Refer
to section “The WH Framework for Business Ethics” of Ch. 2, “Business Ethics” of
Dynamic
Business Law
for information on the WH Framework.
Review
the scenario and complete the activity below. This scenario can also be found in the
“Questions & Problems” section of Ch. 2, “Business Ethics” in
Dynamic Business Law
.
Scenario
:
Steven J. Trzaska was the head of L’Oreal USA’s regional patent team, managing the procedure
by which the company patented products. As an attorney barred in Pennsylvania, Trzaska had
to adhere to professional rules of conduct established by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in
addition to rules promulgated by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In 2014, L’Oreal
S.A., the French parent company of L’Oreal USA, enacted a global quota of patent applications
each regional office had to file each year. Employees were informed that failure to meet the
quota would negatively impact their careers and even their continued employment at L’Oreal.
Meanwhile, L’Oreal USA simultaneously enacted a rule to increase the quality of patent
applications filed with the USPTO. The second rule led to a decrease in number of patents that
could be filed with the USPTO. Trzaska’s team would not be able to fulfill the patent quota.
Faced with the problem, Trzaska informed management that his team would not file patents
that they did not believe in good faith were patentable. Several weeks after Trzaska’s meeting
with the management, he was offered 2 severance packages that he did not accept. Finally,
Trzaska was let go. Trzaska subsequently sued L’Oreal, alleging that he was fired for refusal to
violate ethical rules that regulate the legal profession.
Create
a WH Framework chart, similar to Exhibit 2.2. Refer to L'Oreal’s core values and the
primary values in Exhibit 2.3 to determine the guidelines to include in the WH Framework.
Write
an explanation of how you decided on the list of stakeholders and guidelines to include
in your WH Framework. Address the following questions in your explanation:
Which stakeholders did Traszka and the management of L’Oreal cater to? Why?
What values did L’Oreal’s management choose when they made the decision to fire
Trzaska? Why?
Self-Reflection
In addition to your explanation, address the following self-reflection questions:
How did the WH Framework help you analyze the situation?
Now that you’ve put together the framework, how does the WH Framework help
managers with making business decisions?
What type of decisions would the WH Framework chart help you make as a manager?
Submit
your chart and answers.
