It is undoubtedly difficult for Susan to speak up to her boss or question the ethically dubious request. Firstly, she is unaware of the corporate norms in Korea, and her half-Korean father suggested that challenging tasks from seniors might be frowned upon. She wanted to make a good impression and did not want to appear ‘difficult to work with’. Secondly, she really needed the job, and his parents could not support her much after their retirement. So, she did not want to risk her chances of getting a placement offer from Zantech. Thirdly, it was difficult for Susan to get acknowledgment that her ethical concerns were valid, so she was not sure if it is worth speaking up against the request. Mr. Moon had conveyed that previous MBAs had indulged in such practices, and her Manager Emma and Zantech’s head of market research for Asia also knew about this request. Even Susan’s father had remarked that business practices differ in different countries, and the request does not need her to say anything ‘untrue’ or do something ‘illegal’. Fourth, she was worried that if the word leaked to other recruiters and companies, her professional image might be tainted and could potentially reflect badly on her MBA program.
Susan can tackle the dilemma in the following way:
- Realization: Susan needs to ensure herself that her concern is legitimate and not have double thoughts about her ethical concern. Even though other people might say it is not an illegal request, the request is not transparent and sounds misleading to competitors, irrespective of their response. She should be convinced that the reason is strong enough to stand up for her ethics before deciding on the next steps.
- Work to lessen social threat: While speaking up, she is expected to challenge the status (since she is to speak up against her boss) and certainty (she risks her future job, or even her internship). She can speak one-on-one with Emma and Mr.Moon to reduce the pressure or the feeling of being outnumbered by people in higher positions. She can contact them from the point of an intern needing advice rather than someone challenging their views or requests. She can ask questions about what the repercussions could be, rather than making assumptions about the intent of her seniors during conversations.
- Make a plan: Susan needs to start mailing by Monday, and it was already Thursday that she got the mail with Emma and the Head of Market Research cc’ed. So she needs to plan her action soon before the working day. She can plan to mail Emma and Moon separately, and let Mr. Moon know her hesitation in a respectful manner without much delay. She can also have some alternatives handy- such as the ones suggested by expert Ruwan, i.e., interview Zantech employees who worked with competitors earlier. This would show that she wants to tackle the problem sincerely and not cause inconvenience to the internship program. She should have a plan of action ready for either outcome- whether her seniors agree to her request or get offended by her questions.
