The Chain of Responsibility THE SITUATION Because several stages are involved when distribution…

The Chain of Responsibility

THE SITUATION

Because several stages are involved when distribution chains move products from supply sources to end consumers, the process offers ample opportunity for ethical issues to arise. This exercise encourages you to examine some of the ethical issues that can emerge during transactions among suppliers and customers.

THE DILEMMA

A customer bought an expensive wedding gift at a local store and asked that it be shipped to the bride in another province. Several weeks after the wedding, the customer contacted the bride, who had not confirmed the arrival of the gift. It hadn’t arrived. Charging that the merchandise had not been delivered, the customer requested a refund from the retailer. The store manager uncovered the following facts:

• All shipments from the store are handled by a well-known national delivery firm.

• The delivery firm verified that the package had been delivered to the designated address two days after the sale.

• Normally, the delivery firm does not obtain recipient signatures; deliveries are made to the address of record, regardless of the name on the package.

The gift giver argued that even though the package had been delivered to the right address, it had not been delivered to the named recipient. It turns out that, unbeknownst to the gift giver, the bride had moved. It stood to reason, then, that the gift was in the hands of the new occupant at the bride’s former address. The manager informed the gift giver that the store had fulfilled its obligation. The cause of the problem, she explained, was the incorrect address given by the customer. She refused to refund the customer’s money and suggested that the customer might want to recover the gift by contacting the stranger who received it at the bride’s old address.

TEAM ACTIVITY

Assemble a group of four students and assign each group member to one of the following roles:

• customer (the person who had originally purchased the gift)

• employee (of the store where the gift was purchased)

• bride (the person who was supposed to receive the gift)

• customer service manager (of the delivery company)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Before hearing any of your group’s comments and from the perspective of your assigned role, decide whether there are any ethical issues in this situation. If so, write them down.

2. Before hearing any of your group’s comments and from the perspective of your assigned role, decide how this dispute should be resolved.

3. Together with your group, share the ethical issues that were identified. What responsibilities does each party—the customer, the store, and the delivery company—have in this situation?

4. What does your group recommend be done to resolve this dispute? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your recommendations?