Sally works as a junior analyst for a medium-sized IT consulting firm. Her manager, Bob, has
asked her to draft a response to an RFP from a large company that is seeking IT consulting
services in connection with a new accounting system.
As Sally worked on the RFP, she noticed a specific question about her firm’s recent experience on this type of system.To the best of her knowledge, the firm has only worked on one
other accounting project in the last three years.When Bob saw Sally’s draft response, he was
upset about the way she answered the question.“You don’t have to be quite that candid,” he
said.“Even though we only had one formal project, we do have several people who worked on
accounting systems before they came here.”
“Yes,” Sally replied,“But that isn’t what the question is asking.” As he left her office, Bob’s
final comment was,“If we want that job, we’ll have to come up with a better answer.” Thinking
about it, Sally isn’t comfortable with anything but a straight answer. Is this an ethical question?
What are Sally’s options?