This paper discusses managing quality as an operations management dilemma from a Christian worldview perspective. It analyzes a lawsuit filed against McDonald's regarding a woman who received severely burned from hot coffee. It argues both parties were at fault - the woman for not taking responsibility for her actions and McDonald's for serving coffee that was too hot without proper labeling. The paper advocates applying Christian ethics like forgiveness, quality management practices, and prioritizing customers to avoid such issues. It concludes that implementing Christian principles can benefit any organization through improved quality, customer satisfaction and success.

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Christian Worldview/ Operations Management Integration Paper
Ethical Dilemma: Managing Quality
Kayley M. Brumagin
Grand Canyon University

2. Running header: CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW/OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT 2
There are numerous operation management dilemmas within an organization. One in
particular would be, managing quality. The word quality means, “the totality of features and
characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs”
(Heizer, J., & Render, B. 2013). It is important to stress quality of management because without
it a company could fall apart. The quality of a corporation has to a lot to do with how well the
guests/employees are treated, and all in all, implementing ethics and/or a Christian worldview to
reach Total Quality Management (TQM), meaning management excels in all aspects of products
and services that are important to the customer (Heizer, J., & Render, B. 2013). From a Christian
perspective/ethical standpoint, the center of any relationship or company should be God-
centered. When a Christian perspective is applied, the dilemma of having quality management
could ultimately be solved with issues in today’s society, like the one involving corporations like
McDonalds, Motor City, and Starbucks.
The dilemma for managing quality is focused on the lawsuit filed against McDonalds. A
few years back, an older woman who decided to get a quick cup of coffee through the drive thru,
got severe burns from having spilt the entire cup of coffee all over her lap. She filed a lawsuit on
this huge fast food corporation for not properly labeling their cup to the standard of her needs.
The cup reading, “Caution—contents may be hot”, was far too vague in regards to the 180-
degree cup of coffee she had received. Similar (smaller) instances have occurred for other
companies such as Motor City, and Starbucks… all leading to the ultimate question, are
McDonalds and other corporations at fault for this? The answer is yes and no. This was a grown,
80 year-old woman, and McDonalds should not have been responsible for her own mistake. Yes,
180 degrees is a little unreasonably hot for a cup of coffee, but the spilling of the coffee was only

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a result of her own actions and should be made responsible only to her; not to mention the mere
fact of her decision to get coffee at a lower quality fast-food restaurant like McDonalds.
Ethics can be taken into cases like the McDonalds case since it all comes down to what is
right and what is wrong; this is where Christianity can come into play. In the older woman’s
case, if a Christian worldview were implemented in her decision making process, all leading up
to the lawsuit, there would have been a different outcome. For instance, taking responsibility of
ones own actions; if the older woman was to fall and trip on a rock, with the same result, would
she blame the rock for the trip or would she blame herself? Obviously blaming the rock would
not be realistic. In Christianity, it is important to love, forgive, and act as if Jesus would act. In
Ephesians 4:31-32 it states, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put
away from you, along with all malice. Be kind towards one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave you.” This verse talks about forgiveness, putting aside malice,
and forgiving as Christ forgave us, and would have been very useful in the heart of this 80 year-
old woman whose first thought was to play the blame game, putting her anger and frustration
above the Godly choice, which would have been to forgive and me mindful of her own
wrongdoings; Which also relates to the verse in Proverbs 28:13, explaining that “whoever
conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain
mercy.”
Then there is quality, the other end of the case… the quality of McDonald’s. Everyone
can agree that McDonalds does not have the best reputation in regards to its quality of food, or in
other words, one usually would not hear the average person ranting on the quality of McDonald’s
product or service. Quality is free, according to Philip Crosby; where he also states that, “What
costs money is the unquality of things—all the actions that involve not doing it right the first

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time” (Heizer, J., & Render, B. 2013). This points to McDonalds side of the ethical dilemma, the
cost, which in this case the lawsuit, was only due to its own lack of quality as a company. For
instance, if McDonalds main goal was putting its guests first, and applying the 10 determinants
of service quality. One of the 10 determinants of service quality is understanding/knowing the
customer; if McDonalds would have had in mind (only being human) that 180 degrees might be
too hot for consumption, this company could have been able to avoid this bad occurrence. From
a Christian/ethical perspective, if McDonalds focused more on the quality of its product and the
service being provided, and was less concerned on the pace of the workplace, the outcome could
have turned out in their favor. Examples of fast-food corporations that put into practice good
ethics and providing quality products and services, would be these successful corporations: In n
Out Burger or Chick-Fil-A, which are both Christian based companies. Chick-Fil-A’s mission
statement is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us- to have a
positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-Fil-A” (Chick-Fil-A). One might not
get as fast of service as a so-called McDonalds…however, one knows the quality that is being
received. It is more common to hear better reviews from companies with emphasis in
ethical/quality standards, than companies such as McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, etc… where
these topics are not stressed to the same extent.
In a Christian perspective, God provides, and money should never be a question.
However, even in a non-Christian perspective where money is the center, studies have shown
that with improved quality, production increases, in relationship to organizations with low
quality. “The total costs will be at a minimum when all the goods and services are free of fault”
(Heizer, J., & Render, B. 2013). In turn, the already billion-dollar company will make more
money with the improved quality. One might say: Who cares? The successful, some—billion

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dollar companies, such as, McDonalds, or with similar instances with companies like Starbucks
and Motor City, are making a good income as it is despite the lawsuits. However, any one
person, regardless of ethical views, ultimately wants a company to care and in the end be
provided with the original desired product/service, while walking away feeling happy about the
experience as a finished result. A company previously mentioned is In N Out, where quality is a
big focus and seen in its mission statement: “Since 1948, we have maintained a simple
philosophy – serve only the highest quality product, prepare it in a clean and sparkling
environment, and serve it in a warm and friendly manner. We have built a reputation for fresh,
made-to-order foods prepared and served by friendly, well-trained Associates” (In-N-Out Burger
Mission Statement, Simple Philosophy Not Easy to Serve Up.). Many can attest to In N Out
burgers’ exceptional service, along with friendly employees, allowing one to leave in a positive,
satisfied manner.
A similar, yet different comparison to McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A, there are
organizations like Grand Canyon University (GCU) in comparison to Arizona State University
(ASU). GCU is a University based on Christian values and on its website states:
“Of all GCU's offerings, our faith remains our cornerstone. GCU's Christian Worldview
is integrated into all we do - both within the classroom and beyond. We invite students to
grow spiritually through our worship services and take part in local and global outreach
opportunities. We also encourage an open dialogue on faith - challenging students to
adopt the principles of patience, tolerance and generosity. (University Snapshot)”
One would say that the relationships developed at GCU are far different than the relationships
developed at ASU. One would also say that the teachers that are employed at the university are
quality teachers and care about the success of the students who attend. By GCU having the great

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quality that it has, it creates the motivation in students to come to class, stick it out, and succeed
in the end.
Conclusively, applying ethics and a Christian perspective to any corporation will only
benefit an organization in the long run. In the case for the McDonalds lawsuit, both sides were at
fault. The end result could have been improved on both ends, like the elderly woman spilling her
coffee all over herself and blaming the company instead of taking responsibility for her own
actions, or McDonalds improving the quality of its product using TQM as its ultimate goal to
“excel in all aspects of products and services that are important to the customer” (Heizer, J., &
Render, B. 2013). Of course, it would have been beneficial for either sides to apply Christian
values or ethics, and it might have turned out in favor. “Honesty, industry, integrity—we know
that the Christian has no corner on these particular virtues. These virtues are significant in every
realm of business and, most important, how we treat people in the realm of business. Do we treat
them with dignity? That is a top priority of Christian ethics, that we treat our customers, our
employees, and our personnel with dignity” (Ligonier Ministries). With this being said, it proves
that any company regardless of its belief in God, can apply Christian principles or ethical values
to achieve ultimate success in its company.

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References:
Chick-fil-A. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.chick-fil-a.com/
Heizer, J., & Render, B. (2013). Operations management Plus MyOmLab (1st ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN-13: 9780133408027 (Available as print text only.)
In-N-Out Burger Mission Statement, Simple Philosophy Not Easy to Serve Up. (n.d.). Retrieved
March 17, 2016, from http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-
Mission-Statements/In-N-Out-Burger-Chain-Mission.htm
Ligonier Ministries. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/how-should-christian-values-impact-business-ethics/
University Snapshot. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.gcu.edu/about
gcu/university-snapshot.php
66 Bible Verses about Personal Responsibility. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from
https://www.openbible.info/topics/personal_responsibility