Case Study#9

Stakeholder Relationships, Social Responsibility and Corporate

Governance

Answer 1: The ethical issues seen in this case was that jack was copying the
company’s software and using it for his personal benefit. Whereas on a smaller
scale Carla has been using the office equipment for her own purposes as well.
Besides these two issues, we see that Carla is playing a supporting role in the
undergoing unethical act instead of being a whistleblower.

Answer 2: From Carla’s point of view the options available to her are

1. To go to the partners and discuss this issue with them but for that she needs
physical evidence on Jack to prove that he is guilty of stealing and misuse of
the firm’s software.
2. Her other option is too remain quiet about the whole thing and let it continue
as it is which would be unethical on her part.
3. The options of changing her job or switching towns is not possible as she
must keep her husband’s business and personal interests in mind, she
wouldn’t receive the same pay in other firm’s.

Answer 3: From Jack’s point of view the options available to him are:

1. To switch jobs and demand a higher pay to meet his needs as he has
seventeen years of experience and would be an immediate pick by any other
firm.
2. Demand the partners to increase his salary without making him partner at
the moment or else find an opening somewhere else.
3. Continue doing what he is doing till they make him partner, but live under the
risk of being caught and losing everything.

Answer 4: Before making my decision I would first look for proof and gain evidence
on the unethical act. After that I would find out details about the clients Jack was
handling. Besides this I would find out the requirements of making partner and the
reason or say the rumors why the other partners didn’t promote jack.
Summary:
Jack had been a part of Aker & Aker Accounting since the past seventeen years.
Carla who had joined two years ago had been assigned to him. Carla was married
and she and her husband had just purchased a new home. Carla soon came to know
that jack had been denied a partner’s position despite of his commitment and
efforts.

Six months later Jack began to behave very oddly, arriving late and leaving early.
One day Carla overhead a conversation about Jack and discovered that he had other
external clients too. On confronting him Jack said that he needed the extra cash for
his sons education and that technically theses clients weren’t within the market
area of A&A .

Carla soon realized that Jack had been using A&A software’s for his personal use.
Carla backed off a bit too as she had to keep in view her own personal life and that
she wouldn’t be able to get another job of the same level. Besides Carla had no
physical evidence to prove that Jack was guilty of stealing the company’s software.