steady decline. In an effort
to improve business during the off-season months, Fred, the Sandtrap’s owner,
tried a number of new strategies and gimmicks to increase patronage. A past plan
was to include extended happy hour specials and complimentary forger foods to
customers. His latest successful strategy is to require all waitresses to wear low-
cut and tight-fitting shirts and very short shorts.

Sales have improved with the new dress, but there have also been some
problems. Many male customers make lewd and abusive remarks to the
waitresses, particularly after having several drinks. Lucy is tired of being abused
by customers’ physical and verbal actions, so she consults Don, the manager,
and tells him that she will no longer wear the skimpy outfit. Don tells her to wear
the revealing attire for the present.

Now, in view of her complaints, Don has to decide what he is going to do. He is
reluctant to allow Lucy to go back to the old uniform since he is convinced that
the new, revealing clothing is drawing customers that the restaurant badly needs.

Author: Dr. Marilyn M. Helms.

Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Management Mini-Cases. Case No. 11. Retrieved from:
http://ba.tepper.cmu.edu/ethics/AA/mgtmini.htm

I. Discussion:
1. Who are the primary stakeholders?
2. What are the relevant facts?
3. What are the ethical issues?
4. What are the possible alternatives for the manager?
5. What would you have done if you had been Lucy?
II. Integrated Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives.

A. Complete the following sentences using a gerund or an infinitive.

1. The owner was committed to ______________________________________________

2. Don was responsible for ___________________________________________________
3. The manager had no trouble in ____________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________ was the owner’s priority.
5. _________________________________ was not an ethical move to increase sales.
6. _____________________________________ is expected from respectful costumers.
7. The manager was reluctant _______________________________________________
8. Lucy was not afraid _______________________________________________________
9. It is not easy ______________________________________________________________

B. Complete the following sentences using an infinitive to show purpose.

1. The owner of The Sandtrap needed to try new strategies and gimmicks…

2. The manager required waitresses to wear tight-fitting shirts and short

shorts…

C. Complete the following sentences using an infinitive or a gerund. Check

the lists of verbs commonly followed by gerunds OR commonly followed by
infinitives (two different lists).

1. She dislikes _______________________________________________________________

2. She refused _______________________________________________________________
3. Lucy does not justify ______________________________________________________
4. Lucy can’t help ___________________________________________________________
5. The owner hoped __________________________________________________________
6. Don didn’t hesitate ________________________________________________________
7. He advised ________________________________________________________________

Check:
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerund_or_infinitive_different_list.htm

http://www.really-learn-english.com/verbs-followed-only-by-gerunds.html
D. Watch the video: What do you enjoy doing? What do you avoid doing?
Interview with some teachers at LCC.

http://lccopencomputerlabesl.pbworks.com/Gerund-and-Infinitive-Practice.

What do you enjoy doing? ______________________________________________________

What do you avoid doing? ______________________________________________________