Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

Cagayan de Oro City

CASE STUDY NUMBER 1:

THE MANAGER IN
SEARCH OF
CHANGE

Anna Azriffah Janary S. Guiling

Jimbo Fuentes, CPA, PhD

BA 23

June 25, 2019

1.
Question 1:
1. In your opinion, did the company do the right thing in asking Lawrence to
resign?
Understanding and taking into account the conservative culture in Korea, I
still don’t believe that the company’s decision to ask Lawrence to resign, or
otherwise terminated, is justified and right. To support this stance, I present
three valid reasons. The action was not right because as a company that
should be establishing and acting on legal decisions and basis, it is wrong to
ask someone to resign without solid basis of contradiction to the legal rules,
regulations, or contracts that are in existence. This means that the action was
wrong because it was based on culture alone and not on legal basis and
proceedings. There was no violation of whatsoever agreement with his current
company, which is an important fact to consider. Secondly, basing on my
personal values and ethics, the reason why I think the company did the wrong
thing is because I believe that asking and pursuing for self-growth and
development should not be discouraged, but rather, it should be empowered. I
support the idea that if a person wants to be in a different environment where
he thinks he can successfully prosper in, it would be best to just let him. I
don’t believe it has any correlation and connection to loyalty. Because to
continue working for a company that disguises a harmful and unhealthy place
as loyalty is a stab not just to our happiness, but to the practicality of the fact
itself. Lastly, it is wrong simply because it was unfair. Culture is subjective and
clearly, Lawrence had no say in it. There was no assessment of the situation
and given that he worked for the company for 15 years only to be betrayed for
something like this shows that some culture are more toxic than others. When
Lawrence felt like he needed change, it was an honest and true feeling that he
needed to address. It was unfair to be asked to resign for something that is
genuine and for something that literally doesn’t bring any harm.
2. Should Lawrence have defied the order to resign and opted for termination
instead?
No. If I was Lawrence, I would have resigned too. To be asked to resign, or
else terminated, is an insult to his long-years hard work, efforts and energy to
help bring the company to where it is now. If resigning is the only way to prove
that he is not guilty of any disloyalty, then so be it. It is not just about the fact
of doing it, but it is also a manifestation of how much self-respect and dignity
does Lawrence have. To wait for the termination is actually an added insult to
the injury. To be honest, I know that resigning is probably not the best and the
most rational idea, but it is what I think is the best idea when it comes to
regaining his tarnished image, reputation and dignity.
3. Could he take legal action for wrongful termination later?
Yes. I believe he can. Assuming that he waited for his termination instead of
just resigning on his own will, I believe that he can put up a strong case
against the company once he takes legal action and procedures against them.
This is because courts are not based on feelings, gaps, or even connections
to presidents, but the court studies and assesses the cases on the ground of
how it happened, their legal basis, and their implications. They also study the
justifications of things. Through this, I believe that if Lawrence chooses to be
practical and waits for termination, Lawrence can and should take legal action
for wrongful termination later.
4. Comment on the clash of cultures in this case.
Like I said, culture is subjective. Although we expect others to respect our
culture, it is not rational to expect them to have the same culture as us. It is
wrong to compel or force them to act and believe in our culture. In this case,
the issue and conflict arose when Lawrence had no autonomy to decide on
his own regardless of his position because the culture itself was against this
even if it wasn’t necessarily wrong at all. I admit that although culture is an
important part of the society because people are expected to conform in the
norms, it is not correct at all to let it dictate what is legally right and legally
wrong because they are not the same. The difference of culture and laws
takes part in the sanction that you can get from it. Laws require formal
sanctions, which include legal consequences like jail and fines. Culture, on
the other hand, thrives on informal sanction, which includes public acceptance
and societal inclusiveness. I think it is unfair that something that was based on
culture and was not totally wrong had to face legal and formal consequences,
tarnishing the image of the person involved.
Question 2:
Solve this case problem using the eight (8) steps format.
1. Facts of the Case
 Lawrence, aged 42, has been working with Innovatio for 15 years.
 Lawrence’s office address is in the 19th story office at Suntic City Tower.
 Innovatio is a Korean company that sells computer peripherals.
 His boss, Kim Yong Chung, was located in the room next to his, same
size, same view.
 Kim had been his boss for six months now.
 Kim is the marketing director of the company.
 The President of the company is Kim Yong Chung’s brother-in-law.
2. Point of View
Statement of the Problem
Major Problems
- Lawrence was independent in his action, but the Korean social
system did not permit it.
- Lawrence recommended to produce miniature MP3 players, but his
call was ignored.
Minor Problems
- There was a gap between Lawrence and his boss.
- Lawrence felt that some change was good for him.
- Lawrence e-mailed his application to the address provided.
3. Objectives
The main objective of this case is to reach a proper and justifiable
decision regarding the situation of the concerned person, Lawrence. More
specifically, this case study aims to achieve the following:
- Reconcile the differences between Lawrence’s personal goal and the strict
culture of Korea.
- Reach a decision that serves Lawrence proper justice that is assessed on a
legal basis.
- Harmonize the situation within the company by reaching a friendly
understanding among the president, the boss, and Lawrence.
4. Areas of Consideration
The main and best decision that Lawrence could do given the context of the
situation is to resign. Below is an analysis of the effects of this decision if
Lawrence is going to pursue and act on it.
SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
- manifestation of self-respect - irrational and illogical
- sign of dignity - unable to pursue legal actions after
- shows value for personal ethics - unable to fix the conflict between the
- regard for the esteemed hard work, company and Lawrence
efforts, and energy that he invested in - No unemployment benefits
the company - doesn’t address the real root issue
- a gesture of a non-guilty person of the problem in the company
- pro-actively leaving is less stressful
- Positive employment eligibility

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
- able to pursue for other open, - no assurance of future employment
advanced and accepting opportunities - generates a history of a bad record
- allows positive change through - no income
discharging Lawrence of his - wasted effort for the last 15 years
responsibilities that bind him to the
company.
- creates a space for a healthy
assessment of oneself

5. Alternative Courses of Action

Through assessing and evaluating the nature and conflicts of this case, three
possible alternative courses of action arise:

1. Wait for termination, and take legal actions afterwards.

 Under this, Lawrence will not resort to resigning but will wait for his
termination. Through doing this, an open opportunity of taking legal actions
against the company will exist. This means that since the basis of his
termination is clearly not on the grounds of legal criteria, he can sue the
company and demand any of the following three things. First is to ask to be
paid fines for costing him his image and reputation, second is to demand to
return to his job prior the termination, and last is both. This alternative course
of action addresses three things:
1. The issue of the conservative culture in Korea
2. The problem between Lawrence and his boss
Although this is a strong alternative of action because it targets the main
issue, if Lawrence go back into working in the company, this will just lengthen
the internal struggle of Lawrence for wanting a change. It must be noted,
however, that the image of Innovatio is at stake.

2. Admit the action, but ask for a reconsideration.

Under this, Lawrence will have to admit and confess his actions but
pretend like he didn’t mean to apply to another company. This solves one of
the main issues which is the problem of losing his job without assurance of
getting a new one. However, alongside with this solved problem, are issues
that will remain hidden. These are the following:
1. The main problem of the culture in Korea will not be addressed.
2. The rising conflict between the boss and Lawrence will still not be
recognized.
3. The internal struggle and issue of wanting change and autonomy for
one’s decisions will continue to exist.
4. Lawrence will have to live within the company with his reputation and
dignity tarnished.

3. Defy the status quo and question the system through formally writing to the
board and the management.
This is by far one of the best alternative course of action. Under this, more
civilized members of the company with no expected underlying intentions and
motives participate in deciding what to do with Lawrence’s case. This means
that no personal biases are expected to happen unlike the case with the boss
and the president. In here, legal and due process of assessing the case will
take into place which will signify fairness and integrity of the investigation.

6. Recommendation
Acknowledging the context and nature of Lawrence’s case, I recommend
the following:
1. He should continuously strive for self-growth and development through
change. Whether it takes form in applying for a new job or deciding to stay
within the boundaries of his zone, he should never stop pursuing for what he
thinks is the best for him. He needs to follow his passion.
2. If he resigns, he needs to find a job where he can exercise his
autonomy to act within his jurisdiction. He should find a job that doesn’t
oppose his personality. He should find opportunities in countries with
progressive and liberal values to avoid offending the sensitive parts of
conservative cultures.
3. He should try to look for a job that is in line with his own personal
culture. Since culture plays an important role in shaping the society, it is
important that he works in an environment where his dedication, ideas and
commitment are met with good feedback and not otherwise.

7. Conclusion
Countries with extremely conservative and sensitive cultures exist.
These cultures when violated or offended create conflicts. One best
example is Korea. Inside an organization or company, conflicts between
managers and subordinates and boss and employees also exist.
Unfortunately for the case of Lawrence, both were existing and opposing
to his need for a change and growth.
Since Lawrence was caught red-handed on applying for another
company, he was given two choices, to resign or to be terminated.
Through analyzing and assessing Lawrence’s case, it is provided that the
best possible solution given the context is to resign. It is justified because
it leads to more benefits than harms, it allows the creation of space for
self-growth and development, and it prioritizes Lawrence as a person.