Reference no: EM132837515

At 24, Sara Tremblay felt she had landed her dream job. As an assistant procurement manager for Xenon Natural Foods, she had the job of sourcing many of the raw food materials that went into the production of various Xenon products. The job involved some travel, which she loved, and the other aspects of the work were challenging and rewarding. Sara had been particularly attracted to the job at Xenon because of the firm's mission statement declaring that it was fully dedicated to sustainable business practices, environmental protection, and the maintenance of a green supply chain. These features of the Xenon business model had been emphasized by the senior managers who had interviewed her for the job, and they were completely in line with Sara's view of the right way to treat the planet. Not only that, but Sara interpreted the senior managers' presence at the interview as a sign that the company had the right mindset about encouraging communication across different levels of the organizational hierarchy. In the recent company employee attitude survey, Sara had given her job and the company the highest marks. However, shortly thereafter, she discovered that a key (and rare) ingredient that the company sourced for several of its products was actually being cultivated using grossly unsustainable growing practices. On her own initiative, she researched and discovered a highly sustainable alternative produced in the mountains of Peru that cost 8 percent more. Sara expected senior managers to take her suggestion seriously, but her recommendation to change suppliers was rudely rejected by Xenon executives in a brief e-mail saying it was due to cost considerations. Not only that, but the e-mail directed Sara to take any further suggestions to her direct supervisor and not to contact senior management directly again. Shortly thereafter, feeling a bit cynical and liking her job less than she had originally, she accepted a position with another employer. In the end, Sara realized that Xenon cared more about the bottom line than the environment, and that communicating with senior management was more closed than she thought it should be.

Case Questions:

1. What are Sarah's values?

2. Can job satisfaction explain why Sarah left Xenon? Use your knowledge of the concept of job satisfaction and its determinants and consequences, along with facts in the case.

3. Can organizational commitment explain why Sarah left Xenon? Use your knowledge of the concept of organizational commitment, and its determinants and consequences, along with facts in the case.

4. Based on theories of job satisfaction and commitment, what could Xenon have done to avoid Sarah quitting? 5. What would you have done if you were Sara?