Question

After 25 years, Harun is finally ready to retire and take it easy. Harun teaches accounting and general business courses at PJCC Community College. The business department at PJCC offers business administration classes transferable to State University as well as professional and technical programs that culminate in a certificate after one year of study or an associate’s degree after two years of study. PJCC has a dual enrolment agreement with State, and as a result, many business students at PJCC are also enrolled at State. Harun teaches several of the business transfer classes at PJCC, but his real love is the nontransfer professional accounting program. He was part of the faculty that created the program, and over the years he has taught hundreds of accounting students and helped them obtain internships and find employment in the community. Harun’s golfing buddy sometimes jokes that every bookkeeper in town has been through Harun’s accounting classes. Besides the regular accounting classes and internships, PJCC maintains an accounting lab where students can get tutoring help if needed. The current lab tutor is David, who was hired two years ago when Dianne retired after nearly 10 years as the accounting tutor. David is a former student of Harun’s and holds an associate’s degree from PJCC and a bachelor’s from State. The lab job is part-time, which works out perfectly for David, leaving him plenty of time to pursue his MBA in accounting at State. David wants to teach accounting at PJCC when he completes his MBA. As a tutor, David has brought the accounting lab to life. He relates well with students, is an excellent tutor, and the faculty sees him as a valuable member of the department. In the two years he has worked in the lab, David has become good friends with Chong, the business department dean. They frequently have lunch together and even socialize with their wives outside of work. Last summer the families went camping together over the Merdeka weekend, and this year they expect to do the same. Chong is chair of the committee to find Harun’s replacement. The committee consists of Chong, two additional faculty members, an administrator from another department and Leena, the department chair for business and accounting. On Monday morning, Leena met with Chong to plan out the recruitment process. “I know HR requires us to do a job search,” said Chong, “but even so, there’s no reason why we can’t move David into Harun’s position. He relates well with our students, knows all the ins and outs of the college, and is well liked by the faculty.” Leena is surprised at Chong’s suggestion. “David is a nice guy, and we all like him,” she said, “but he’s not qualified. This position requires a master’s degree, and he’s only got a bachelors.”“He doesn’t need a master’s degree to teach in the professional/technical program,” said Chong. “He’s perfectly qualified for that, and we have plenty of other faculty that can teach the transfer program. David is in school anyway. He’ll get his MBA next year, and until then, we’ll just schedule him for the professional/technical program, and we’ll fit the other classes into other faculty members’ schedules.” “This is not how we normally replace faculty,” said Leena. She was particularly disturbed that Chong’s attitude indicated it was a done deal. “It’s no problem,” said Chong. “Recruitment is just an HR exercise anyway. I’ll have the paperwork ready for your signature by tomorrow.” The paperwork, marked “confidential,” was in Leena’s mailbox the following morning. It contained all the documents necessary for HR to launch a full-scale recruiting plan, including a new job description written by Chong. Instead of the broad-based job description for a faculty member qualified to teach universitytransferable and non-transfer classes, Leena found a job description that described David exactly. This is a set-up,” Leena mumbled to herself. She knows that even with five members on the hiring committee and the required selection process, the actual hiring decision is left to the dean. “It looks like David’s got the job no matter what. What good is PJCC’s ethics committee when the deans have the power to do as they please anyway?” What should Leena do?

(a) Elaborate the ethical issues in the case above.

(b) Identify and explain the position of the stakeholder involved in this case.

(c) Describe the actions and possible solution that can be taken by Leena.

(d) Elaborate Leena’s action from utilitarian theory point of view.

1500 word

Answer 1

Solution (a): Elaborate on the ethical issues in the case above

Following are the ethical issues in the case:

• The business department dean - Chong is in favor of hiring David as a replacement candidate for Harun.
• David is currently a part-time staff at the accounting lab and was hired two years ago when Dianne retired after nearly ten years as the accounting staff. As a staff, David has done well. He connects well with students, is an excellent staff, and the faculty sees him as a valuable member.
• David holds an associate's degree from PJCC and a bachelor's degree from State. He is currently enrolled in an MBA in accounting. So, while David seems to be an excellent staff, he is not qualified for Harun's position.
• David is a good friend of Chong, who is the business department dean. They have lunch together and even socialize outside of work. Last summer, the families went for an outing together over the Merdeka weekend. This year, they expect to do the same. Due to their connection both on and off work, there is a potential conflict of interest due to Chong's decisive role in the hiring process.
• Chong is the head of the committee to find Harun's replacement. The committee consists of Chong, two additional faculty members, an administrator from another department, and Leena, the department chair for business and accounting. However, Chong seems to have made up his mind to recruit David without necessary compliance with the hiring process and proper evaluation by the hiring committee.
• The recruitment documents and the job description was modified to give David an unfair advantage in the selection.
• The dean has the final call in the recruitment process irrespective of the decision of the five-member panel.

So the ethical issues here are the following:

1. While David seems to be an excellent staff, he is not qualified for Harun's position.
2. Due to their connection both on and off work, there is a potential conflict of interest situation due to Chong's decisive role in the hiring process.
3. Chong seems to have made up his mind to recruit David without necessary compliance with the hiring process and proper evaluation by the hiring committee.
4. The recruitment documents and the job description was modified to give David an unfair advantage in the selection.
5. The dean has the final authority in the recruitment process irrespective of the decision of the five-member panel.

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Solution (b): Identify and explain the position of the stakeholder involved in this case

Following are the different stakeholders involved in the case and their known position:

1. Harun >> Harun is the outgoing teacher and has achieved a position of respect and imminence during his 25 years association at PJCC. He used to teache accounting and general business courses at PJCC Community College. The credits are transferable to the State University. PJCC has a dual enrolment agreement with State, and as a result, many business students at PJCC are also enrolled at State. Harun used to teach several business transfer classes at PJCC. However, his real love was the non-transfer professional accounting program. He was part of the faculty that created the program. Over the years, Harun has taught several accounting students and helped them obtain internships and find employment in the community. Given his seniority in the course and college, Harun's inputs should have been sought in the hiring process.

2. Chong >> Chong is the dean of the business department at PJCC. He is the chair of the committee to find Harun's replacement. Besides Chong, the committee also consists of two additional faculty members, an administrator from another department, Leena, and the department chair for business and accounting. Chong favors hiring David, who has been a part-time staff at the Accounting lab for the last two years without necessary compliance with the hiring process and formalities. He has tweaked the job description to suit David's candidature. He wants the selection committee members to recommend David despite his lack of qualification.

3. Leena >> She is the department chair for business and accounting, and a member of the committee tasked to find Harun's replacement. While she has a favorable opinion towards David, she feels that David does not have the necessary qualification to undertake Harun's role. She does not subscribe to the opinion that the rules should be tweaked to give any candidate an unfair advantage. She feels a sense of lack of authority since Chong can take the final decision irrespective of her objections.

4. David >> He is currently a part-time staff at the Accounting lab at PJCC while pursuing an MBA in Accounting from the State. During his stint, David has done a commendable job as the lab staff, and he wants to join PJCC after completing his MBA.

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Solution (c): Describe the actions and possible solutions taken by Leena

Following are some of the actions and possible solutions that Leena can take under the current circumstance:

1. Leena can call for a one-on-one discussion with Chong and explain to him why it is essential for them to follow the hiring process in letter and spirit. In case of any internal/external audit, the department should not be caught short-handed. That would damage the reputation and brand of the college. The one-on-one approach is the best way to resolve the issue behind closed doors.

2. Leena can call for a discussion of the selection committee to review the job requirements that have been shared by Chong. She should try and explain to the committee that the current job description does not meet the actual job requirement. Hence, it should be updated appropriately. Selecting someone with a lower qualification will not only deprive students of the required knowledge but also create a gap between existing staff and the recruit.

3. Leena can inform Harun of the developments and seek his opinion on this whole matter. Given his seniority, Harun can be better positioned to explain to Chong against violating the process.

4. Leena can escalate to the Ethics committee and bring the matter to their attention. She should ask the ethics committee to investigate the matter and stop any unfair practices.

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Solution (d): Elaborate Leena's action from a utilitarian theory point of view

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that propagates actions that lead to happiness or pleasure and opposes actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed toward making any social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would strive to achieve society's betterment. Utilitarianism justifies an action as right if it results in the happiness of the maximum number of people in a group.

Utilitarianism is a tradition of ethical philosophy founded by Bentham and Mill, two late 18th- and 19th-century British philosophers. Utilitarianism propagates that an action is right if it promotes a positive feeling and wrong if it propagates sadness—not just the happiness of the actor but also that of everyone affected by it. At work, utilitarianism can be displayed through actions to ensure that the office is a positive environment for everyone to be in.

The Three generally accepted concepts of Utilitarianism state that:

• Pleasure, or happiness, is the only important thing.
• Actions are desirable if they promote happiness, and wrong if they promote unhappiness.
• Everyone's happiness counts equally.

Most companies have a code of ethics, defined by their corporate culture, values, and local laws. Today, having a formalized code of business ethics is critical to business success. While financial parameters are important indicators of growth, ethics is equally important to create a reputation for being socially responsible. Companies also must keep their promises and put ethics at least on par with profits. Consumers prefer companies that they can trust. Employees work better when there is a robust model of ethics in place.

In this case, Leena wants to ensure that the hiring process is fair and compliant so that there are no disappointments or violations. Considering, PJCC is an educational institution; it is essential to ensure transparency and fairness in their internal activities. Leena also wants to ensure that every member of the selection committee has an equal voice so that everyone gets their due importance and respect.