In my opinion, interns often feel especially vulnerable since they are not official employees and want to perform well to become an established hire. Thus, it is reasonable for interns to feel the need to go above and beyond to meet or exceed expectations. When asked to perform unethical tasks, Susan is put in a difficult position where she faces two risky options. Just as her former manager pointed out if she speaks up to object to Zantech’s request she might gain a bad reputation for being difficult to deal with and in extreme terms cause her to lose her internship. However, her other option would be to execute the task compromising her personal code of ethics as well as participating in illegal or immoral acts that can damage her reputation as a prospective employee in the future.
If faced with such a difficult situation during an internship I would reach out to people I trust for advice. Mentally I would prepare myself by coming to terms with the fact that this is a difficult decision. Following the three-step plan, I can see from Susan’s interactions with her father and former manager that she has already recognized how challenging speaking up is. I advise for the next step, she can work towards expressing her views and opinion in a polite manner by carefully choosing her language. If she is honest and firm in explaining her morals I believe Mr.Moon would be understanding. Lastly, I suggest Susan consider any possible alternatives such as obtaining the data without misrepresenting herself.
