Lyka Rivera

3BSA5

Case 1. State University Board of Regents: What Am I Living For?

Mr. Francis Francisco is a successful businessman who operates a chain of restaurant in
Central Luzon. He resides in the capital city of his province and is the current president of a local
chapter of a civic organization. He has been recently appointed member of the board of regents
of a state university representing the community as prominent citizen. The university has
campuses in various towns of the province where he lives.
In the meetings held monthly by the board of regents, Mr. Francisco acted as the
champion of the students cause. When the university president, Dr. Joel Sam proposed an
increase in tuition, Mr. Francisco opposed it, even tried to personally convince the other
members of the board to do the same. The proposal was rejected by a majority vote.
   Not accustomed to accepting defeat, Dr. Joel Sam devised a way to make Mr. Francisco
submit to his wishes. He befriended the wife of Mr. Francisco and insinuated to her that she can
do business with the university through catering services. Mrs. Francisco agreed and soon she
became the sole food caterer to most of the meetings and parties held at the university. The
arrangement proved to be a lucrative source of income for Mrs. Francisco.
   Every time that she had the opportunity, she told her husband the importance of
maintaining good relationship with Dr. Joel Sam.
   Soon, Mr. Francisco stand as opposition in the board softened. He became more
accommodating to the proposals presented by Dr. Joel Sam.
Question:
Is there anything wrong with the actions of the three personalities in this case?
Elaborate your answer. 

Answer:
Yes, each of the three personalities in this case were all practically wrong by choosing
and satisfying their personal vested interest over the greater good. The actions and decisions
done by each personality can be considered unethical because they are driven by personal
motives. In other words, they are guilty of conflict of interest. Each of them could benefit from
the tuition fee hike proposed by Dr. Joel Sam who, as apparent from his actions, has a complex
with accepting defeats and a problem with his ego. The fact that Mrs. Francisco accepted the
bribe and Mr. Francisco let himself be manipulated and agree on what Dr. Joel Sam is
insinuating, thereby losing his stand as the champion and voice of the students, puts them all on
the same spotlight.
 Their personal motives and the drive to satisfy their personal interests actually affects
their behavior, which eventually influenced their decisions and priority, especially in the case of
Mr. Francis Francisco who had it going good in the beginning of the case but later lost his stand
because the arrangement made by Dr. Joel Sam seems to be a lucrative source of income for their
family. It can therefore be concluded that in a given situation, human behavior and decisions can
be greatly affected by the level of risks, conflict and opportunities presented to the person.