What Customers Don't Know Won't Hurt Them, or Will It?

Case 2: What Customers don’t know won’t hurt them, or will it?

1. The Reinforcement Theory (SKINNER)” assumes that a desired behavior is a function of its consequences, is externally caused, and if reinforced, is likely to be repeated”.

In Elena’s case she has been motivated to lie because she knew that by doing so she will be receiving positive results as per her supervisor’s recommendation who at first he was the one who told her and supported her to lie to customers, and she has seen him to lying to customers in her presence even tough that she questioned him about his behavior but his reply was that “if you are going to become a Manager, you need to know how to make money. Always take the best deal that you can get.” Somehow she was convinced that if she behaves in this way she will be in a managerial position in the company.

In my opinion Elena will not confess to the legal representative. She lied several times before even before the major accident happened and she won’t be able to face the truth because lying became her second nature, so by confessing she will not be able to any promotion since she has been aiming to reach higher and managerial position with the company.

1. It is obvious that the rental office’s climate is based on lies and dishonesty with the customers and in making profits in whatever it may costs, and this climate has a direct impact on Elena’s behavior specially by her supervisor and his unethical behaviors not taking in consideration what that unethical behavior might reflect a bad reputation on the rental office and how it deals with customers without taking consideration on their safety, trust and satisfaction.

In order to improve the ethics at the office many steps starting with the employees themselves where they should hire employees who believes in business ethics and ethical values at workplace and are able to define what is right or wrong, good or bad. And to replace honesty with dishonesty because honesty is the most important characteristics. It would be a perfect decision by replacing the supervisor with someone who believes in business ethics and practices and has the drive and the ability to do so. Furthermore they should focus on obtaining the trust of customers thereby maintaining a long-term relationship with them.

1. Elena is to be blamed for her behavior, because it was her choice and decision that she took lying as a behavior in order to reach what she was aiming to achieve a managerial position in future with rental office, and what made things worse and made her take the behavior of lying as a routine is her supervisor and his unethical behaviors and his impact on her by telling her and advising her about that behavior, and moreover the actions he had done in front her, and that the way to the top is by making money in any cost even if she had to lie on the costumers.

Concepts from attribution theory explains that external factors such as her supervisor’s behavior and attitude are the main reason that Elena’s reached to this kind of level in her behavior at the workplace.

1. It is more likely that escalation of commitment will occur and she will lie and give wrong information to the legal representative, even that in her mind she knows that what she did is totally wrong but she got used to lying and have done it several times without thinking of the circumstances and problems of what might happen if something wrong happened due to her lies. All her concentration and focus was on her goal which is to be in a managerial position no matter of what that will cost her even by giving up the ethical behaviors.

1. Elena may be a good leader someday, she is hard working person and she is dedicated to her work and has goals that she wants to achieve, but not under those work conditions and climate that she works in,  and sure not with those unethical behaviors that she tends to use. So in order to be good leader Elena must work on herself harder and improve her ethical skills on highest levels. She can learn from her bad experience that she is facing in the current position so will be able to manage in an ethical and honest way and show importance to values where she can define what is wrong and what is right. She has to keep in mind that if a goal is achieved in an unethical way should not be considered as a success at all it is a total failure and only the weak will do it this way.

1. No doubt that Elena is facing and experiencing very bad and negative emotions, and high levels of stress and worry, because the customer who rented the car had a car accident and he is seriously injured together with other driver, and deep down her thoughts she will blaming herself that due to her behavior and dishonesty the costumer is facing this situation.

It is more preferable that after this accident Elena will have positive shock in terms that she will realizes her mistake and all the previous mistakes she had done with the customers and she will give up all those unethical behaviors and hope that will be ready to admit that she did wrong.