Question

Case Study 2

‘Sports Zone’ is a leading sports retailer in the United States of America. It has a chain of retail outlets which sells sports items and sports-ware across the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Europe. It recently started a retail store in Indonesia and was looking for a right candidate for the post of a retail manager. Many people were interviewed and among them was Ms. Mead, a Master’s Degree holder in Retail Management and with previous experience in similar position. The management was impressed with her performance in the interview and has appointed her as the retail manager for their branch in Indonesia. Ms. Mead has signed an agreement with them and the formalities regarding her joining were completed.

Having joined the company, Ms. Mead identified that the store sells the same product to different customers at different prices. She found the sales people are taking the name of God to convince customers about the quality of goods. Also, the store accepts orders for the goods which are not at their disposal for sale. She then met the General Manager of the company and told him about what is happening at the store. The General Manager told her that, it is happening with the notice of the Top Management and asked her to mind her Job. When she did not accept to what he said, the General Manager started criticizing her for her dressing style and said that, they are the leading sports retailers of the world and their employees need to live up to their brand image. He then said the headscarf she wore as a symbol of modesty in her Muslim faith clashed with the store’s dress code. She then said that she was not told about the dress code during the interview or during the time she signed the employment contract.

Question 2:

i. Discuss any three prohibited matters in business as per Islamic values from the above case.

(3 Marks - Answer in 75 – 100 words)

ii. Do you think the comments of the General Manager about Ms. Mead’s dress code are correct? Discuss the consequences of such comments that business might need to face.

(4 Marks - Answer in 100 - 125 words)

iii. If you were the General Manager of the company, how would you handle the situation?

(3 Marks - Answer in 75 – 100 words)

Answer 1

Ans -(i) According to Islam what ever leads to welfare of individual is morally good and whatever is injurious is bad , three prohibited matters in business acoording to them are

a) Doing business unethically

b) Doing any unlawful work

c) Doing commercial business in the name of God .

Ans (ii) No, the comments of general manager about the dress code of employee was not good at all. Every individual person on this earth belongs to a respected relegion and every relegion has its ethics and values , and every person have born right to follow and obey his or her relegion , The senior management is always expected too work free from all the personal terms and focus on the growth of busniness , there may be consequences of managers comment on business also , they may be

I) Business may become bias for a type of relegion

ii) Moral values of business may be down

iii) Goodwill of business may be affected

iv) Faith can be out on business from a special class of relegion persons .

Ans - iii) There can be no busniess with out issues or problems , and every problem have a solution so as to business problem ,

If I was the general manager , first I would appreciate the work of that employee who keenly observe the work granted, every business must be done by ethics it is the very basic rule, I would satisfy that employee that I will look into that matter as soon as possible and also talk with senior management to solve this issue.