SECTION ARead the case study below and answer ALL the following questions.Truth, Friendship, and Ethical Responsibility in the WorkplaceBackgroundBen is an experienced sales representative at a large multinational information technology company. He's worked therefor years and has developed strong friendships within the company, especially with other sales reps. Ben has been goodfriends wth Michael, another sales rep, since they joined the company around the same time.Over the last months, Michael shared some personal struggles with Ben, and Ben was doing his best to be a supportivefriend. Ben knew that Michael was dealing with some serious financial issues at home and that he was b:ends meet, trying to support his wife and young kids while also having to financially support his aging parents.on that he was taking some risky moves at work to come up with some more money and that he was really starting toworry about it$.$ But he never fuly disclosed what that entailed.$[50$ MARKS$]$Unexpectedly$,$ Michael abruptly left the company, leaving Ben shocked and suspicious about the true nature of hiscolleague's activities. Ben was assigned to take over Michael's sales territories and get back on track. During thetransition, he discovered the extent of the financial harm that the company suffered as a result of Michael's acions.Through careful examination of sales transacions and accounting records, it became evident that Michael had engagedin a fraudulent schemeMichael had orchestrated a deal with an external company whereby he booked a large number of orders with delayeddelivery dates. He received upfront commission payments $($meaning he was $|$ the commission when the sale wasmade but not when the order was fulfilled$)$ by his own company for nearly one hundred orders, and then split thatcommission with the external company. In collaboration with the external firm, Michael continuously pushed back thedelivery dates every few months, ensuring the orders were never fulfilled. Despite the absence of payment from theexternal company, the tech company continued paying commission to Michael for these fictitious sales. Essentially,Michael was being compensated for sales that were listed as orders but that were never actually fulfilled $($payment for thesale was due on delivery$).$Refilecting on their past conversations, Ben grew increasingly uneasy, realizing that Michael's desperate need for quickmoney through sales commissions had likely driven him to engage in this fraudulent behavior. Ben felt a sense ofresponsibility and questioned whether he could have prevented the situation, and now, with Michael gone from thecompany with no repercussions, he wondered what all of this would mean for him.MirchngAs Ben assumed the responsibility of taking over Michael's sales territory. the company began an intermal invesigation toseek any information that could shed light on the issue. This presented Ben with a moral dilemma.During tinvestigation, Ben was asked if he knew any information that might help the company understand and resolyresolve the issue.Michael's actions $-$ the deceit, dishonesty, and disregard for responsibility $-$ deeply troubled Ben as they clashed with hisOWn moral compass.up$.$letWhile Ben wanted to uphold his personal integrity as an individual and an employee, and disclose all he knew to thecompany, he worried that doing so might jeopardize his own position and potentially lead to termination if he weredeemed complicit in Michael's actions.tions Additionally, Ben empathized with Mchael $5$Michae's dificult circurumstances, understanAug $10,2023$Feeling caught between conflicting $$nterests$,$ Ben wondered: should he choose to remain silent and move on as quicklyas possible, now that Michael has left the company, and avoid giving any infomation? After all, exposing the truth couldlead to serious coconsequences for Michael, who was already dealing with significant challenges. It could also cost Ben hisfriendship. But, even if the fraud was wrong, Ben knew his huge company wouldn't really feel a big financial hit from theloss and that the product in question was not a life or death matter. Not every wrong can or even should be righted,thought. Moreover, his job and his reputation as a sales rep and his company's image might all be at stake if he speaksArticle attained frornIruth. Enendship. and Ethical Responsiblity in the Wokplace$-$ Markkula Center fot Applied Ethics$($scu$.$edu$)$QUESTION ONEod Ben$(15$ Marks$)$that he only resorted to fraud out of desperation. A part of him felt inclined to protect his friend and maintain theirfriendship, despite the wrongdoings committed.

Michael's acbons $-$ the deceit, dishonesty, and disregard for responsibility $-$ deeply troubled Ben as they dashed with his own moral compass.

While Ben wanted to uphold his personal integrity as an individual and an employee, and disclose all he knew to the company, he worried that doing so might jeopardize his own position and potentially lead to termination if he were deem