The Dilemma:

Although BJ just graduated from GSU only two years ago, he has advanced rapidly in his company and is now Senior Purchasing Agent in the Corporate Procurement Division of Mega Life Insurance Company. Last week, his boss asked him to buy 28 new computers for the analysts in the Corporate Finance division.

After talking with several analysts to determine the computer specifications they need in their positions, you have identified two possible computers that seem to their needs. Both are used extensively in the finance and investment industries by analysts like those in your Corporate Finance Division. One possibility is the CompuWiz 4.3 desktop, which is listed on the CompuWiz website at a price of $4,300 per computer. Another possibility is the ProcessCore 4000, produced by ProcessCore, Inc., which lists at a price of $4,000.

Today, an analyst raised a new question and BJ decided to contact each dealer to verify that their product has the capability to perform this additional function before he makes his purchase decision for the company.

BJ first contacted Process Core and confirmed price and features of ProcessCore 4000 and that it is capable of performing these additional functions. He then contacted his local CompuWiz dealer. They discussed the computer's specifications and pricing and the dealer assured BJ that the CompuWiz 4.3 could handle this new issue. When BJ mentioned that they were also considering a similar computer by Process Core, the CompuWiz dealer said, "One more thing... I'd like to shipyouour latest-model tablet computerfreeas a gesture of CompuWiz's commitment to you and your company. It sells for retail at $499 and you'll never be able to get this kind of a deal from ProcessCore.

Rationale and Directions:This assignment is designed to help prepare you for your first FIRAC paper by allowing you to collaborate in a small group to examine the relevant provisions of an employee Code of Conduct and how they might guide BJ's choice. For this assignment, treat the Code of Conduct as a "legal rule" that guides your analysis.

In your assigned teams, answer the following questions, using complete sentences unless otherwise indicated. You may work collaborate through Group Me, Google Docs or another collaborative platform to arrive at your answers, and then copy and paste them into this Word document (adding more space as needed to fully answer each item) and then upload it into this Assignment Folder.

1. What is the primaryISSUEconfronting BJ? Try to articulate the issue in acomplete sentence(or question) that also includes the pertinent facts.
2. What are the applicableRULES? Instead of listing all the applicable rules from the Code of Conduct, you canattach(or copy and paste) the NY Life Code, highlighting in yellowkeywordsin any category, definition, or relevant bulleted items within categories that BJ could use as a rule statement to guide his decision. Do NOT highlight the entire category, definition or item - only the key words that provide the rule/guidance.
3. How do these rulesAPPLYto BJ's alternatives in this situation? Be specific in your explanation of how and why the provision(s) you identified help BJ better understand what the company would want him to do.
4. After you have reasoned through the two alternatives, what is yourCONCLUSIONabout how BJ should proceed?
5. If you were BJ, would you prefer to analyze the dilemma solely from an ethical perspective or would you prefer a company code of conduct to guide your decision? Why? Why do many companies create detailed codes of conduct?