Al Smetana and Rayburn Unlimited are committed to honesty and integrity (the upholding of which seems to support dismissal) and the intrinsic worth of each individual

(which might argue for more lenient treatment).

Are these values in conflict? What would you do if you were Al?

AL SMETA NA IS THE FOUNDING PRESIDENT of a medium-size, midwestern manufacturing firm, Rayburn Unlimited. He’s proud of the way his company has grown, and done so on the basis of an organizational culture committed to honesty, integrity, and the intrinsic value of each individual. But now those values are being put to the test.
It began when Al learned that an employee had tapped into the company’s computer system and figured out how to read people’s e-mail and to learn what websites they visited.
Determining who the culprit was wasn’t difficult. When confronted about it, the employee admitted what he had done.
Al immediately terminated his employment. But as he left, the employee said angrily, “Just ask Lindley about his computer usage,” referring to Craig Lindley, associate vice president for human resources and an old friend of Al’s. Although Al didn’t trust the discharged employee, he was disturbed by his comment and reluctant to let it go. So he called Craig Lindley into his office and asked him about it.