Ethical Dilemma at Northlake
“Ethical Dilemma at Northlake”
Week 3 – Case Study # 1
Synopsis: The case begins with Jim McIntoch the vice president of finance of Amalgamated Forest Products having a conversation with Frank the manager of corporate reporting. Jim is upset with Frank and is confronting him about the decision he’s made about going public about a financial analysis report that Amalgamated Forest Products will present to the legislation. Frank is stating that the report is falsifying information about the how much the operating cost would be if the company would need to establish pollution control of the discharge of wastewater. Jim is extremely upset and basically threatens him about ruining his career as well as the company if he were to go public with this. Franks response to him begins apologetic about his decision but explains to him that both of them know the report is incorrect and has no real founding facts. Jean Letourmeau the company president is scheduled to testify to the findings of the report in front of the legislative subcommittee in the following week. The report which was titled “Endangered Species: The Pulp and Paper Industry in the Upper Peninsula” had a specific area in which the five pulp and paper companies in the region helped develop the report, however Amalgamated Forest Products took the lead on creating this report. The company had three major mills in the areas in which the government had proposed the pollutions controls to be done in. It also had faced financial issues due to the recession. The section that documented the financial analysis was done by Tina Pacquette, manager of financial analysis. Frank really didn’t think highly of Tina work performance. Jim tells Frank to wait in his office while he leaves to get Jean because he wants to talk to him as well. Frank waits in Jim’s office and thinks about his career at Amalgamated Forest Products and how he has moved up within the company as well as how it paid for his education.
Week 3 – Case Study # 1
Synopsis: The case begins with Jim McIntoch the vice president of finance of Amalgamated Forest Products having a conversation with Frank the manager of corporate reporting. Jim is upset with Frank and is confronting him about the decision he’s made about going public about a financial analysis report that Amalgamated Forest Products will present to the legislation. Frank is stating that the report is falsifying information about the how much the operating cost would be if the company would need to establish pollution control of the discharge of wastewater. Jim is extremely upset and basically threatens him about ruining his career as well as the company if he were to go public with this. Franks response to him begins apologetic about his decision but explains to him that both of them know the report is incorrect and has no real founding facts. Jean Letourmeau the company president is scheduled to testify to the findings of the report in front of the legislative subcommittee in the following week. The report which was titled “Endangered Species: The Pulp and Paper Industry in the Upper Peninsula” had a specific area in which the five pulp and paper companies in the region helped develop the report, however Amalgamated Forest Products took the lead on creating this report. The company had three major mills in the areas in which the government had proposed the pollutions controls to be done in. It also had faced financial issues due to the recession. The section that documented the financial analysis was done by Tina Pacquette, manager of financial analysis. Frank really didn’t think highly of Tina work performance. Jim tells Frank to wait in his office while he leaves to get Jean because he wants to talk to him as well. Frank waits in Jim’s office and thinks about his career at Amalgamated Forest Products and how he has moved up within the company as well as how it paid for his education.
Cited: “Ethical Dilemma at Northlake” Hellriegel, Don, and John W. Slocum, Jr. Organizational Behavior. 13rd ed. Manson, OH: South Western Education Publishing, 2010. Print.