PLEASE HELP ME WITH MY ASSIGNMENT

Chapter 8 Case Incident* Frans Dilemma: Damned if You Do; Damned if You Dont

Fran Gill has spent 15 years with the Thompson Grocery Company, starting out as a part-time cashier and rising up through the ranks of the grocery store chain. Today, at 34, she is a regional manager, overseeing seven stores and earning nearly $110,000 a year. About five weeks ago, she was contacted by an executive search firm inquiring about her interest in the position of vice-president and regional manager for a national drugstore chain. The position would be responsible for more than 100 stores in five provinces. After two interview meetings with top executives at the drugstore chain, Fran was notified two days ago that she was one of two finalists for the job.

The only person at Thompson who knows this news is Frans good friend and colleague Ken Hamilton. Ken is the director of finance for the grocery chain. Its a dream job, with a lot more responsibility, Fran told Ken. The pay is almost double what I earn here, and Id be their only female vice-president. The job would allow me to be a more visible role model for young women and give me a bigger voice in opening up doors for women and ethnic minorities in retail management.

Since Fran wanted to keep the fact that she was looking at another job secret, she asked Ken, whom she trusted completely, to be one of her references. He promised to write a great recommendation for her. Fran made it very clear to the recruiter that Ken was the only person at Thompson who knew she was considering another job. She knew that if anyone at Thompson heard that she was talking to another company, it might seriously jeopardize her chances for promotion at Thompson. Its against this backdrop that this mornings incident became more than just a question of sexual harassment. It became a full-blown ethical and political dilemma for Fran.

Jennifer Chung has been a financial analyst in Kens department for five months. Fran met Jennifer through Ken, and her impression of Jennifer is quite positive. In many ways, Jennifer strikes Fran as a lot like she was 10 years ago. This morning, Jennifer came into Frans office. It was immediately evident that something was wrong. Jennifer was very nervous and uncomfortable, which was most unlike her. Jennifer said that about a month after she joined Thompson, Ken began making off-colour comments to her when they were alone. From there, his behaviour escalated further. Ken would leer at her, put his arm over her shoulder when they were reviewing reports, even pat her bum. Every time one of these incidents happened, Jennifer would ask him to stop and not do it again, but this fell on deaf ears. Yesterday, Ken reminded Jennifer that her six-month probationary review was coming up. He told me if I didnt sleep with him, I couldnt expect a very favourable evaluation.

Jennifer said that she had come to Fran because she didnt know what to do or to whom to turn. I came to you, Fran, because youre a friend of Kens and the highest-ranking woman here. Will you help me? Fran had never heard anything like this about Ken before, but neither did she have any reason to suspect that Jennifer was lying.

*The identity of this organization and the people described are disguised for obvious reasons.

Chapter 8 Case Incident* Frans Dilemma: Damned if You Do; Damned if You Dont

Discussion Questions

1. Analyze Frans situation in a purely legal sense.

2. Analyze Frans dilemma in political terms.

3. (a) Analyze Frans situation in an ethical sense. What is the ethically right thing for her to do? (b) Is that also the politically right thing to do?

4. If you were Fran, what would you do?

*The identity of this organization and the people described are disguised for obvious reasons.