After graduation, you obtain a job as a sales representative with a large advertising agency that negotiates media campaigns for corporate clients. Sales representatives travel to assigned markets and negotiate advertising opportunities with television sales managers. Sales representatives have specific media client guidelines specifying the television stations and programs from which commercial time may be purchased, along with a budget ceiling.

Sales representatives are assigned partners who provide moral support. Your region is Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Claire, who has been the sales representative for California for about a year, is your partner. The two of you contact each other once a week for updates.

On a Monday evening, a distraught Claire calls you for advice. Earlier in the day, she met with KXYZ-TV's new sales manager to negotiate media placement advertisements for Cadillac and Best Buy. The total market media dollar allocation for these two companies in the San Francisco market is $7 million dollars. KXYZ-TV historically has received 20 percent of the business.

Claire informs you that while meeting with KXYZ-TV's new sales manager in his office, he made unwanted sexual advances toward her. Claire was shocked by his behavior, quickly ended the discussion, and left the building with a promise to return the next day to finish the sale.

"It was a really scuzzy experience," Claire tells you. "I know our clients want to advertise on KXYZ-TV, but I don't feel comfortable dealing with that guy." You note that if she delayed the visit for a week, you could join her and do the sales call together. Claire rejects your offer and insists on handling this herself. Nonetheless, she seeks your advice on what to do next.

Prepare responses to the following:

An ethical dilemma is a problem, situation, or opportunity that requires an individual, group, or organization to choose among several actions that have negative outcomes.

1. Identify your ethical dilemma (e.g., Whether to...[choices]...because/when doing so will result in [outcome]) and explain why this is your ethical dilemma.

2. Discuss the alternatives you have to resolve the ethical dilemma and choose one.

a. Return, close the deal, and say nothing about the sexual harassment

b. Return, close the deal, and report the sexual harassment incident to her supervisor

c. Do not return and report the sexual harassment incident to her supervisor

d. Something else (if so, what?)

3. Explain how you reach your conclusion. Include in your response a discussion of the ethical theory covered and discussed in this course (i.e., egoism, utilitarianism, Aristotle's virtue theory, Kant's deontological theory) that supports your choice of action.