Ethical Dilemma at Accenture: GVV Framework and Software Copyright

This project presents a fictional scenario of an ethical dilemma within Accenture, a software company. The scenario involves Mark, a senior software engineer, who copies the work of an Indian software professional. John, another employee, is aware of Mark's actions and is faced with an ethical dilemma. The assignment applies the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) framework to analyze how John can address the situation. It explores the importance of ethical decision-making, assessing consequences, and applying workplace rules and social conventions. The script demonstrates how John can use the GVV framework to give voice to his values, navigate the conflict, and potentially confront his manager about the copyright infringement. The project highlights the challenges of ethical dilemmas in the workplace and the importance of standing up for one's values.

Fictional scenario of an ethical dilemma:
It’s a created story and any connection to the people dead or alive, draws a serious thinking.
The main character:
Mark who joined as a senior software engineer to the Accenture Inc., Manchester city, UK has a
several years of experience in the similar field and in few years i.e. the year 2009, he was
identified to be the top performer in this fast growing organization, and was promoted to the
senior position next to the CEO. It was during his tenure in Hexaware Inc. another software
company that he came in contact with another bright lad, in the software field, named John who
was offered a job in the same organization in which he was currently working.
About Accenture:
Emergence of Accenture is the result of an internal competition by two professional working in
the same organization. It was in the year 2001 this organization was formed by Kim Peterson, a
Danish professional and the new founder of Accenture Inc. The word Accenture means “Accent
to the future”. As reported in the year 2019 the employee strength has been 4, 82,000 and the
services that it provides is strategy, consulting, software development, operations and digital
technology.
The formal meeting:
Mark called on John and asked him to attend a meeting with an Indian lad who has created
innovative business software that can pay rich dividend to Accenture in terms of profit. As to
their plan of meeting it was discussed that he wants to sell his product exclusively to Accenture,

in fact it was the first company whom he approached and his product has been designed in such a
way that can serve Accenture to its best.
It was during the meeting with this young professional that both Mark and John came to an
understanding that this software would benefit Accenture in a very big way and can bring
operational and other efficiency to the organization. It was only then, that he disclosed, that the
software is not copy right protected but has been tested and run.
Mark asked for the documents and design work so that they can go through the viability of the
software program and can hand over the documents to the CEO of the company who takes final
decision on the matter (Rodriguez, 2012).
The Dilemma:
After two days Mark ask John to assist him in testing the software. After the test was
successfully completed Mark reveled to John that he has successfully tested the documents and
design provided by the software professional from India and has copied the programming and
design of that software professional from India.
Mark suggested John that the copy being shared by the software professional will be claimed to
be their own creation in the meeting with the CEO and for this Mark has asked John to attend
their next meeting with the CEO.
All such affairs and the planning of Mark gave a sleepless night to John and have to deal with
several questions that were coming up to him. On one hand he is thinking of coming off all
together from the file and is quiet on whole affair and on the other he is responsible to act and
should raise the voice on the practices going around. What if he loses his job after blowing the

whistle? And what will his supervisor and mentor be exposed to? In nutshell, he is confused and
still wandering as to what to do and how to do?
To make a ethical decision, John has to
A) Assess the cause of the issue?
B) To make a conscious decision on ethical dilemma?
C) He also needs to assess on the consequences and counter allegation from the
people involved?
D) How the rules will affect the given situation i.e. legal condition and the laid code
of ethics?
E) Code of conduct or workplace rules?
F) Social convention?
Clarity in conflicting values:
A) What values are related to the issue in the given situation?
B) What is main conflict of values?
Rationality in decision making:
A) The value that needs to be given the priority?
B) Which option of action that should be given the priority to balance the two
conflicting values?
Initiation of dialogue between the parties involved:
A) Main reason that justify the decision to other?
B) Assessing whether the decision will get an approval from others?

Script:
Giving Voice to Value (GVV) framework approach to deal with the ethical dilemma
situation:
Mary Gentile has explained Giving Voice to Value (GVV framework) of teaching ethical
dilemma in the way that this approach does not follow the right or wrong approach. On the other
hand she explained that most of us do have the idea as how we need to behave ethically and to
enact the values one has to practice the seven principle of GVV.
The script written over here demonstrates way through which John can give voice to his value.
“Copy right of others work and that are used by Mark as his own” has put John in an ethical
dilemma when he was asked to take part in the meeting with CEO from John and has a sleepless
night as to what course of action he should take in order to Give Voice to Value (GVV). He is
surrounded by several questions in regard to ethical dilemma in which he is pressed and
struggling to Give Voice to Value (GVV). Mary Gentile in her video Give voice to Value has
also summarized as to how to speak when you know you are correct or right about yourself.
GVV was created for business ethics studies but later on the use of it has translated into all the
other domains such as Arts, fine arts, communication, social, natural science and medicine etc.
GVV assess different way that an individual professional can give voice to their values in the
place where he/she is working. GVV helps the professional in building confidence, skills and
find motivation so as to voice values at their workplace. The motive of the GVV is to act against
the most deeply held belief system of what is right and what is wrong. Several experiments and
research has come to the conclusion that the conflict in the value will come in some way or the
other at our workplace or in our personal life. Thus what has been our conviction and what we

achieve is in differences from the other i.e. colleague, supervisor, company and so on. Here we
can say as in the case of Accenture John was going through the similar situation of perplexity as
to how to deal with such situation of ethical dilemma and many question as in relation to the
value are revolving around him. These questions are acting as a hindrance for John so as to act in
accordance to the GVV framework. If he is properly trained in such framework he would not
have gone through the similar dilemma of being right or wrong.
We already had a discussion about seven pillars of GVV that includes values, option,
normalization, goal, self awareness & alignment, voice and reason & rationalization. The
standard GVV approach includes:
 How a leader should put forward ethical issues in an effective manner, so as to
what course of action one can take so as to get heard in the organization so that one can
correct the existing course of action.
 Importances are given to the self realization and to concentrate on the individual
ability so as to align the individual goal with that of the goal of the organization.
 GVV helps provide opportunities to build and implement responses to
immediately listen reason and rationalization on not acting in accordance to the set
values.
 Several examples are put forward to inspire people when they have raised their
voice and get their values implemented at the workplace.
 Implementing peer feedback and coaching.
Giving voice to our values is an innovative way of teaching and acting on our values in our
professional career and our personal lifestyle. Instead of focusing on what is the right thing to do

in any particular situation as has been the case with John who was stuck with the different
question and once he has the knowledge that what are the right things that need to be done, the
right question should be that how should one get it done? What strategy should be adopted to
have an effective communication? Whom to communicate? What information would be required
for an effective and persuasive communication? What are the queries in the form of objection
that I can face and what will be my counter arguments? The concept behind the Giving Voice to
Value is that if someone comes across the situation of value conflict and then the query is raised
as to how to deal with the given situation? Normally the any one of the stakeholder concerned
would do either of the two things. He may say that I would do the right things but it is easily said
than done as has been the case with John, who was totally messed up with the different queries
as in regard with the ethical dilemma and the research also suggest that it is not that easy when it
comes to facing the ethical challenges in life. On the other hand we may suggest the devil
advocate way which has a skeptical positioning which argues that the decision at hand increases
the challenge for ethical decision but it’s not possible to go against the wave and has to succumb
to the pressure. The other way is to try to convince yourself and others that the situation is under
control and it can be managed if handled properly.
So before initiating the GVV the queries are being raised that what if you wanted to do right
thing in particular situation and you were pretty clear that what it was? What will be the process
of effective implementation? The whole process is said to be Giving Voice to Value through
experiment, which provides us with the chance to prescript yourself and to build an effective
plan we can think of and then to actually rehearse that script and plan.
The approach is followed on the basis of research that practice or rehearsal allows us to develop
a default behavior which can also be called as moral muscle memory that allow us to act more

easily without any pushover which is in alignment with our moral values and the seven principle
or pillar of GVV as has been discussed above support this process.
In the given scenario of Accenture the stakeholder is the organization itself, Mark who is in the
senior managerial level handling pivotal projects of the company has deliberately copied the
programming work of other and the Indian software professional that went to the office to
present his work. Such act is against the universal law in regard to the breach of copyright work
of others and the other aspects are that he is going to share the documents with the CEO of the
company pretending to be his own work. This was the area of ethical dilemma for John who
made him think on several questions that were coming to his mind but as has been proposed
from the GVV framework, he is already aware in its first place that what is right for him.
Accordingly he can build a scenario of how he can garner the courage of facing the ethical
dilemma and can confront his manager with the set of question to sort out the issue before every
stakeholders in this whole affairs gets affected. He can come up with the series of queries as to
why Mark is trying to cheat the professional in first place and make him understand that if he
thinks that if he can get away with the whole mess easily because the person does not have the
legal binding of copy right certification of the whole programming. Then John should make him
understand that if a cow is not having a signature of yours but is actually owned by you does not
mean that anyone can steal your cow on the ground that how you are going to prove it when you
know that the cow does not have your logo. Similarly he should make him understand with his
strong arguments that the Indian lad does have the copy of the software programming as
evidence on the basis of which he may sue him in the court for stealing the idea and gets
compensated. This in turn may also bring bad reputation to the company as well and eventually
the company will take action against him afterwards. John should try to persuade Mark on a

personal level first before trying to take further action against him. This may work as an eye
opener to Mark and would withdraw with such ideas given the consequences that he may have to
face for this whole act.

References:
Rodriguez M.A. (2012).Ethics and ethical conduct: Scenario of an ethical dilemma. Retrieved
from https://www.oiq.qc.ca/Documents/DCAP/chroniques_PLAN/ethique_deontologie/
2012_Chro_eth_deonto_PLAN_01-02_EN.pdf
Gentile G.C. (2010). Intro to GVV. Retrieved from
http://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1-Teaching-Notes-Intro-
to-GVV.pdf