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How can Alan use Utilitarianism to resolve the dispute between Bob and Coot?  Your answer should determine

• who will be affected by Alan’s decision
• how  they will be affected
• how Alan can resolve the issue to produce the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for everyone affected by his decision

Your answer should be about 300 to 400 words.  No “big words” answer should be simple and original. I need this in 24 hrs. 

MINICASE: MGMT – 13 BUSINESS ETHICS PROGRAM

1992 Arthur Andersen & Co, SC. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 1

Mutiny in the Manufacturing Department

Topic: Labor Relations

Characters: Alan, a lead supervisor in a manufacturing department
Bob, an inexperienced group supervisor, directly under Alan
Coot, a veteran employee within Bob’s group

Alan, a lead supervisor in the manufacturing department, has just received word of an
altercation between one of his junior supervisors, Bob, a recent college graduate, and Coot, a
veteran machine operator.

Bob’s group had been working on an order for a major customer. Bob had set up a work
schedule and job assignments which Coot, through experience, knew would not get the order
out on time. Coot suggested a different sequence which Bob dismissed without discussion.
The group began the order using Bob’s setup, but Coot switched everyone over the minute
Bob left the area. The order was finished, on time, without further incident. Bob later
discovered the “mutiny,” however, and had a loud confrontation with Coot in front of the
entire group.

Alan has reviewed the two work schedules and, indeed, Bob’s assignments would not have
gotten the order out on time. Since the customer uses a Just-in-Time inventory system, such
a slip-up would probably have cost Alan’s company any future business with the customer.

On the other hand, Alan knows that a failure to support Bob will cause an immediate loss of
credibility throughout the entire department. Bob needs the freedom to make his own
mistakes if he is to develop and gain experience, but at what cost to the customer?

Author: G. Scott Erickson, Lehigh University