Read the opening and closing cases very carefully and answer the...

Read the opening and closing cases very carefully and answer the case discussion and ethical decision-making questions.

• Make sure to answer the questions thoughtfully and completely in paragraph format and with proper English (grammar and punctuation matters).
• Do not write out the questions or put your answers in a bulleted format.
• A header for the Discussion Question section and one for the Ethical Decision Making section would be appropriate.
• Thoroughly explain your answers. For example, tell WHY the categories you picked best describe what is going on in the situation, don't just list categories.

Opening Scenario

When the phone rang and the caller ID showed the area code for Boulder, Colorado, Marie LeFleur expected to hear the voice of Alan Hake. He was scheduled to meet with a key supplier of HAL's networking equipment later that day in Littleton. But it wasn't Alan; it was the police.

After Marie identified herself as Alan's assistant, she was informed that the business jet HAL rented for the trip had crashed in poor weather at the small airstrip close to the supplier's offices. There were no survivors.

After this disastrous news, Marie began to mechanically answer the questions from the police investigator. She was told what would happen next and what to expect as the crash investigation proceeded. Marie hung up the phone feeling numb and disoriented from the news. She stared for a moment at the cup of coffee she had poured herself only moments ago. Suddenly, nothing seemed important except thinking about her boss and those who had traveled with him to Colorado.

The meeting they had planned to attend would have included five HAL employees: Alan Hake, CEO; Amanda Wilson, CIO; Bill Freund, the manager of systems; Tina Mann, senior network administrator; and the newest HAL employee, Janet Dasher, who had been hired just last week as a network technician. Using the chartered jet had been a matter of economics; the whole group could get to the meeting and back to headquarters in a single day for the price of just two people flying commercial. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Marie thrust her head into her hands, crying. What was she supposed to do now?

Closing Scenario

A few days after attending Alan Hake's funeral, Marie LeFleur, Alan's former assistant, was sitting at home on a Sunday morning.

The phone rang.

"Hello?" Marie said, without much enthusiasm.

"Marie, this is Jake Blues," the voice on the other end of the line said. "I've been appointed interim CEO by the HAL board of directors. They have retained my firm to step in and help with this crisis. I realize this is probably a bad time for you, but can you meet me at the office in an hour?"

"I guess so," Marie said. "I don't know you. Do you have anything in writing? Why are we meeting on a Sunday?"

"I can't get into it over the phone, Marie," Jake replied. "Please just meet me at the office as soon as you can. I will have the verification you need. We have a lot of work to do, and quickly, if HAL wants to stay open as a viable business. I've been told by the board that I have 72 hours to reconstitute senior leadership from the current ranks or they will liquidate the company. I need your help contacting key members of the staff."

Discussion Questions

Review the organizational charts shown inFigures 12-4,12-5,12-6, and12-7. Who should be in charge of the company at this moment, in your opinion? Why do you think that person is not now acting for the board?

Figure12-4HAL's Top-Level StaffFigure

12-5HAL's Operations StaffFigure

12-6HAL's Information Technology StaffFigure

12-7HAL's Financial Staff

Who decides which executive should take charge when senior managers are lost? Is that answer different in the short term than in the long term?

Ethical Decision Making

Clearly, Jake Blues may already know some of the candidates for the positions he needs to fill, based on the company's organization chart and his own business experience. How can he mitigate the risk of actual or perceived conflicts of interest as he makes contacts and begins choosing the future executives?