HU245 – Employee Rights Case Study – ExtremeNet Company And Allen Lopez

ExtremeNet Company And Allen Lopez  Case Study –  Kaplan HU245 Unit 7 Assignment

As the Chief Executive Officer for ExtremeNet, you are responsible for resolving the conflict between Allen Lopez and ExtremeNet in a manner that demonstrates solid ethical reasoning skills and the ability to manage stakeholder interests.

Case Study

For seven years, Allen Lopez had worked for ExtremeNet, a well-known, global, high-technology company that provides clients with Internet services such as e-commerce and Web development, online marketing, strategic planning, and research. Allen was well paid and performed well in a responsible middle-management position, which he found rewarding. However, as ExtremeNet struggled to manage the effects of an economic downturn, Allen became disenchanted with the company’s treatment of lower-level employees, including his own assistant. Among Allen’s concerns were gender and age discrimination during layoffs, as well as changes to personnel policies that he believed treated lower-level employees unfairly.

Allen’s frustrations grew after he raised his concerns in vain with his superiors. What he did next put his career in jeopardy: Working at home over several weekends, Allen created and published on the Internet a satiric website that inveighed against the abusive management practices of a fictional company that bore a striking resemblance to ExtremeNet. The site gained some notoriety among high- tech websites and in the business press.

The vice presidents of ExtremeNet were incensed to learn of the site’s existence and were concerned that the site generated so much traffic and publicity. Although Allen protested that he acted out of a sense of justice and asserted that his creative work was protected by his first amendment rights, this did not prevent the leadership team of ExtremeNet from hastily assembling an emergency meeting to decide whether Allen Lopez should be discharged, and whether ExtremeNet should file suit to have his satirical website removed from the World Wide Web.

As the leader of ExtremeNet, it is your responsibility to resolve the following questions:

  • Should Allen Lopez be allowed to keep his job with ExtremeNet? Support your answer using ethical theory.
  • Should ExtremeNet attempt a lawsuit to force the removal of this website? Support your answer using ethical theory.
  • How can ExtremeNet’s leadership best respect the rights of Allen Lopez and ExtremeNet? Explain the impact of your ethical decision on Allen Lopez and the company.
  • How can ExtremeNet’s leadership best repair the relationship between management and employees while meeting the needs and goals of the company? Demonstrate an understanding of the issues and how to best unify the company to move forward.
  • Write a one to two page decision in which you address the above questions and explain your reasoning.

HU245 – Employee Rights Case Study Questions Sample Answers

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a case study between Extreme Net Company Allen Lopez, an employee in the company. There are conflicts between the two parties because Allen is disillusioned with the manner in which the company treats low-ranking employees. Even with the existing conflicts, it is essential that Allen continues keeping his job at the company (Freking, 2015). In the firsts place, Allen did not mention anything concerning ExtremeNet in the article published; therefore the company CEO should be guided by ethical theories and principles when making the final decision of whether to discharge or retain Allen. Considering the ethical theory of utilitarianism, which is instituted on the capacity to foresee the magnitudes of an act, it supports that the choice that produces the maximum assistance to many people is an ethically correct choice. Therefore, using ethical thinking and reasoning, Allen did the right thing by supporting the rights of many lower level employees in different companies having similar conditions like ExtremeNet, and the company will make a wrong decision if it decides to lose him.

ExremeNet should not attempt a lawsuit for the removal of the website because its name was not mentioned in the website, and attempting a lawsuit might raise concerns that the company is guilty of the offences mentioned and might be investigated by the relevant regulatory bodies, putting itself in another jeopardy. Considering principle of appropriate publications, Allen has provided information to the public that can be used as a basis for the generation of more information, which is ethically correct and recommended by law (Minute Help Guide, 2012). The relevant regulatory bodies can use the information to investigate the existence of such companies that violate human rights. Supporting this is the rights ethical theory, which argues that one’s rights are well thought-out to be ethically correct and legal, and are given utmost priority. Therefore, using ethical reasoning, if they attempt a lawsuit, the company will definitely loose in the final judgment.

The constitution states clearly on the freedom of rights to an individual, as long as the rights do not cause harm to other people in the society. Therefore, ExtemeNet’s leadership should respect Allen Lopez rights to expression of oneself and first amendment. It should also respect the rights of ExtremeNet to confidentiality. The company has the right of having all the company processes and management practices private and confidential (Minute Help Guide, 2012). Upon solving the conflicts, and each party given room to exercise their rights according the provided rules and regulations, there will be peaceful coexistence of both parties which will add up to improved productivity and profitability.

Repairing the relationship between company management and its employees while at the same time maximizing the company’s profit margins can be initiated by answering the issues raised by Allen Lopez. This can be done through the introduction of change making process to enable smooth transition to the planned changes. This includes equal and fair distribution of the company’s resources irrespective of academic qualifications, age or gender (Freking, 2015). This will motivate all the employees to work hard in their responsibilities since they will be aware that they are all working towards a common goal, improving the goals and objectives of the company. This will eventually add up to increased productivity and profitability, the main aim expected from the management.

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