Business Communication. You are a newly hired purchasing manager for a large com

Question

Business Communication. You are a newly hired purchasing manager for a large company and are responsible for purchasing office furnitire,equipment , and supplies. Soon after you start your job, one of the senior vice-presidents mentions that her husband is a sales rep for a big office supply chain. The vice-president "suggests" that you do all of the company's ordering from her husband because it will, in her words, "benefit everyone and keep you from wasting time shopping around". She indicates your predecessor had this arrangement and that you may receive cash incentives from her husband's company for larger purchases ordered from them. The vice-president also "suggests" that you not disscus this with other purchasing staff, as they will "just want in the deal"

What possible ethical dilemas, if any, are there in this request? If an ethical dilema is present, how do you handle it? What resources or options do you have to deal with the request and protect yourself?

Explanation / Answer

Yes, I feel there is a possible of ethical dilemma in the sense that since I shall be new to the Company, I would be open to speculations and observations from the senior. I am not sure how much of a hold does this V.P. has on my profile but if she does, then if I do not oblige to her, then the chances of being terminated from the job, could concern me. On the other side, I shall be compromising upon my professional ethics by not doing justice to my Purchasing profile and finding a shorter way out than resorting to the field survey and then selection of the Vendor method.

Even in her request, the dilemma is that she has asked me not to discuss this with anyone. Now if I do and the VP comes to know about it, then the possibility of my job termination could be likely while on the other side, if I oblige to her request and the end products so bought from her husband turns out to be of inferior quality or prone to certain disputes, then I shall be personally held liable for it. Therefore the dilemma with the request too.

The option to deal with the request is to first find out how much of an influence does she have on the job. If not much, then I can take up this matter to the HR team and would share the matter in details provided they assure me of anonymity in either case: whether or not the VP can impact my job profile. If the HR team gives a clean chit to the VP, then I should inform my Purchasing manager about it as well and then go ahead in the direction that my Boss and the HR team suggests. Further, if possible, I shall also seek their approvals in liking declaring that continuing with the previous process of obtaining office furniture and supplies from this particular Vendor, the Company sees no issues in dealing with him even in the future. In this way, I shall protect myself and hand the request more efficiently.

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