Contemporary Communication Case Study

Select ONE Case (1-1 - 1-3) from Communicating in Contemporary Organizations, Ch.1, and discuss
the communication problem stated in it, based on the concepts you learned from Module 1 readings
and additional scholarly sources. Your response should be prompted by the questions for case
analysis and include your main thesis, argumentation, and conclusion (2-3 paragraphs). Please
remember to cite and reference your sources in APA 7 format.

Case 1-1

Women in the White House

During Barack Obama’s presidency, women on his staff were frustrated about their lack of influence.
They were often outnumbered by men in meetings. They struggled to contribute to the
conversation. When they did get a chance to speak, their contributions were often ignored, or a man
would repeat the idea and get the credit.

To counteract this behavior and make their voices heard, the women used a strategy called
amplification. “When a woman made a key point, other women would repeat it, giving credit to its
author. This forced the men in the room to recognize the contribution—and denied them the
chance to claim the idea as their own.”

President Obama soon noticed the technique. He began calling on women more, and the number of
women staffers increased as well.

Questions

1. Why might women be reluctant to speak up in meetings?

2. What are the potential consequences of letting one demographic dominate workplace
discussions and decisions?

3. What other strategies can people who have been traditionally underrepresented in
the workplace use to make their voices heard?

Case 1-2

Ethics and Technology

Chris smiled as he received the analysis packet from his supervisor. He had been working from
home for GEH Mortgage Company, analyzing mortgage applications, for the past 3 years. This
particular application involved not just a home mortgage but also an entire farmstead, a home and
business. Whenever he received an assignment, he did not know how to analyze, he would call on
his friend Joel, whom he had known since high school, to help him accomplish such tasks. He
compensated Joel, usually with a case of beer, when they got together on the weekends. Chris knew
he could trust Joel to do a good job on the analysis, because Joel had double majored in finance and
accounting at a regional university. Chris would then tailor the analysis according to the way the firm
expected reports to be submitted. He quickly e-mailed the application packet to Joel.

Chris was perceived as one of the most dependable analysts in the division because of his past
work, much of which had been farmed out to Joel. He had received accolades and raises as a result
and was enjoying his successful career with the firm.

Questions

1. The method used by Chris is obviously successful, and the company is satisfied with
the results. Is it just good business, or is there an ethical dilemma present?

2. Should Chris confess to his supervisor or just continue the successful deception?

3. What are the privacy issues, given that the information used in these analyses is
proprietary and sensitive?

4. Does this activity fit the notion of plagiarism?

5. Do electronic communication and the telecommuting arrangement make Chris’s

actions more likely than if he were in the office?

Case 1-3

Like Grandfather, Like Granddaughter?

Clarence opened a farm supply store in Montana during the early 1940s. His neighbors in the county
were also his customers. Every person who walked into his store felt comfortable. In fact, they would
often sit, sip a cup of coffee, or shell some peanuts, and solve the world’s problems before loading
up their purchases. Clarence prided himself on knowing what his customers needed to be successful
farmers, and he freely gave them advice about which brand of flea dip would work best on their
cattle and which tonic would help a colicky horse. By the time he retired, and his son Seth took over,
the company had expanded to three stores in three towns and had 14 full-time employees.

As a youth, Seth had attended the state college and earned a degree in agricultural business. When
he took over the company in 1975, he eagerly applied what he had learned to the family business.
He was convinced that technology was the key to success, not personal relationships. Over the
years, he struggled to convert all his father’s old, handwritten records to electronic files. Eventually,
he installed a completely computerized information system that tracked inventory, personnel, and
accounts. He sometimes boasted about being an entrepreneur, but Clarence snorted at that term.
“Just do what’s right for your customers, and you’ll be doing what’s right for yourself,” he would
retort. When Seth retired in 2015, his daughter Kathy took over the company, which now had 23
stores with 228 employees in three states and one wholly owned subsidiary of 18 gas stations.
Kathy’s vision involved offering a broader range of products than farm supplies. She wanted to sell
the image of the family farm. Her stores stocked Western clothing; boots, hats, and jewelry; home
furnishings; and even CDs featuring country music.

Kathy found herself traveling extensively from the corporate office to the various stores. Finding
time to manage everything was a problem, but she had a staff of 12 professionals in the corporate
office to assist her. E-mail, laptops, and smartphones helped tremendously.

Questions

1. How did communication practices and expectations differ for Clarence, Seth, and
Kathy?

2. How do you think the management behaviors differed for the three owners?

3. What contingency factors might each owner have faced while they managed the
company?

Choose two of your colleagues’ posts and peer review them, commenting on their content, depth of
analysis, organization etc. Your Peer Reviews should include your main claim(s), argumentation and
conclusion (2-3 paragraphs). Please remember to cite and reference your supporting sources in APA
7 format.

Introduction:

Case 1-2, "Ethics and Technology," will be the focus of my analysis for this discussion
question. An employee named Chris, who is having trouble keeping up with his duties, causes a
series of moral quandaries in this case. Chris acquires Joel's help and uses Joel's plagiarized work to
hand in to their boss. Chris is also allowing Joel unrestricted access to private consumer data. Both
the corporation and its clients face serious ethical and legal risks as a result of these acts.

Answer to first question:

The situation presents a dilemma with ethical considerations here. The first difficult situation
arises when he asks a colleague to help him with his accounting or financial problems. An outside
set of eyes should be hired to review the contents and ensure they are presented in a credible and
honest way. Joel may be qualified for the position, but he may also have strong personal
preferences. The second issue is that Chris would adjust the analysis to fit with how the company
wanted the report to somehow be handed in. It is also possible he filed legitimate reports, the fact
that he felt compelled to alter them raises questions about their veracity. Third, and most
importantly, Chris really should not be giving Joel access to the sensitive customer information that
his firm has given him. Chris needs to look for answers within the organization if he is having
problems.

We need to notice the unethical behavior that is taking on here. Plagiarism is the practice of
taking credit for another person's work without their permission (Anderson & Steneck, 2011). Chris's
buddies who supply him with plagiarized stuff are just as much of a lawbreaker as Chris himself.

Answer to second question:

Chris must definitely come clean to his superior. This situation raises several ethical concerns.
Despite the fact that Chris may not yet be ready for such responsibility, the employer obviously
views him as qualified for the job. Chris should be more truthful and give credit where credit is due.
Chris as well as his colleagues' information might generate problems for the business, which could
lead to legal action if the situation worsens. Chris's job security and the company's finances would
be at risk if the two parties went to court.

Answer to third question:

Allowing an unauthorized user to access the organization's data is a major privacy concern
(Albrechtslund, 2006). Because of the sensitive nature of the information needed to apply for a
mortgage, he endangers the lives of everyone who does so. Chris poses a risk not only to the firm
but also to the people who put their faith in it by applying for mortgages. If the data was proprietary,
much more unethical and maybe illegal behavior would have happened. Employees should be made
aware of the security measures in place and the repercussions for breaching them.

Answer to fourth question:

Personally, I think that it does. Chris is presenting what appears to be his own work to
his supervisor but is actually copied and pasted from Joel's work without attribution. Individuals who
believe that plagiarism is only an academic argument should be taught that the same concept
applies in professional contexts along with academic ones, and that the results are severe and costly
if they are caught engaging in this practice.

Answer to fifth question:

Yes. Chris is able to effortlessly pull this off because of the prevalence of both of these types
of contact. In the first place, he has the option to work from home, which keeps his boss and
coworkers in the shadows. Second, he would have ready access to phone his mate Joel to get the
issue quickly fixed. Chris's boss will not know he was having trouble with the analysis, which will give
him time to modify Joel's work to his requirements. It's common for remote workers to be less
closely monitored than their on-site counterparts. Chris's management should keep a closer eye on
his behavior at home.

Conclusion:

Lastly, various ethical issues related to plagiarism, privacy, and dishonesty in the workplace
are brought up by the story of Chris and Joel. Chris's activities endanger not just the business, but
also the customers who have placed their faith in Chris and the company. Chris needs to tell the
truth to his boss and take the credit he deserves. In addition, businesses need to have well-defined
rules in place for protecting sensitive information and making workers aware of the implications of
violating such policies (Veltsos & Hynes2021). This case illustrates the significance of ethics and
technology, as well as the necessity for businesses to monitor and enforce workers' compliance with
ethical standards in all parts of their job, whether performed physically or remotely.

References:

Albrechtslund, A. (2006). Ethics and technology design. Ethics and Information Technology, 9(1), 63–
72.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-006-9129-8

Anderson, M. S., & Steneck, N. H. (2011). The problem of plagiarism. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and
Original

Investigations, 29(1), 90–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2010.09.013

Veltsos, J. & Hynes, G. (2021). Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications (8th ed.).
Wiley