"Separate business from the personal" - Micro Film Series on Business Ethics
Script of the video
Scene #1
Time: Day
Location: Coffee Shop
Character(s): Alex (purchasing manager at a trading company), Kay (Alex’s girlfriend), Jane (Alex’s friend and coworker at the accounting department), Ivy (coffee shop owner)
(Alex, Kay and Jane are chatting over coffee. Kay whispers to Jane, revealing plans of her upcoming nuptials.)
Jane: Congratulations! When’s the big day?
Kay: Next June.
Jane: Alex, you are the lucky one! Where are you going for your honeymoon?
Alex: I'm not too fuzzed. I’ll let my wife choose this time.
Kay: What do you think is better, Greece or France?
Jane: There’re both typical spots...
(Ivy overhears their conversation and prepares a cappuccino and writes the words “Best Wishes on Your Wedding” in the foam.)
Kay: There’s still time to decide. I invited you to lunch today because I want you to be a bridesmaid.
Jane: Me again?
Alex: Out of the Four Beauties of our school, you two are the only ones in Hong Kong.
Kay: That means you can’t refuse?
Jane: (smiles) We’re sisters… How can I say no!
Kay: It’s a deal! I promise to toss my wedding bouquet to you, okay?
Jane: Okay!
(As they talk, an exhausted-looking Alex lets out a yawn. Jane notices it immediately.)
Jane: Alex, why do you always look so tired? You’re like that at the office. But even now?
Kay: That’s what happens when you work two jobs.
Alex: (displeased) Kay!
Jane: Two jobs?
Alex: No, don’t listen to her.
(Though Jane finds his response odd, she doesn’t question them any further.)
Scene #2
Time: Day
Location: Alex’s office, Trading Company
Character(s): Alex
(Alex is fabricating quotations at his computer. He looks around before entering the price on one of the quotations.)
Scene #3
Time: Day
Location: Jane’s office, Trading Company
Character(s): Jane
(At the accounting office, Jane is examining the quotes from suppliers, submitted by Alex. She discovers some information missing from one quote.)
Jane: (mumbles to herself) Hm? That’s careless…
(She calls the supplier in question.)
Jane: Hello, John Lee, please…Hi, Success Trading here, calling about the quote you submitted last week. There’s information missing…You didn’t submit a quote? It’s for electronic components. You didn’t... I see. Thanks. Bye.
(She hangs up, even more confused.)
Jane: (mumbles) No one submitted it?
(She flips through the other files. She finally comes across one quotation in particular; a supplier has offered a price far below the other four companies. Jane is immediately suspicious and starts calling the other suppliers.)
Jane: Hello, is this Vital Electronics? It’s Chan from the accounting department of Success Trading…
Scene #4
Time: Day
Location: Coffee Shop
Character(s): Jane, Ivy
(Jane sits alone at the coffee shop, in distress.Ivy approaches to console her.)
Ivy: Jane, what’s bothering you?
(Jane thinks for a moment before answering.)
Jane: If a coworker who you’d been friends with for over ten years secretly started an outside business to get purchase orders from your company and fabricated quotes from other companies, would you report him?
(Just as Ivy opens her mouth, a customer calls for her.)
Customer: Check, please...
Ivy: (to Jane) Duty calls. Let’s talk later. Something to drink?
Jane: The usual.
Ivy: I’ll be back.
(Ivy leaves but soon returns with a cup of coffee for Jane. The words “Separate business from the personal” are written in the foam.)
Ivy: Your coffee.
(Jane looks at her coffee, deep in thought.)
Scene #5
Time: Day
Location: Pantry / Conference Room, Trading Company
Character(s): Jane, Alex
(Alex is filling up his cup at the water cooler. Jane approaches him.)
Jane: Alex…We need to talk… Let's go to the conference room?
Alex: Okay.
(In the conference room, Jane shows Alex the fake quotations that he previously submitted. Alex panics and begins pleading with Jane.)
Alex: I beg you, please don’t report me to the company. My prices are quite fair. The company loses nothing by buying from me. Why not let a friend profit instead of outsiders?
Jane: But what you did was wrong!
Alex: Do you think I have a choice? You know I’m getting married soon and it’s a huge cost! Even if you don’t value our friendship, but think of Kay? She’s your best friend! If something happens to me, who’s going to take care of her?
(Jane cannot decide what to do…)
Jane: Pretend I know nothing.
(Alex breathes a sighs of relief.)
Scene #6
Time: Day
Location: Entrance to ICACBuilding
Character(s): Jane
(Jane steps out of the building, head lowered.)
Jane: (VO) I thought I could just turn a blind eye as long as I didn’t accept any advantages. I never imagined the company audit would expose everything. Alex was arrested by the ICAC, and they suspected me of conspiring with Alex. I was now suspended during the investigation…
Scene #7 (Recap)
Time: Day
Location: Coffee Shop
Character(s): Jane, Ivy
(Ivy sits down beside Jane.)
Jane: I regret not picking up your clue about separating business from the personal.
Ivy: I understand your dilemma. But as soon as a corrupt act was found, it should be reported to management or the ICAC immediately. Don’t turn a blind eye for the sake of friendship. Alex’s side business might have offered good products at fair prices and your company suffered no losses by purchasing from him, but there was actually a conflict of interest, not to mention the fact that he deceived his employer with fabricated quotes. He certainly violated the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
[EN] "Separate business from the personal" - Micro Film Series on Business Ethics Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ZZ6DeExdI Intro: Jane discovers that her colleague has been fabricating quotations and awarding purchase order to a firm which he secretly set up… Transcript: https://hkbedc.icac.hk/en/doc?id=4§ion=videos&content=content [ZH-HANT] 「公私分明」 - 誠信營商微電影系列 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HjyDCj5nJ0 Intro: Jane無意中發現有同事造虛假報價單並向自己私下開設的公司發出購貨訂單... Transcript: https://hkbedc.icac.hk/zh-hant/doc?id=4§ion=videos&content=content [ZH-HANS] 「公私分明」 - 诚信营商微电影系列 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HjyDCj5nJ0 Intro: Jane无意中发现有同事造虚假报价单并向自己私下开设的公司发出购货订单... Transcript: https://hkbedc.icac.hk/zh-hant/doc?id=4§ion=videos&content=content
