Business Ethics and Society

QUESTION ONE

Many individuals pursue career goals which often result in making difficult decisions affecting the person’s personal and professional life. Society often influences these decisions, which not only affect the individual making the decision but also family, friends, and colleagues. One of the individuals faced with making such a difficult decision is Lawrence Trinh.

Lawrence Trinh, a Vietnamese-American, Harvard Business School student, was offered four employment positions and needs to make a decision within a week. He aspires to receive a real sense of Vietnam’s growth potential and improve Vietnamese culture by utilizing his extensive finance and investment skills.

However, despite his aspirations, Trinh must consider several important criteria in making his decision. His ideal employment position needs to incorporate Trinh’s desire for extensive exposure to Vietnamese culture, encourage a growing, supportive and nurturing environment based on Trinh’s extensive training and expertise, offer rewarding financial incentives and provide flexibility for him to travel and spend time in New York City to visit his girlfriend while she completes her medical residency. Based on these important criteria, Trinh should choose the offer from one of the top private equity firms in the United States, located in Hong Kong or Singapore with an assignment in New York City.

Although all four positions have both advantages and disadvantages and Trinh would need to make some sacrifices to encompass these criteria, this particular position incorporates all of Trinh’s considerations. First, although this position is not exclusively located in Vietnam, it offers Trinh exposure to Vietnamese culture and allows him to investigate Vietnam’s corruption problems through one of its assignments. Second, even though this position does not specifically focus on Vietnam, it does have a presence in Asia, which allows Trinh the potential to grow with the company,...