AN ETHICAL DILEMMA
Tammy Arnold, account manager for a large computer firm, had lost a couple of orders because her firm could not meet delivery deadlines. She had been honest with her prospects that her company’s delivery could run over by four to six weeks. She felt this was the honest thing to do and she would not be letting customers down by over-promising and underdelivering, which her competitors seemed to have no problem doing. She also knew her competitors could not meet these deadlines but they routinely told potential customers they would and could meet delivery deadlines just to get the order. When they missed the deadlines, they would make up an excuse and this usually seemed to work. Tammy has now decided that on her next proposal she will use the same tactics as her competitors. What risks does Tammy run? How would you handle the situation?