Question of the Week: Level 2 – Ethics (2)

Question

Joseph Lawrence wants to hire a small-cap value manager to manage a portion of the investment portfolio for the Santo Domingo Teachers Pension Plan.  He has identified four potential managers whom he considers suitable for the position.  After Lawrence interviews the managers, one of them, Ryan Karu, sends Lawrence a thank-you letter; included in the envelope are four tickets for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.  Lawrence accepts the tickets, and ultimately hires another manager instead of Karu.  With regard to Standard I(B) Independence and Objectivity, it is most likely that:

 	A. both Lawrence and Karu violated the Standard.
 	B. Lawrence violated the Standard, but Karu did not.
 	C. Lawrence did not violate the Standard and Karu did not violate the
Standard.

MarkMeldrum · Answer

The correct answer is Option A:The Standard prohibits offering, soliciting, or accepting gifts that reasonably could be expected to compromise their own or another’s independence and objectivity.Lawrence violated the Standard by accepting a lavish gift, and Karu violated the Standard by offering a lavish gift.Note that both have violated the Standard even though Lawrence ultimately chooses not to hire Karu.