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Case study on the topic of Business Ethics: Key employee (Based on real facts, names of people and name of the company are changed) “Mirax” is a well-known constructional company in Vilnius, Lithuania. The firm is made up of 100 unskilled workmen, 12 first line supervisors and 6 higher level managers, stuff of 20 office personnel and the president Evaldas Vanagas, who established “Mirax” company 7 years ago. Juozas Marcinkenas came to the company 5 years ago, when he was the third year student in the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
It was a summer job during holidays, but he very quickly comprehended the specific of work and started to give very precious advices to his supervisor. After he had finished studies he was promoted and became the first line supervisor. At the moment he is a higher level manager and supervises the designing department. But now he would like to start his own business in this area and all his free time in last 3 months he spent doing spreadsheets, developing customer lists, and otherwise mapping out the new venture.
The director of Mirax, Evaldas Vanagas, still knows nothing about his plans. But Jonas is going to reveal them when he will feel that the moment is suitable for that. In mean time he continues to put in a hard day’s work. One of the most important things in every venture is personnel. People are the key to success. Working as senior manager Jonas understands that very well. And to find qualified specialists with perfect personal skill is not so easy. That’s why the most time of the projecting new venture took creating a good team.
Jonas had to negotiate with many people to attract them to join his business. The last position left is a designer. He decided to offer this job to his colleague from designing department Romas Minkus. Romas is one of the best designers Jonas has ever met. Romas’ head is always full with great ideas and in the same time he orientates perfectly how to implement them, as well as which decision is meeting customer’s needs in the best way. Moreover, Romas is sociable and polite person and this enables him to communicate with customers trippingly.
Concerning his future plans, he said that he would like to be involved in a new venture one day, because he loves challenges and seeks for more sophisticated projects than building ordinary block houses. And Evaldas understands that if he offers Romas will agree to start a new business. Today at 6. 00 pm Jonas and Romas have meeting, concerning one of the projects in “Mirax”, and Jonas decided to tell his colleague about his plans on a new venture and propose the position of designer in the new company. Romas as usually is punctual. He enters and sits down, grinning. Did you hear? At last I got worthy project: the reconstruction of building in old town at Stikliu street. ” Jonas congratulates his colleague, and remembers his conversation with Evaldas Vanagas several weeks ago. Evaldas said they had got a new order for reconstructing and it requires a good skilled designer. So he chose 3 people that could do that work. “This is the most ambitious project of the last half a year, and I really don’t want make a mistake choosing right person”… “So that means that he chose Romas”, flashes in Jonas’ mind…
So on the one hand Jonas really needs Romas for his new venture and he knows Romas will agree, as he can offer much more attractive perspective than just one huge project. On the other hand Evaldas understands that the he has achieved a lot due to Evaldas, as he not only hired and trained him, but even gave more responsibility as a motivation to improve skills and fit the position, as Evaldas was confident he will achieve this level in a quite quick time.
And there is a situation now which makes Evaldas feel that he will betray his boss if he “steals” the best employ. Questions: What would u do in this case at the Jonas place? Would you offer Romas a job, thinking of your start-up, or would u reject your plans about Romas? How do your responses compare with others in your class? Discuss the reasoning process by which you came to the decision.