1. Dilemma
You are the purchasing manager of a midsize firm. You receive an invitation from one of your suppliers to attend a three-day, all-expenses-paid, informational seminar on new technologies in Miami, Florida. The session is located close to your best friend's home outside Miami. When you arrive at the seminar, it turns out that only about eight hours of relevant technical information will be spread out over the three-day seminar. You plan on going to the seminar at those times, but your friend wants you to play golf and go to Epcot Center when you are not in the seminar. You overhear a rumor that your company may be honored at some point for all the business it has done with the supplier. Is it ethical for you to be there or not? Is it right for you to leave for a while with your friend? Do you explain the situation to the supplier host? Why or why not?
2. Observations
Matteo Bortesi, a technology consultant at Accenture in Tokyo, said that "the Japanese think long-term. If they think they will benefit in 100 years, they will invest for their grandkids." What do you think of Bortesi's observations? Do American businesses follow such an approach? What perspective do you tend to manage with--short or long term? What criteria do you use as a manager to help you find the balance between immediate rewards and future gains?