WHAT WOULD YOU DO? DISMISSAL AND PROMOTION POLITICS After graduation, you obtain a job as an information technology (IT) support person with a small company. You and your boss, the IT manager, are the only two people in the depart- ment. The two of you get along well and enjoy working with each other. After a year on the job, the company's president and the chief operating officer (coo) invite you out to lunch. When you arrive at the restaurant, you notice they seem to have made an effort to make this meeting secretive; they chose a location far from work and arrived separately, both of which are out of the ordinary. During lunch, they tell you they are really pleased with your work and want to offer you the position of IT manager, your boss's position. You are initially shocked by the offer, and they explain that your boss is not meeting their expectations. They plan on firing him in a few weeks, after he completes a major project. They want to offer the job to you first, and, if turned down, they will post the position after your boss is fired. They ask you to keep this knowledge confidential and want an answer within a week. You feel both glad and sad about this opportunity. It's great to be highly respected and offered the promotion. However, the timing for your boss couldn't be worse because he and his wife recently had a child. Since your boss will be fired one way or the other, you accept. the promotion. The president informs you it'll be another 3 weeks before the announcement is made. Going to work knowing your boss will be fired is incredibly stressful. Your boss believes his job is secure and mentions he plans to begin a costly major home remodelling project next week, which you now know he will not be able to afford due to being dismissed. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What could you do? 2. What would you do? a. Break confidence and confidentially tell your boss about his upcoming dismissal b. Don't say anything c. Something else [if so, what?) 3. Why is this the right option to choose? 4. What are the ethics underlying your decision?
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