Maynard Leigh Associates: Consultantpreneurs’dilemma of Purpose or Profit

Cast study: Maynard Leigh Associates: Consultantpreneurs’Dilemma of Purpose or Profit

        In this case, Maynard Leigh Associates (MLA) didn’t embed ethics into their management culture. Arora and Gupta found them in the dilemma of purpose or profit. Either they compromise on their values or lose current and potential business from their clients. It is obvious that MLA management didn’t embed ethical code into their management, and because of it they are swinging back and forth. Ethical conduct is important because it not only involves doing what is right and proper, but it is also good for business. Ethical conduct is the basis for long-term success in any organization.

        Firstly, MLA overvalued the outcomes. Malhotra didn’t let FMCG know that they didn’t need further session of mission and value immediately. It is because that he clearly understood that MLA would lose further business opportunities whenever he let FMCG know that most of their managers are experts to deliver effective and impressive presentations to large audiences and to attend the extra workshop is wasteful. In MLA’s policy, employee were leaders in their own rights, and that each one had the ability to make decision that would work in the interests of the organization (Page 151).  But MLA excessively emphasized interests, and that prevented Malhotra’s ethical behaviors. In one of MLA’s improvement (CAN I) emails, employee wrote that he felt guilty that he lost 4 potential days of training for the clients. Above cases had explicitly explained that MLA treated interests as its first priority and override business ethics.

        Secondly, MLA management overlooked the unethical behavior to get its interest. MLA is a startup consult company. Fund is definitely critical for MLA. But in the pursuing of profit, following ethical code is more significant compared with profit. During their consultant work with an IT giant company, Arora and Gupta clearly know that their client’s CEO was the main roadblock to the organization’s success. But they hesitated to inform CEO or their chairman because CEO had given them lots of business and would give them more in the future. As a startup company, if MLA can grow with this IT giant company MLA will definitely have a brilliant future no mention of profit and reputation. This conflicts of interest are often not readily visible for management and will cause unethical behaviors. It will ruin company’s reputation and business in the longterm.