Speaking up to your boss
Susan’s big risk is that her boss will receive her concerns poorly. She has been told by her manager the company policy and precedent for completing the task she has been assigned, and has even agreed to do it already. In the worst case, if she goes back to her boss and explains that she feels ethically uncomfortable with the task she was assigned, it could be received as insubordination and grounds for firing, particularly since she didn’t raise any concerns when the task was first assigned.
Accepting an ethically dubious task
On the other hand, if Susan takes on the task she compromises her own integrity. While a number of businesses function without integrity, it degrades cultural practices. On an individual level, operating against one’s own principles undermines one’s own sense of self (which is hard to come back from) and can be a negative mark against oneself in the eyes of others moving forward.
What to do
There isn’t an obvious solution to this problem. As detailed in the post-analysis of the case, Susan needs to make a choice: is she more willing to risk her own principles and accept the consequences of doing so or risk her internship and accept the consequences of doing so. My personal take is that she should speak up to her bosses (Emma and Mr. Moon) together and tell them why she is uncomfortable with what she has been asked to do (and, like in the analysis, frame it as a potential risk for the firm) while proposing potential alternative options that are within her ethical framework. This way, she doesn’t undermine the perception of her capabilities, sets boundaries, and looks proactive by offering a path forward without being told to do so.
