1

Kelley

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Ethical Communities Worksheet
1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

Earlier this year, I was working as a barista for Fire Tiger Desert Café. Fire Tiger Dessert

Café originated in Thailand, where it because extremely successful. In order to keep the

recipes consistent, the founder requested that each franchize owner used the same exact

brands and ingredients at every location. Most of these ingredients were local to Thailand.

This was not a huge issue for the franchises in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, or the

Philippines, however it did become an issue for the franchise that I worked for. Getting these

particular ingredients imported to the U.S. costed the franchise owner more money than he

anticipated. I had four years of barista experience prior to getting hired, so I was told that I

would be making $15 an hour plus tips.

The owner had no consistent pay schedule, so he would just write me a check

whenever I reminded him, which was usually every other Sunday. I would ask for pay

stubs to see how much I was actually making hourly because my checks seemed very

small for the hours I was working. There were days when I would be scheduled to work

from 8 am to 5 pm and my boss would not allow me to leave until 11 pm or else he

would threaten to fire me. Working five 15 hour shifts 5 days a week for $15 an hour I had

some sort of idea how much I would be making, but I would get my checks and they would

typically only be about $400, and he would refuse to give me any pay stubs. I had asked him

a few times what was going on and he would repeatedly tell me to “be patient” or “be

respectful”. Then one day his wife informed me they they weren’t making enough money to

1
2
Kelley
pay me because their ingredients costed too much for them to import. Eventually, I quit and I

never saw my money, but I decided to move on and not take any action against the company

or the owner.

2) Describe how the ethics of the organization influenced the situation.

This organizations was like a jungle. The textbook, , describes how “The jungle [as] a

politically charged environment of colflict and pursuit and self-interest” (Bolman & Deal,

2021). This organization housed a harsh environment for employees. There was no

consistency; we did not have a set work schedule or pay schedule. We were expected to

come into work with a 30 minute notice. If baristas were not able to make it within that time

frame, our jobs were threatended. If we asked about our pay, we were told to not complain

unless we wanted to be replaced.

Baristas were not satisfied and neither was management. The text goes on to explain that,

“No one can give everyone everything they want, but it is possible to adhere to a value of

fairness in making decisions about who gets what” (Bolman & Deal, 2021). I think it is fair

to ask for a set schedule in advance, as well as a consistent pay schedule. The tradeoff for

making this work would be that management won’t have to worry about staff not showing

up. It would be fair for both parties involved.

3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical communities for an alternative

course of action regarding your case.

There are positive aspects of “The Jungle” community, when justice is served. This was a

politically charged environment, however there was no justice. The idea that employees,

consumers, and investors all benefit from an exchange is what holds organizations together

2
3
Kelley
(Bolman & Deal, 2021). In this particular situation, the investor should buy cheaper products

so he could remain profitable. When the investor is profitable, they can make sure their

employees are being paid. By having affordable products and a staffed shift, consumers are

able to receive the service that they are paying for.

Power within this organization was not evenly distributed. The owner was the primary

investor, manager, and human resource provider all at once. This organization would benefit

by dispersing these roles amongst multiple qualified individuals. It is a major responsibility

to run a business, and the owner could have been overwhelmed by all of his duties. Hiring

someone to manage emloyees and their schedules could relieve a lot of this stress. It would

also be beneficial to give power to a separate human resources department. Having a human

resource leaderwould ensure that employees could feel comfortable voicing their concerns to

someone who does not hold all of the decision making power.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned

about ethics.

Given what I have learned about ethics, I would meet with the owner to suggest dispributing

the power in order to serve justice. I only have about two months of management experience,

but I do have over five years of barista experience. I would have gladly stepped up to offer help

managing. At one point the owner even suggested that I helped him manage. However, he never

seemed to follow through with that plan.

I should have been more persistent about seeing what I could do to fullfil that position. If

I did step in as manager I would have started by enrolling in a scheduling software such as

7shifts. 7shifts would allow employees to list their weekly availability, that way they could only

3
4
Kelley
be scheduled during times that worked for employees. Giving employees shifts that work for

them will create a stable work environment. After all is said and done, the owner would be able

to focus on his investments and the work environment would be more organized.

4
5
Kelley
Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing  organizations: Artistry, choice, and

leadership (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass