MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION - Pearson Learning Solutions

Chapter 3 ● Communication Ethics 75000200010270582216CASE 3-1Background NoteExcel Industries (A)The workforce in North America, particularlyin the United States and Canada, is becomingincreasingly female, reflecting a general trendtoward two-paycheck families.According to a study from [the] HudsonInstitute, an increasing number of women areentering the North American job market. Since1990, approximately two-thirds of all newentrants to the workforce have been women.And, since about 2002, nearly two-thirds of allworking-age women in the United States haveentered the workforce. Other studies indicatethat women in the United States have enteredthe job market more for economic than forprofessional reasons. While the number ofwomen with college degrees and professionalcredentials is rising, so is the number of singleparentfamilies headed by women. Thesefamilies are, for the most part, well belowaverage in income and education and are morelikely than two-parent households to requirepublic assistance.At the same time, employers are comingto realize that what had formerly been seen as“women’s issues”—including flexible scheduling,maternity and family leave, anddaycare—are really “family issues,” deservingserious attention from both the public andprivate sectors. Some of these matters havebecome the object of protracted and heatednegotiation during collective bargaining. Whatonce was regarded as a luxury or fringe benefitin many organizations is more frequentlyviewed by employees as an entitlement.In North America, and especially in theUnited States, daycare for the children ofworking mothers is not seen as an entitlementto be provided by government. TheU.S. federal government views itself as constitutionallyexcluded from issues related tomanagement of education and child care, andstate and local governments cite a lack offunding. Corporate America has increasinglycome to see a social responsibility for thechildren of their employees, and employeeshave come to expect and depend on suchcorporate responsiveness to their needs.This case deals with several aspects ofthese emerging family issues. Each employeehas both a cost and a value to a business organization,and each employer has concomitantobligations and responsibilities to those employees.This case is about balance among thoseobligations and management decision makingwhen obligations are in conflict or whenresponsibilities pull in opposite directions.This case also involves corporate communication.The executives and managementof every business enterprise operate in anenvironment that is information-rich, yet rifewith rumor, misunderstanding, and misinformation.Business leaders must understandthat every action, whether intended for publicdiscussion or not, will have an effect onthe public’s perception of their business.Business leaders should also understand that,as they draft their corporate strategy andimplement tactical moves in the marketplace,they will interact and communicate with adiverse and complex audience. Individualswho will see and hear of management’sactions will have varying backgrounds, readingabilities, knowledge of the subject, politicalviews, prejudices, and interests.In many ways, the mass audiencereached by radio, television, newspapers,magazines, and the Internet is actually manysmaller audiences. It may be helpful to thinkof the larger audience as comprised of shareholders;customers; suppliers; competitors;politicians; local, regional, and nationalgovernment officials; potential investors;prospective employees; neighbors; communitymembers; and others.In some cases, business leaders mightwell consider separate messages for separateaudiences, designing their content for theManagement Communication: A Case-Analysis Approach, Fourth Edition, by James S. O'Rourke, IV. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.