Professional Workplace Dilemma: Agentes Aduanales Del Pacifico

Professional Workplace Dilemma: Agentes Aduanales del Pacifico

Achieving unfailingly correct decisions is not an easy task. Most decisions are made from three different perspectives; these are the economic, professional, and social standpoints. These three standpoints sometimes are of equal weight yet, totally in opposition. When this is the case and the standpoints are in opposition is very difficult to find the correct and ethical solution. This paper will deal with this dilemma. If it is better to lay off a long time friend or keep giving him opportunities until he takes the right path.

Agentes Aduanales del Pacifico (AAP) is a Mexican Custom's broker office established in 1998 in Nogales, Sonora. In 1999, (AAP) had nine employees working fulltime and two to four working par time. The weekly workload of AAP was 80-100 40 foot containers a week. Some of Agentes Aduanales del Pacifico responsibilities are the logistics of these 40' containers full of merchandize coming from China through Long Beach bound to Mexico City and Guadalajara.

To make clear the complexity of this process, I will detail a small part of the import process of a railroad car moving from Nogales, Arizona into Nogales, Sonora:

1. The U.S. Customs' broker in Long Beach California documents the car with the U.S. railroad carrier by submitting shipping instructions and provides the documentation to the U.S. Customs.

2. The U.S. Customs' broker also provides the original invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and needed documents to begun the exportation movement into Mexico to the Mexican Customs' broker.

3. The U.S. Customs officers release the merchandise after inspecting it and provides to the Mexican Customs' broker with the cleared required documentation (shipping export or merchandise inbound transit form)

4. The U.S. railroad collects a Mexican Pedimento (shipping import paper) after the Mexican Customs' broker inspects again the merchandise.

5. The Mexican Customs' broker pays the import taxes to the Mexican treasury office.

6. The Mexican Customs' broker presents to the Mexican Customs the "pedimento" with all required papers and the bank's seal demonstrating that duties had been paid.

7. The Mexican Customs' broker bring the documentation approved by the Mexican Customs to the railroad.

8. The U.S. railroad delivers the cars to the Mexican railroad to cross into Nogales.

10. With the Mexican Pedimento, the railroad cars cross the border into Nogales, Sonora and provide the documentation to a Mexican Customs officer who randomly assigns railroad cars for inspection at the port of entry. If the car is chosen, the Mexican Customs broker has to have personnel ready to unload the merchandise for another inspection. During the inspection process beside guarding the merchandise from getting lost, the Mexican Customs' broker has to demonstrate to the inspecting officer that every item has being declared on the pedimento. If this is not the case, a fine of seven times the value of the undeclared items will be charged against the importer and the Customs' broker beside the risk of termination of the broker license.

Because being a Mexican Customs' broker is time consuming, I needed a customers' relations manager. I hired for this position a long time friend named Victor. Victor had many positive characteristics. He was experienced, young, smart, extroverted, and friendly. We both worked as Mexican Customs officers for several years and had a strong friendship. I thought that he was the best option at that time and put him as second in command. At the beginning, Victor was doing an excellent job. Victor told me that he needed help, and he hired his best friend Oscar. As time passed, Victor began to slow down. He became irresponsible. His mind and heart were always in other place. He began to leave early two days a week to play a basketball tournament. His spare time hobby was drinking and partying with Oscar. This resulted in Victor arriving late to work and tired (hangover). Consequently, Victor's unproductiveness, and irresponsibility increased as time passed. Customers began to call me and complain about Victor not answering