You’ve been a manager at your company for five years and have developed an excellent reputation. Your future looks bright, which is a good thing since you have a family to support. Yesterday a fellow employee, Kim, came to you with a problem. Kim, an African-American woman who used to report to you, had just been turned down for a promotion. You believe she was very qualified for the position and perfectly capable of doing it with excellence. The candidate chosen was a white male with good qualifications but not as much experience or, in your opinion, ability as Kim. Steve, the manager who did not select Kim, happens to be a “rising star” whom you’ve known for years and with whom you get along pretty well. Steve couldn’t make you CEO and couldn’t get you fired, but he is in a position to help or hinder your career. What do you do?
_____ A Encourage Kim to speak to the Human Resources department and offer to speak to them as well about your excellent opinion of Kim.
_____ B Talk to Steve.
_____ C Tell Kim that many (legitimate) factors go into a promotion decision and that such a decision can’t be judged from the outside.
_____ D Talk to Steve’s supervisor.
1. What ethical principle or principles reflect your decision?
2. How would you assess the ethical intensity in this situation?