Describe a situation where your values, ethics or morals ...



Describe a situation where your values, ethics or morals were challenged. How did you handle the situation? (500 words)

A company that I used to work for outsourced most of their Information Technology functions to an outside consultant, who also provided them with "custom-built" computers.

On the first day at the office, my new manager gave me a detailed $4,000 estimate for a machine that they were about to build for me. What I was surprised to find out is that not only did it include a number of specialized components that were absolutely not necessary for my job, but this supposedly "low-cost" desktop was actually considerably more expensive than similarly configured ones from major brand suppliers.

I told my boss that if he lets me pick a computer for myself, I could get one that would be more than adequate for about $2,500. Somewhat reluctantly he agreed and a week later I had a brand new Gateway on my desk. For well over a year, the machine worked reliably and I couldn't be happier with my choice.

But one day, the CD-ROM drive failed. I called Gateway's warranty support and asked for a replacement. They politely informed me that their records indicated that my machine didn't come with one, which at the time was already rather unusual. Their database also showed a number of other significant discrepancies, including low memory specifications that would make a computer virtually inoperable. However, they readily admitted that this was perhaps a mistake and promised to remedy the situation as soon as I provided them with a copy of the original invoice.

Unfortunately, the invoice in question seemed to have mysteriously vanished. But when a representative of the consulting company found out about my misfortunes, he immediately stopped by and installed a new drive for me, free of charge. Such sudden eagerness to please was totally unexpected and suspicious, particularly considering that my machine's maintenance was not their responsibility in the first place.

It took me some time, but eventually I realized what really happened. Trying to make an extra profit, the consulting company ordered a "bare bones" PC with as few original components as possible. Then, they installed some generic parts, carefully resealed the box, and sold it to us as a genuine Gateway. Their only problem was that the components that they used were so cheap that they were bound to fail, exposing the scam.

Outraged, I went back to my manager and told him the whole story. However, he advised me not to publicly raise the issue as it could cost me my job. Apparently, the president of the consulting company had personal connections in our upper management. Nevertheless, my boss and I decided to stop using any outside consultants for our own departmental IT needs and to order all the replacement computers and peripherals directly from reputable sources.

Four months later, I switched jobs and was happy to no longer work in a corrupt environment. But to this day, I wonder if I should have had more courage to speak up.

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