Case problems for business 101 ( textbook: Exploring Business)

A major publishing house inNew York City, known for publishing quality fiction and whose author roster was a virtual who's who in the literary world, prided itself on creating the congenial and informal atmosphere which it considered necessary for a creative enterprise. Dress was casual (but not sloppy) and employees generally behaved as colleagues, regardless of their positions within the company. Even the CEO was called by his first name.

Despite this seemingly homey environment, employees had for some time been aware of the peccadillos of one (male) senior editor. When riding up in the elevator with a new (female) employee, he would casually reach around behind her and with a quick flip of a wrist, unfasten her bra. he was so adept at the maneuver that it was generally unnoticed by the victim until the perpetrator's uncontrolled chuckling (often joined in by largely male onlookers) caused the woman to turn around. At that point, the woman usually became aware of what had occurred and became flushed with embarrassment. This made the act even more hilarious for the perpetrator, who would often say, "Watch out for me, honey. I've got the quickest hands in the city."

Despite this annoying routine, the senior editor was well-liked by his colleagues and considered a fair, if demanding, manager by his subordinates. Even his female employees admitted among themselves that he was a good manager to work for. His record of promoting and recognizing employees on the basis of their accomplishments was outstanding, and he had been a pioneer in promoting talented women to management positions within the publishing industry.

One afternoon, while returning from lunch, the editor rode the elevator with another new (female) employee. he went into his act again and added yet another victim to his list. He enjoyed the ride immensely.

The woman in question took time to readjust her apparel in the ladies room and then went directly to the personnel office. There, she told the story to the person in charge of equal opportunity, who promised to look into it.

Their personnel officer later spoke to the editor (admittedly with some trepidation, since the editor was a star in the publishing field), and related the complaint. The editor got a big kick out of it and replied "The girl can't take a joke - it was just a little fun." He later grew somewhat more serious. "Don't worry, I'll patch it up," he said. "You know how charming I can be."

What advice would you give the personnel officer at this point? How about the victim? Comment on the ethics and legality of the senior editor's actions.