Ethical Business Case Study

Select the answer that is most correct and prepare 150 words to provide a rationale for your choice. This activity allows you to demonstrate your understanding of ethical principles, the organizational and societal implications of ethical behavior, and the functioning of ethical systems within organizations.

You have been a purchasing director for your company for several years. A supplier has asked you to fly to its Florida plant for 3 days and spend some time observing their new manufacturing process. The supplier offers to pay for the entire trip. The person who invites you also winks at you and says we may also be able to fit in a round of golf or two. Your company has been clamping down on expenses in an attempt to increase profits to avoid a shut down. What should you do?

a) Take the trip, because the new process has real application for your company and you will need to determine how to integrate the new products into your own products.
b) Insist that your company pay for the trip, but otherwise go and end up "playing a round of golf or two."
c) Refuse the trip and ask that your supplier provide a video tape of the process, knowing that your knowledge of the new process may be impaired.
d) Refuse the trip and travel at company expense to review the process, knowing that the expense will exceed your budget.