What should you do?

You have invited quotations for some building maintenance work to be done at your organisational headquarters. Your sister has recently taken up a position as Head of Marketing at one of the firms which has quoted for the work.

What should you do?
A . Disbar the firm your sister works in, from the exercise, as the connection could create undesirable rumours about malpractice.
B . Do nothing C you know you are honest and that is what matters.
C . Ask your sister to take you out for dinner on her expense account to discuss the matter.
D . Advise your line manager in writing, and ask to be excused from participation in this particular procurement exercise.

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

A simple solution is to ‘recuse’ yourself from anything to do with this procurement. That way, neither you, your employer or your sister can be accused of malpractice.

Disbarring your sister’s employer punishes them simply because both they and your firm employed high-quality people. 🙂

Sometimes knowing you are honest is not enough: sometimes you have to demonstrate that.

So the only answer which makes sense is the correct one, as above.