Course description

Cases Studies in Crime & Punishment 2

Embezzlement: Justice or Public Relations?

A young employee in the IT Department of a major multinational, working for the company for two years, has been stealing regularly from us. This has been going on for nearly 18 months and totals more than five crore. Only after all this time has the theft been discovered.

A meeting has been called by the General Manager to decide the best action we should take as a company. You have all been invited to the meeting to participate and influence the General Manager in her decision.

The members of this committee and their first opinions are:

General Manager - neutral

Head of IT Department – employee should be asked to return the money and asked how he managed to continue embezzling for so long without being caught. If he cooperates, the police will not be called.

Head of Security – thinks the company should make an example of the employee. The police should be called and the man imprisoned.

Head of Public Relations and Marketing – believes that a public trial could cause great embarrassment for the company and result in a loss of public confidence. As such the police should be kept out of it.

Please decide which role each of you will take on.

The employee has made a counter-offer. He will return half the money and continue to draw his salary but will take on a new role in preventing further embezzlement. If this does not happen, he will share the story to the press and on social media.

What punishment do you think he should get, if any?

What will i learn?