Ethics is a critical part of any endeavor more so on the business front. It refers to moral principles that determine persons or a group’s behavior and attitude toward something. In the business set up, this moral principle is the primary determinant on whether a person does the right or the wrong thing. The objective of this paper is to analyze the use of falsified resumes to gain an unfair advantage in the workplace and examine whether there are circumstances where one can be excused for using of faked resumes.
Before we look at a case of resume fraud, first we need to understand the meaning of the term resume falsification. Resume falsification can be defined as the misrepresentation of facts in a person’s curriculum vitae, and may involve at least the omission, exaggeration, fabrication, and dishonest enhancements of the credentials of persons CV. Over 70% of all resumes submitted to potential employers contain some form of fabrication, and this is a worrying trend as most companies seek employees who are honest, faithful, and responsible (Butcher par. 32). The following is a case of Andrew Flanagan, which will come in useful in understanding the various aspects of this ethical issue in the workplace.
In 2014, Andrew Flanagan, an American of 47years, at the time, was arraigned in an Australian court of law for crimes including forgery and was convicted of deception offenses by a Victorian court for his crimes against Myer, a Victorian retail giant. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Jeffery, as he was otherwise called, had a record of duping large companies and organizations into hiring him into very senior and at times executive roles such as the one he had at Myer as a general manager in charge of strategy and business development (Cowie and Kruger Par. 4). According to the artice, he was bound to earn an annual income of about 400,000 dollars. Other organizations that He had managed to dupe into giving him jobs include the Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce, Bendigo Health, and Specialty Fashion among others (Butcher par. 10). Before his conviction, it became known that he had earlier been arrested for some serious offenses, which included assault and burglary for which he had served time in a Texas jail. His fraudulent endeavors were discovered when his claimed stint with Spanish retailing giant Zara has revealed a lie. This prompted Myer to look further into his resume where more inadequacies were identified, and that prompted them to hand over the case to the fraud squad investigators. The Age Victoria also reported on the case of Andrew Flanagan and how he faked his way to higher positions in various companies. Flanagans deceptions included falsely representing that he had worked as the national director of the American Chamber of commerce. He also claimed to have been the senior vice president with Unisys Australia and also claimed to have held senior positions in Wal-mart Inc (Butcher par. 13).
Overall, it is important, to be honest on one's resume as it may not be beneficial to the employer as much as it is for you because at the end of the day one is not just building a company but also their career.
Works Cited
Cowie, Tom and Kruger, Colin. “Myer to hand case of Andrew Flanagan's faked CV to police fraud squad” The Sydney morning herald”. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2016 <http://www.smh.com.au/business/myer-to-hand-case-of-andrew-flanagans-faked-cv-to-police-fraud-squad-20140710-3bq74.html>
Butcher, Steve. “Disgraced Myer executive Andrew Flanagan who faked CV ripped off other companies” the Age Victoria. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016 <http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/disgraced-myer-executive-andrew-flanagan-who-faked-cv-ripped-off-other-companies-20150807-gitvxq.html>
