# Business Ethics in a Novel



## ScottyDM (Feb 23, 2010)

*An Ethical Dilemma*

I'm writing a novel and incidental to the main plot line my hero is involved in business dealings. To cause my hero more trouble I've conceived of a twist to this business subplot. The problem then becomes, the hero's friend and rival (yes both at once) is faced with an ethical dilemma. So if he does what my plot demands of him, will he be a hero or a heel?

*Paris:* The hero-businessman of the novel. He's hired a small team and they are working to start a new company. Paris hopes to franchise his particular style of business consulting.
*"Judas":* The traitor Paris hired (actually I haven't named this fellow yet). He sells a preliminary copy of the business plan to Paris's direct competitor and hated rival, Derica.
*Derica:* She's the VP in charge of the Los Angeles branch of a rival consulting company. She's the one who paid "Judas" for the business plan, and now she's sending it around, office to office, to let her fellow VPs in other cities know of this new threat to their company. She's done this without the prior blessing of the company CEO. At one time she offered Paris a job, but he turned her down. She and Paris don't like each other.
*Peter:* He's the VP in charge of the San Francisco branch of the same company Derica works for. He's known Paris for years and they are friendly competitors. They like and trust each other and sometimes share information about clients when it will not damage their own interests.
When Paris's stolen business plan lands on Peter's desk he recognizes the damage it could do to his friend. And the longer Paris is unaware he has a "Judas" in his organization, the more damage it will do. Peter has no way of knowing who this "Judas" is, but Paris could tell if he had the original document in his hands.

*So Peter's dilemma is:* Does he turn the stolen business plan back over to Parisâ€”it does not rightfully belong to his company so he's not giving away proprietary company documents. Does he simply tell Paris of the information leak and let him try to figure out who this "Judas" is without evidence. Or, does he do nothing and remain loyal to his company?

To add to Peter's dilemma, if he gives the document to Paris he feels he cannot remain employed with his company and must immediately resign. He likes what he sees in Paris's business plan, but a non-compete clause in his employment contract means he'd have to do something else for two years before joining Paris's new company. The relationship between Paris and Peter is such that Paris would hire him.

Naturally Peter discusses the matter with his wife that evening. She votes for telling Paris, but not returning the business plan to him. She hopes her husband can hide is disloyalty to his own company and remain employed. However he feels Paris needs the document and wants to fly down to LA and place it in his hands the next morningâ€”right after he calls the company CEO and resigns. It bothers Peter that his company would allow Derica to do such a thing and not censure her or suppress the stolen business plan.

*#1: If you read that Peter returned the stolen business plan to Paris, what would you think of him?*

*#2: Does loyalty to his friend override loyalty to his company?*

*#3: Was Peter and Derica's company justified in allowing the stolen document to be freely circulated among their offices?*

Thanks!

S~


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## Atrak (Feb 23, 2010)

1. An awesome friend. He has a sense of honor, and their friendship probably goes back further than we're being told.

2. Loyalty? Yes. However, he probably gets paid a lot, so the question would be does loyalty to his friend override his job security and paycheck.

3. Unless Paris had a patent for said document, then there is nothing illegal with them doing so, unless Paris can somehow prove that Judas stole the material plans directly from him, and not just copied it. Of course, then that would just get Judas in trouble for theft. I doubt the law could do much to the rival company.

   So, lawfully, they are justified. Morally, however, is another question


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## ScottyDM (Feb 23, 2010)

Thank you, Atrakaj.

"Judas" had a right to have the business plan; he helped write part of it. However he also signed a non-disclosure agreement with Paris (a contract). When he sold a copy of the plans to Derica he breached the written contract he had with Paris. Paris has every right to sue "Judas" if he can prove he did it, but Paris feels retribution is a waste of time and money. He'll fire the guy then move on.

Part of Peter's upset with his company is that the stolen business plan was allowed to circulate for several days without challenge or censure. His company works with clients' secrets all the time and _trust is critical_. While Derica did not have a confidentially agreement with Paris, Peter feels that's no excuse to partake in industrial espionage, or to spend company funds on such. He feels the potential damage to the company's reputation far outweighs any advantage early disclosure of a rival's business plans might gain them. If a regional VP cannot be trusted, then can you trust anyone within the company?

If Peter acts on this he would bring this to the CEO's attention when he resigns, and return the stolen business plan to Paris, but he would never publicly disgrace his own (former) company.

S~


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## TakeWalker (Feb 23, 2010)

1) I would think he was a good, moral person.

2) Yes. Admittedly, I've never really felt 'loyal' to any business I worked for in my life.

3) Yes. Businesses can do anything that isn't explicitly against the law, and numerous things which are, so long as they are not caught.


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## Browder (Feb 23, 2010)

Peter could also make an anonymous tip. It's not quite as upfront or morally upstanding as option 1 , but it happens in politics all the time. I'm not so sure about businesses, but I'm sure they might do something similar.


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## ScottyDM (Feb 25, 2010)

Thanks a million everyone.

If I use this, and I probably will, then this sub-plot will focus on Peter's anguish over his decision. In the overall scheme, the subplot is really about tossing a monkey wrench into Paris's plans. The trick will be to close this subplot, that is have Paris recover, without making it seem like Paris is blowing off his troubles. If Derica gets her hands on only a piece of his business plan, is missing some critical bit, then Paris's potential loss will be less.

S~


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