Description
Please respond to the discussion below. As always, your responses should
be well-written, free of spelling or grammatical errors, properly
edited, contain appropriate references for any works cited in your post,
and should contain both facts of the case and your own thoughts
relating to the matter and your answers to the questions.Could be between 500 to 750 words .==================
International
management consulting firm Burns & McCallister is listed by Working
Mother magazine as one of the top fifty firms in the United States for
employment of working mothers and by Working Woman magazine as one of
the top ten firms for women.
The
firm has earned this reputation for several reasons. First, nearly 50%
of its partners are women. Second, it has a menu of employee benefits
that includes such things as flex hours, sabbaticals, family leave,
home-based work, and part-time partner-track positions.
However,
B&M has been the subject of a series of reports by both the Los
Angeles Times and the New York Times that scrutinize its policy on
female executives in certain nations. B&M has learned, through its
years of consulting experience, that certain countries in which it
negotiates for contracts prohibit the use of women in the negotiation
process. The cultures of many of these countries do not permit women to
speak in a meeting that includes men. Consequently, B&M has
implemented a policy prohibiting women partners from being assigned
these potential account negotiations and later the accounts themselves.
Clerical help in the offices can be female, but any contact with clients
must be through a male partner or account executive.
In
response to criticism from the National Organization for Women (NOW)
regarding B&M’s posture, the head of the firm’s New York office has
explained:
“Look,
we’re about as progressive a firm as you’ll find. But the reality of
international business is that if we try to use women in certain
cultures, we can’t get the job. It’s not a policy on all foreign
accounts. We’ve just identified certain cultures in which women will not
be able to successfully land or work on accounts. This restriction does
not interfere with their career track. It does not apply to all
countries.”
The
National Organization for Women (NOW) would like B&M to apply the
standards that it employs in the United States to all its operations
worldwide. A spokesperson from NOW stated: “No restrictions are placed
on women by B&M here in the US, other cultures should adapt to our
standards; we should not change our standards to adapt to their culture.
NOW maintains that without such a posture, worldwide change in
attitudes about a woman’s position in society can never come about.
Question:
The
CEO of B&M has asked you to make a recommendation about what the
company’s ethics should be in this situation. What position should
B&M take?
(Question and example taken from Chegg Study.)
