Section A $[50$ MARKS$]$

Read the case study below and answer the following questions.

Gender Discrimination: Preferential Treatment in the Workplace

Saayeli Mukherji Hackworth Fellow $2013$

Will is an intern at a government engineering office where he works within a team of four other interns$$ they all report to

one primary boss, Jim. Will notices that Jim has drastically different approaches in dealing with male and female interns.

He often sends Will and his fellow male interns on faraway projects or tedious tasks that he never assigns to the only

female intern, Meghan. On her part, Meghan is also unhappy with this extra attention as she only gets in$-$office

engineering projects working alone with Jim and no experience of being in the field. As a prestigious conference

approaches, Jim predictably selects Meghan as a representative for the office without even informing the other interns

about the opportunity.

The interns collectively get a little more curious about Jim's background and realize that numerous sexual harassment

cases have been filed against Jim in the past, though he has never been prosecuted. They are informed that these types

of charges in government offices have to be followed with strict adherence to state policies including having an

investigator ask the whole office specifics regarding the situation.

Despite the urgings of her teammates, Meghan is reluctant to file her own report as she does not want to confront Jim

directly and an anonymous report would easily be traced to her. Fearing that the report will compromise her prospects at

full$-$time employment at the office, she tells Will that she will just deal with it for the rest of the internship: $$It$\text{'}$s only another

three months anyways.$$

Jun $3,2013$

Attained from: Gender Discrimination $-$ Silicon Valley Business Ethics Cases $-$ Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

$($scu$.$edu$)$

Question $1(20$ Marks$)$

Should Will and the other interns report Jim's differential treatment of male and female interns and the potential history of

sexual harassment, despite the reluctance of Meghan to file a report?

Question $2(15$ Marks$)$

Is it ethical for Jim to selectively assign tasks and opportunities based on gender, and how should the interns address this

discriminatory behaviour?

Question $3(15$ Marks$)$

Should Meghan prioritize her personal career prospects over the ethical responsibility to report potential sexual

harassment and discrimination in the workplace?