Scenario:
You are Jonathan Smith, the Executive Director (Sales) of Westpool Washing Machines. You manage three regions with a sales force of nearly 200 sales men and women. Each quarter, the performance of each sales person is reviewed, and a letter about the performance review is sent from your office. At the end of the financial year, high performing sales people are given bonuses. Samuel Brown is one of the star sales persons in your company. For the past three years he has consistently topped the sales figures and was awarded the highest bonus. Last quarter again, his performance was 8% higher than that of his closest contender and about 15% higher than the average.
A few weeks ago, one of your regional managers was informed that Brown is moonlighting with 'April-Fresh', a new company on the market for detergents. The Reginol Manager invsetigated the report and it was comfirmed that along with selling the washing machines, Brown was pushing his clients to buy the new detergent claiming that the use of this detergent was essential for the efficiency of the machine.
Of course this situation is totally unacceptable to Westpool not only because the company policy does not allow it but also because it is unethical. Immediate action is required to contain the situation.
The assignment has two components:
1. As Jonathan Smith, write a letter to Samuel Brown to express your disappointment (you have proof for the accusations being made). Your challenge is that he is your star performer and you do not want to lose him. At the same time, you cannot allow this behavior and need it to stop immediately.
2. As Samuel Brown, Write a letter to the Jonathan Smith, the Executive Director, explaining why you were forced to do what you did. Your dilemma is that you are highly respected in the company and have a great reputation in the area. You do not want to leave the company but at the same time, you do not want to appear as a cheat. Make up justification for your action.