Purchasing Agent for Zircon Delivery Services: Accept or Don`t Accept the Offer

As the purchasing agent for Zircon Delivery Services, I have a duty to ensure that the Company is able to make good decisions by choosing the most deserving party in the tender bidding process. Any employee working in the organization should be concerned about the welfare of others within the Company. This implies that they should work diligently by ensuring they maintain high standards of ethical conduct which contribute to the upward mobility of the Company. The current case scenario presents a major challenge which many individuals have had to go through, however, one of the best ways to deal with this is by ensuring that one checks Zircon`s specifications of the bidding process as will be illustrated in this analysis.

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It is apparent that Company Whiz presented one of the poorest bids. Despite having a fair price, the nature of equipment and proposed service appeared to be inferior compared to the other bidders. This means that they do not qualify to get the tender. It could, therefore, be logical to assume that this is the reason why the sales representative of Company Whiz comes with an attractive offer in a bid to fraudulently acquire the tender which they have not qualified for. This is a case of ethical misconduct, and also an attempt to bribe a senior official within a Company. I, therefore, have to realize that the attractive offer presented before me is not a gift meant to build a relationship as suggested by the sales representative but rather, a bribe to ensure that they get the tender.

The first step that one ought to make is to assess the bribe by checking whether the situation will end up being more complicated when one accepts it or it could end up resulting to a hostile scenario. Secondly, the purchasing agent should ensure that they do not accept the offer presented before them. One might observe that their predecessor had constantly being accepting such gifts, although, this does not justify the idea that they should also do the same. The purchasing agent should, thus, decline the offer politely and firmly. The reason behind this is that this is tantamount to compromising one`s moral integrity. Besides, acceptance also creates room for other suppliers to realize that it is easy for them to compromise the purchasing entity`s integrity.

Besides the aforementioned cause, one has to realize that acceptance of such a gift will make them liable to accept the supplier`s offer. As a result, they will end up authorizing the purchase of substandard commodities for Zircon. This will translate to a situation whereby the same goods are sold to customers who later launch complaints within the Company of having received poor quality goods. One of the likely consequences is that some of the clients may end up withdrawing from the Company and seek to get such services elsewhere (Withers & Ebrahimpour, 2018). Also, other clients may opt to sue the business seeking compensation for the inferior services offered. Zircon may, therefore, end up paying dearly for the mistakes made by the purchasing agent.

Also, it is important for the purchasing agent to ensure that they notify their superiors on the offer presented by the non-compliant entity. This should, however, be done once the offer has been declined to avoid a scenario where they are obliged to accept the offer after being misadvised by a superior who has already being compromised. In a case where one fails to notify their superiors, they may end up putting their integrity in question. In the worst case scenario, if it emerges that declining is not an option for one to take, it would be advisable to accept without making any commitment in a manner that shows that one is expected to extend a similar gesture.

One of the most insightful measures that one can take in the same situation is to make all the necessary documentation presented before them by Company Whiz. The purchasing agent should keep the original documents and ensure that they keep others from accessing the same information. This will ensure that they have all the required evidence in case their integrity is questioned by their superiors. Some situations emerge whereby the supplier alleges that they had been asked to offer something in return in order for them to get the tender, yet they were the ones who were trying to bribe the purchasing agent. In addition to this, keeping the information confidential will ensure that one gets to present the evidence to the right people when required thus ensuring that they have substantial information to prove their claim.

It is also important for the purchasing agent to consider that participation in bribery is not only going to affect them but also the Company. An organization found guilty of bribery allegations is liable to unlimited fine amounts and in some cases, it may also be barred from public contracts. If the purchasing officer accepts the offer, Zircon Delivery Services may end up being found guilty despite not being aware of such an occurrence (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2015). The latter Company would, nevertheless, be safe in case it emerges that it had taken the necessary precautions and also declined to participate in bribery. Besides, presenting the original evidence would further work in favor of the business by clearing them off all charges.

Conclusion

Finally, it is apparent that declining the offer is the best step to take in the scenario presented. The purchasing party is supposed to stick to maintenance of high ethical standards by ensuring that only the most deserving entity gets to acquire the tender. Participation in bribery could land the officer into trouble with the employer and also cause problems to the Company in case such an issue is brought to light. Regardless, of how attractive the offer could be, one has to think of the likely consequences of making the decision beforehand.

Reference

Ferrell, O. C., & Fraedrich, J. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Nelson Education.

Withers, B., & Ebrahimpour, M. (2018). The effects of codes of ethics on the supply chain: A comparison of LEs and SMEs. Journal of Business and Economic Studies, 19(1), 3766.