Nancy Fields is the purchasing manager for a manufacturing company that had sales last year in excess of $127 million. The firm makes electrical components for Boeing’s Dreamliner Aircraft. Her boss, Robert Douglas, gave her the task of choosing a vendor for a $100,000 contract for a production line component. The company procedure is for the purchasing manager to ask vendors for proposals (usually 10) and then choose the one providing the required specifications at least cost. Nancy, however, has been given the names of two vendors by Robert and asked to pick one. On further probing, Nancy finds out that of the two companies being considered, the spouse of a board member owns one and an influential politician owns the other. She is very concerned the short list serves the interest of some senior executives in the company. Choosing vendors in this manner violate company guidelines. However, her boss has been firm in his instructions to pick one of the two. She feels his directive sets an undesirable and unethical precedent.
1. What would you do?
2. How would your view change if you were likely to lose your job if you violated the boss’s direct order?
3. Naturally, Robert Douglas has a boss. How would he view Doug’s instructions to Nancy? Should Nancy give some thought to the fact Doug has a “superior?”
4. How important are ethics to a leader and the success of an organization?
5. Why is “doing the right thing” often difficult? What is the relationship between utilitarianism and doing the right thing?