Fiona Gilson has spent 15 years with the Green Grocery Company rising through the ranks of this 50-store grocery store chain to become a regional manager, overseeing seven stores and earning approximately $95,000 a year. Fiona also thinks she is ready to take on more responsibility, so she agreed to consider the position of vice president and regional manager for a national drugstore chain.

The only person at Green who knows Fiona is trying to get another job is her good friend and colleague, Ken Hamilton, the director of finance. Fiona tells Ken it is a dream job and expresses her positive excitement. She asked Ken last week if she could use his name as a reference. Ken agreed to give her a great recommendation. She made it very clear to the recruiter that Ken was the only person at Green who knew she was considering another job.

Jennifer Li has been a financial analyst in Ken’s department for five months. Fiona met Jennifer through Ken. Fiona’s impression of Jennifer is quite positive. Jennifer came to Fiona to talk. Fiona sat her down and listened to her story. What Fiona heard was hard to believe, but she had no reason to think Jennifer was lying.

Jennifer said that Ken began making off-color comments and his behavior got progressively worse including leering and touching. Jennifer would ask him to stop and not do it again, but it fell on deaf ears. Yesterday, Ken reminded Jennifer that her six- month probationary review was coming up. “He told me that if I did not sleep with him that I could not expect a very favorable evaluation.”

Jennifer said that she had come to Fiona because she did not know what to do or whom to turn to. “I came to you, Fiona, because you are a friend of Ken’s and the highest- ranking woman here. Please help me.”

Fiona had never heard anything like this about Ken before. About all she knew regarding his personal life was that he was in his late 30s, single, and involved in a long-term relationship.

Questions:
1. Keeping the context of power and politics in view, analyze Fiona’s dilemma.
2. What is the ethically right thing for Fiona to do in this case? Is that also the politically right thing to do?
3. If you were Fiona, what would you do?