1.

0 Case Summary

This case, The FIJIAN is about a five-star hotel operating in Fiji whereby the
locals have a stronghold in traditional culture and belief which supersedes other
aspects of life. The manager of the hotel, Brett Taylor is facing a problem which
involves strict cultural relationship between Moala Tukana, who is currently an
Assistant Food and Beverages Manager and a trainee waitress at the Lagoon Terrace
Restaurant, Salome Suacake.

Moala Tukana is an assistant manager, who was sponsored by the Hotel group to
study in Switzerland in a 3 years course for hotel management and is currently serves
in the hotel with well performances. He also been promoted as a manager in Food and
beverage department but the cases which involving Salome Suacake which made the
promotion as pending until the case is solved. As a trainee, Salome Suacake was
performing very well for the first two moth of her employment but during third
month, her attitude and responsibility towards the work had changed. Salome was
caught by Brett Taylor that she is taking the money from customers paid for their
meals and drinks.

The reason that Salome keeps the money is to build a church building at her
village. Moala was called by the management for his explanation of the incident and
his admitted he knew Salome had been stealing. Moala also stated that he has a
relationship with Salome, where he is tau for Salome, a cultural bond as a result of
an unresolved ancestral debt that permits her to do as she wishes in Moalas home,
Yanuca Island. The incident also seems that Salome taking advantage of the
relationship.

Brett Taylor was in dilemma situation that what he should do to solve this issue.
He must be fairly by not allow the local staff take advantage of his ignorance of such
practices. On the other hand, he was not willing to terminate Moala since he has the
potential to be a leader. Brett Taylor, who as a manager should make a best decision
for the best interest of the company, the employees and the customers regarding this
issue.
2.0 Problem Statement

A trainee waitress at the Fijian, Salome Suacake was found stealing from
customers but there wasnt any proof until Brett Taylor himself caught her at it. She
has been performing well in her first 2 months of employment but in her third month
her negative attitudes appear and then was caught by Brett Taylor that she was
stealing money from customers. Salome was immediately suspended pending
investigations.

Moala Tukana, as Salomes direct supervisor, was a careful, fair and

responsible employee who has the best and highest potential to be the first indigenous
Fijian to hold a middle-level to top-level management position. He was responsible
for auditing the accounts and conducting spot checks on the waiters and waitresses.
Moala admitted that he knows the crimes that she committed. The reason that
resulting in an unbreakable relationship or a bond is apparently Moalas ancestors
owned Salomes ancestors a debt.

Further investigations show that the purpose of Salome stealing is to fund the
building of a church in her village. Moala has also admitted he did not take any
actions against Salome because he was her Tau. A Tau relationship is a relatively
unknown practice in Fiji. This is because Moalas ancestors owned Salomes
ancestors a debt and it creates an unbreakable bond between the two families which
caused Salome allowed doing anything in Moalas tribal land which is Yanuca Island
where the Fijian is located as she pleased without repercussions. Salome has taken
advantage the bond and exploit the relationship between Moala and herself to do as
she pleased, jeopardizing both her and Moala.

Brett Taylor was in dilemma situation that what he should do to solve this
issue. He must be fairly by not allow the local staff take advantage of his ignorance of
such practices. On the other hand, he was not willing to terminate Moala since he has
the potential to be a leader. Brett Taylor, who as a manager should make a best
decision for the best interest of the company, the employees and the customers
regarding this issue.
 This case indicates the main problem is Moala is bound by local custom
which is the Tau relationship between Moala and Salome caused both of them
unable to carry out their scope of responsibilities as employees properly.

3.0 Alternative Strategies

Gives Salome a writing or verbal warning

Warning letter should be given to Salome and Moala to indicate how much code of
integrity is important in the workplace. Brett Taylor and Solome must meet with
Solome face to face to discuss on Solomes behaviour. It is important to make sure
that Solome understands that Brett Taylor is giving a warning. Moreover, this is
important to explain to Solome that her behaviour is not acceptable and wrong. Brett
Taylor must explain to Solome clearly if she continues to do the same mistake and not
meeting his expectations, there could be disciplinary action for failure to improve. He
will have no choice but to terminate her immediately.

Relocate Salome to another department

Salome Suacake should be relocated to another department so that Salome is not

under Moala supervision. By doing this, it is to make sure that the deceptive
behaviour will not occur. In addition, blood relation should be avoided during
recruitment to avoid conflict of interest. This will show that the management is
serious in managing their staffs wrong doing especially in fraud. FIJIAN management
also has to delay Moalas promotion as a manager.

Ask Salome and Moala to pay for the loss

Mr Brett Taylor should ask them to pay back the total amount stole by Salome. Even
Moala was not the one who stole the money but he still need to pay for the loss
together with Salome because he is Salomes Tau. Moreover, they should not be
given any bonus or allowance for that year as a punishment. They should responsible
for their misbehaviour and crime. This should be remembered and aware by all the
staffs.

Fired Salome Suacake

Salome Suacake should be fired because she was caught red-handed taking money
from customers by Brett Taylor and keeping the money which customers paid for their
meals and drinks. Mr Brett Taylor may find it is hard for him to fired Salome because
she was performed well for the first two months of her employment. The reason for
Salome for stealing is because she needed the money to help finance the building of a
church at her village. However, stealing or fraud is the most sensitive and big issue to
any organization. For the sake of credibility and performance of organization, Mr
Brett Taylor cannot take any risk towards giving chance to Salome but fired her.
4.0 Evaluation of alternative strategies

Gives Salome a writing or verbal warning

The possible positive outcomes for this strategy is Salome will be aware of her own
duty and will not mix up personal matter and working matter again. The management
will also can aware of their staff behaviours from time to time to avoid same things
happened again. A respectful and bonding is increased between the management staffs
and their subordinates will create a better performance in their work place. However,
there is also some drawback for this strategy, such as even Salome has received a
second chance but she has created a bad record performance for herself from the
management record and is bad for her future if she intends to change her career
despite her reason of stealing is not for own good but still other organization will have
doubts to accept her due to the trust issues. Also, this will also be misleading the other
employees to have the perception of stealing will get second chance from
management.

Relocate Salome to another department

The positive of relocate Salome to another department is in the future, the same
things will not happen again between Salome and Moala. This is because without the
Tau relationship, Salome will not able to rely on this relationship to stealing again and
other supervisor will surely report to top management if found Salome stealing again.
However, the negative of relocate Salome to another department is Salomes
integrity will be affected after other people know what Salome had been done and this
will make other people not to believe Salome again. In the future, if there is any
stealing case happen again, even it is not done by Salome but people will question
Salome since she had been done same thing before. Also, without harsh punishment
Salome might think that stealing is not a big deal if she is not stealing for her own
good.

Ask Salome and Moala to pay for the loss

The positive for this approach is all the Salome and Moala will immediate take note
and be extra aware of their actions because they know that they are going to
responsible of their own action. At the same time, they also can understand that
stealing is a fraud crime and it is very serious. Through this punishment, it can
prevent them from doing it again in the future. However, the negative for this
approach is Salome might want to resigned from being the waitress at FIJIAN as she
could not handle the stress and burden she might face during repay all the loss as the
reason of crime she has done was not or herself but for the Church.

Fired Salome Suacake

The positive of this approach is Mr Brett will still have his right-handed assistant
manager, Moala and Moala can perform even better as he is no longer bounded to the
tie of Tau Relationship with Salome. Besides, other staff will also take this case as a
lesson and it can prevent them from doing this in the future. Other than that, Mr Brett
Taylor will not lose his credibility as a good and fair owner-manager in solving this
cross-cultural management problem. The negative of this approach is some of the
employees might judge the decision of Mr Brett Taylor as being unfair especially
from the Hotel Union Staffs as they are appealed on behalf of Salome. Meanwhile on
behalf on Salome, she might have a problem in searching her future career in hotel
industry particularly because of her bad reputation of her fraud crime.
5.0 The best strategy and justification

The best solution in all of the alternative strategies to solve this issue is relocate
salmon to another department but if the same things happen again it should be fired.
Salome Suacake should be relocated to another department because without the Tau
relationship, Salome will not able to rely on this relationship to stealing again. The
reason for doing this, is to make sure that the deceptive behavior will not occur in
order to affect the benefit of the organization. The other supervisor will not tolerate if
she was trying to steal since there was no any relationship between them. Moreover, if
the other supervisor found Salome stealing again, fired would be the second-best
strategy although she was performed well but stealing or fraud is unacceptable in
organization.

In addition, the best solution has a better advantage as compared to solutions whereby
fired Salome Suacake straight away instead. Even though stealing or fraud is the most
sensitive and big issue to any organization. However, everybody deserves a chance to
turn over a new leaf as Salome Suacake is considered as a good employee due to she
was performed well in the first two month and the reason for Salome stealing is
because she needed the money to help finance the building of a church at her village.
Nevertheless, the best solution would be better because chance is given but if the
same things happen, fired her would be the strategy for the benefit of the
organization . The best strategy helps the FIJIAN management, so that it wouldnt lost
a good employee by just relocate her position to avoid the same issues happen again.
This solution offers a better resolution towards the FIJIAN management and Salome
Suacake.