Company Interests and Employee Involvement in Community
originally titled:
Parkville
Prepared with David Zacker.
I
Elizabeth Dorsey is an engineer at CDC, Inc., a large
corporation in a crowded metropolitan area. Elizabeth prefers
living in a smaller community. So she commutes 30 miles daily
from her home in Parkville, a community of fewer than 5,000
people.
Noted for her environmental concerns, Elizabeth is on
Parkville's Committee for Environmental Quality, a small but
active citizen's group. Last year the committee successfully
spearheaded opposition to rezoning a Parkville recreational and
wildlife area for commercial purposes. While acknowledging that
commercial development would aid the local economy, the
committee convinced the City Council that economic progress
should not come at the expense of the environment.
However, now Elizabeth is facing a difficult problem. She
has learned that CDC has its eyes on the recreational and
wildlife area for developing a new facility. What do you think
she should do? Explain.
II
CDC, Inc., a large corporation in a crowded metropolitan
area, needs to expand its operations. This will require a new
facility. But the immediate area has little to offer. In
surveying surrounding areas CDC's planning committee has
determined that the most desirable location for its new
facility would be in nearby Parkville's recreational and
wildlife area. The planning committee is now authorized by CDC
to approach Parkville's City Council.
CDC makes what it considers to be a very generous offer to
the City Council. Presenting itself as an environmentally
conscious corporation, CDC says it will need only 25% of the
wildlife and recreational area; it will carefully monitor and
control emissions into the air and water, using "beyond the
state of the art" equipment and standards; it will annually
contribute funds for the preservation and maintenance of the
remaining 75% of the wildlife and recreational area. In
addition, CDC points out how its presence will increase the tax
base of Parkville, create new jobs, and enhance the local
economy.
A member of CDC's planning committee learns that one of
CDC's engineers, Elizabeth Dorsey, lives in Parkville. He
suggests to committee chair, Jim Bartlett, that someone talk to
her to see if she might be able to "soften up" Parkville City
Council members. Jim thinks this is a good idea and calls David
Jensen, chief engineer of Elizabeth's unit. "David," Jim says,
"I'd like you to talk with one of your engineers, Elizabeth
Dorsey, about our efforts to secure some land near Parkville."
Jim goes on to detail CDC's plans and what he would like
Elizabeth to be asked to do. How should David respond to Jim's
request? Assuming he agrees to talk with Elizabeth, what should
he say?
Consider these questions under two different
circumstances:
- David is not aware of Elizabeth's environmental concerns
or her role on the Parkville Environmental Quality
Committee.
- David is aware of Elizabeth's environmental concerns and
her role on the Parkville Environmental Quality
Committee.
III
[Following II. 1.]
Shortly after his conversation with Jim Bartlett, David
Jensen calls Elizabeth Dorsey into his office and relays to her
Jim's message. Unaware of Elizabeth's participation on
Parkville's Committee for Environmental Quality, David asks,
"Is there anyone on the City Council you know well enough to
talk to about this?"
How should Elizabeth respond to David's question?
- Reply that she does not know anyone well enough to talk
about this matter--hoping that this will end the matter with
David.
- Tell David about her previous involvement with the City
Council and her environmental stance concerning the wildlife
and recreational area.
- Other.
IV
[Following III. 1.]
David encourages Elizabeth to work on making contact with
someone on the City Council, either directly or through friends
who know members on the Council. What should Elizabeth say in
response to David's request? What should she subsequently
do?
V
David Jensen reports back to Jim Bartlett that he is not
sure that Elizabeth Dorsey will be much help. "She said she
doesn't know any Council members well enough to talk to them,"
David says.
Much to his surprise, Jim replies, "Guess what I learned
just half an hour ago? I had a phone conversation with an old
friend who moved away from Parkville last fall. He says
Elizabeth Dorsey is on an environmental concerns committee in
Parkville. She knows City Council members all right--she and
her committee members took on the Council last year and blocked
the Council's effort to open up commercially the area we want!
We're going to have to keep an eye on her. Tell her she'd
better "cool it" on this one."
What should David Jensen say to Elizabeth Dorsey?
VI
[Following III. 2.]
Elizabeth Dorsey tells David Jensen about her activities
with Parkville's Committee for Environmental Quality. She says
that she cannot support CDC's effort to obtain a portion of the
wildlife and recreational area.
"Well," David replies, "Jim won't like hearing about this.
What am I supposed to tell him?"
"Why tell him anything?" Elizabeth asks. "Just say I won't
be able to help."
"And if he asks why?" "If he asks why, just tell him I'm not
friendly with anyone on the Council. So I don't see how I can
help to CDC on this. That's true enough," laughed
Elizabeth.
How should David respond to Elizabeth's suggestion?
VII
David Jensen follows Elizabeth Dorsey's suggestion and
reports back to Jim Bartlett that Elizabeth doesn't see how she
can help CDC. Jim replies, "I can see why she says that. I've
just learned from an old friend who lived in Parkville until
last fall that Elizabeth Dorsey is on a citizen's committee
that's adamantly opposed to commercial develop of the piece of
land we want. The only help she's likely to give us is keeping
her mouth shut on this. Tell her she should 'cool it'."
Should David relay this message to Elizabeth?
- David should tell her what Jim said, but he need not add
that he agrees with Jim.
- David should tell her what Jim said, and he should add
that he agrees with Jim.
- David should simply drop the matter.
VIII
[Following VII. 1. and 2.]
It is clear to Elizabeth Dorsey that if she joins hands with
her fellow committee members and opposes CDC's plans for
developing a new facility in Parkville, this will not be well
received at CDC. Meanwhile, no one else on the Committee for
Environmental Quality is aware of CDC's plans. Should Elizabeth
report CDC's intentions to the committee? [Should she regard
CDC's intentions as confidential, or can she take CDC's request
that she try to gain access to City Council members as an
indication that talking about about CDC's intentions would not
be a breach of confidentiality?]
IX
Over the next two weeks Elizabeth Dorsey keeps CDC's plans
to herself. Then she receives a phone message indicating that
the Committee for Environmental Quality is having an urgent
meeting. At the outset of the meeting the committee chair
announces that he has just learned of CDC's intentions. "We
have to act quickly to mobilize against this," he
concludes.
Should Elizabeth volunteer that she already knew about CDC's
intentions? If she is asked, as an employee of CDC, whether she
knew anything about this, what should she say? Should she now
join with her fellow committee members in mobilizing against
CDC's intentions?
X
[Following VII.]
One month after his conversation with David Jensen, Jim
Bartlett is shown a copy of the Parkville Weekly Press in which
Elizabeth Dorsey is quoted at a City Council meeting as
speaking out against any commercial development of the wildlife
and recreational area. She does not mention CDC specifically,
but the implication of her remark is apparent. Jim then calls
David Jensen and says, "What's going on here, David? I thought
you were going to tell her to 'cool it'."
How should David reply to Jim?
XI
You are a member of Parkville's Committee for Environmental
Quality. Discuss what, from an ethical point of view, you think
it would be appropriate for fellow member Elizabeth Dorsey to
do in the above circumstances.
XII
You are a citizen of Parkville. Discuss what, from an
ethical point of view, you think it would be appropriate for
Elizabeth Dorsey to do in the above circumstances.