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ETHICS AND MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY. D.5 (c) You are the management committee of the community radio station. Things are getting desperate in terms of income. You set up a three-person study group to make proposals. Eventually, they come back with a report recommending that local business people be encouraged to become shareholders in the project, thereby injecting the necessary capital into the project that will carry it over the crisis. Those on the committee opposed to this say that it will compromise programming integrity and that the community licence may be in jeopardy. The proposers agree that programming will need to be more commercial and advertising sales more aggressive to allow a return to these new investors. Those opposed assert that this will finish the radio as a community development project and will cause problems with the licensing authority. They suggest that a call to the community for support allied to efforts to secure public grants is a more beneficial way to proceed. Which way should the committee of management go? NB. While finding an acceptable balance is important, it is more important for the participants in this case study to reflect on the 'values' they have brought to bear on solving this dilemma. To observe how they arrived at their decision and to consider from where they got these values.
CASE STUDY. D. 5 (d) You are the management committee of the radio station. You have decided that many volunteers need refresher training on the characteristics of the mixing desk. Unfortunately, when you set and begin to run these courses, the only ones to attend are those more conscientious volunteers who already are quite proficient with the desk, they are happy to be apprised and advised. What are you to do with the majority, who need this training, and who failed to respond? Some of the committee suggest that they should be told in no uncertain terms that if they fail to attend for training, they will l be removed from the schedule. Others on the committee feel that this is too draconian and not the way to handle volunteers. They suggest a 'carrot' approach, saying that some incentive should be offered, but fail to offer any ideas. The problem is that if you adopt the 'stick' approach and a significant number still do not respond, can you afford to follow through on your threat. The programming committee say this would cause havoc with the schedule. The 'hawks' say that as management you must take hard decisions whatever the consequences. The 'doves' say that consultation and an appeal to the volunteer's community spirit (Which is little in evidence.) is the way forward. What decisions do you take?
NB. While finding an acceptable balance is important, it is more important for the participants in this case study to reflect on the 'values' they have brought to bear on solving this dilemma. To observe how they arrived at their decision and to consider from where they got these values.
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