Ethical Study Case

In an engineer’s career, their relationship with their employer and other vendors their company deals with can be very important.   It can either make or break someone’s future in the company or help land a better position.   In the ethical case study assigned to us we were given a scenario where an employee named Sara was given a gift from a vendor and was put into the position whether or not keeping the gift would affect the integrity of their business relationship.   In the end, the employee ended up returning the gift box received from the vendor along with a polite note.  
First, I’m going to discuss whether or not Sara was obligated to return the gift or if she was taking ethics too far. As the holiday season approaches, it is very common for business to show appreciation to those who have helped them throughout the years keep their company alive and going.   This is usually done through small gifts sent as a thank you.   In this case Sara was not the only employee to receive a gift from this vendor, several others in the company had received the same gift as her.   The gift was not sent to her personally from a specific person from the vendor but as a company to her along with her co workers.   It was no form of payment or bonus for her work with them but a snack food gift box.   Gifts are often sent from one company to another as a sign of respect and a way to say thank you.   Also as a way to remind one another that were still around and we enjoyed your business in the past and were still around to work with you.
Second, the actions of employees can really affect a company’s relationship with vendors.   Sara’s actions in this case could really affect her company’s relationship with the vendor if the proper steps are not taken to avoid any misunderstandings between the two.   If I was her employer I would have advised her to accept the gift as a sign of appreciation for working together with the vendor to ensure and protect future business relationships.   She was...