Case Study: RESOLVING ETHICAL BUSINESS CHALLENGES
Mary works for JSYK Inc., a realty company that buys and sells businesses. Mary shows an idle factory to a potential buyer, a local reverend (priest), who wants to turn the site into a recreation centre. The reverend (priest) is willing to pay $150,000 as a down payment which is $100,000 short of $250,000 down payment that the factory owner requires. The remaining $750,000 cost of the building is not a problem, only the down payment is.
Mary knows the building’s owner, but she knows he will not entertain the idea of lowering either the down payment or the price. After explaining the situation to her supervisor, the boss encourages Mary to lie to the owner about the amount the reverend(priest) is willing to pay, in order to get the down payment price the reverend requires.
In your group discuss ways out of this ethical business challenge.
Question 1: If you were the ethics officer at Mary’s company, how would you prepare Mary for facing such a situation? E.g. training, discussions, 24 hrs hotline etc. Please explain your answer. (80 – 100 words)
Question 2: Does this company have a ‘compliance based’ or values based’ culture? Please explain you answer based on you observations of the behaviours of Mary and her Supervisor (80 – 100 words)
Question 3: If you were the Priest, how would you react to finding out that your real estate agent (Mary) lied to you about the initial deposit amount. (40 – 50 words)
Mary works for JSYK Inc., a realty company that buys and sells businesses. Mary shows an idle factory to a potential buyer, a local reverend (priest), who wants to turn the site into a recreation centre. The reverend (priest) is willing to pay $150,000 as a down payment which is $100,000 short of $250,000 down payment that the factory owner requires. The remaining $750,000 cost of the building is not a problem, only the down payment is.
Mary knows the building’s owner, but she knows he will not entertain the idea of lowering either the down payment or the price. After explaining the situation to her supervisor, the boss encourages Mary to lie to the owner about the amount the reverend(priest) is willing to pay, in order to get the down payment price the reverend requires.
In your group discuss ways out of this ethical business challenge.
Question 1: If you were the ethics officer at Mary’s company, how would you prepare Mary for facing such a situation? E.g. training, discussions, 24 hrs hotline etc. Please explain your answer. (80 – 100 words)
Question 2: Does this company have a ‘compliance based’ or values based’ culture? Please explain you answer based on you observations of the behaviours of Mary and her Supervisor (80 – 100 words)
Question 3: If you were the Priest, how would you react to finding out that your real estate agent (Mary) lied to you about the initial deposit amount. (40 – 50 words)
