MGT6211E Business Ethics and Law – Group Assignment and Presentation (October 2025)

INTI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)

Maximum Number of students in a Group: 4-5 students Maximum Word Count: 5000 words

Submission Dateline: TBC 2025

There were also concerns over how Rodrigo’s appointment may affect Quantum Driveworks (QDee) attempt to lure more female engineers to the company. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) employed about 1000 engineers with only about 20 female engineers. The significant male majority was a cause of concern for the management and shareholders of Quantum Driveworks (QDee). The management of Quantum Driveworks (QDee) has been concerned about this gender imbalance in its engineering workforce for quite some time as they wanted Quantum Driveworks (QDee) to be a role model for equal opportunity for all genders. The gender imbalance has seen many talented female engineers shun Quantum Driveworks (QDee) for opportunities elsewhere. It has also resulted in some prominent investors from the United States having second thoughts about investing in Quantum Driveworks (QDee) over the lack of female participation. The said investment would have provided Quantum Driveworks (QDee) with substantial capital to expand its manufacturing. Amber has learned that many of the female staff who left were not comfortable with the work culture at Quantum Driveworks (QDee). Others did not want to join because of the negative rumors relating to sexual harassment of female workers in Quantum Driveworks (QDee) and the lack of opportunity for advancement due to a dominant masculinity culture.  The work culture at Quantum Driveworks (QDee) was something that shareholders had voiced out in the past and many wanted the Board of Directors to do something about it. But the all-male Board of Directors, whose composition remained unchanged the last five years- although promising to look into the matter- but still lacked concrete action.

Since joining, Rodrigo had revamped Quantum Driveworks (QDee)’s research department and brought in engineers who came up with innovative and ground breaking engineering solutions. It recently launched QDee TRX One, which can typically travel 500 kilometres on a full charge. It could charge fully in under two minutes-one of the fastest in the industry. QDee TRX One has been a popular models and has been one of the top selling models since its launch three months ago.

Quantum Driveworks’ (QDee) recent success has been attracting attention from investors. Local pension funds have invested heavily to buy Quantum Driveworks (QDee) shares which is widely predicted by local financial analysts to soar in value in the future as it dominates the growing electric vehicle market in Malaysia. The Malaysian market is expected to be one of the biggest in South East Asia in a few years. Overseas investors have held meetings with Quantum Driveworks (QDee) on proposals to build electric car plants in United States which would greatly benefit Quantum Driveworks (QDee) due to the significant market for electric vehicles in the United States.

Amber is assigned to the Quantum Driveworks (QDee) Research Department (QTRED) which is an extensive research hub comprising various sub-departments. QTRED is headed by Rodrigo. In the course of her employment, Amber has noticed that there is a design flaw in the latest model- QDee TRX One. Lately there had been some accidents involving the QDee TRX One model- the door mechanism  would ‘trip’ and leave the drivers trapped inside the vehicle. There were also incidences when the car would overheat and in one instance, it burst into flames-fortunately no one was injured. In most of the cases, the matter was settled by Quantum Driveworks (QDee) and the parties were asked to sign a Non- Disclosure Agreement not to disclose the incidents. The matter therefore did not receive much attention in the media. An internal investigation by Quantum Driveworks (QDee) revealed that the batteries had overheated. As for the door mechanism- Quantum Driveworks (QDee) engineers had worked out a solution and introduced a functioning, accessible manual override or emergency release but the management decided not to recall the existing sold vehicles and instead incorporate the changes in the current production line. Amber approached some of her colleagues but was told not to create any issues in the workplace and to just mind her own business. She was also told that such issues are nothing new especially for new models.

One day, Amber found a sealed envelope with a typed note: “What you are looking for is here.” The envelope contained documents which showed that sub-standard chips were being used in the car batteries which failed to regulate heating causing the batteries to overheat. These chips were sourced from a supplier, GoodWang Enterprise (GWE) who was a close relative of James CJ, the Chairman of the Board Directors of Steve Hoo, the Chairman of the Board Directors Quantum Driveworks (QDee). According to the documents there were also other parts which used sub-standard parts sourced from cheaper suppliers. All the documents in the envelope were marked “Strictly Confidential”. Amber has learned from some sources that the company was cutting costs by using sub-standard components. However, they were approved and the certification stated that the components were in compliance with the requisite standards. The signatures on the certification forms were not clear. Amber is concerned that the sub-standard components could cause harm to consumers. Some employees had voiced concern but had been transferred out.  Others did not want to discuss the matter for fear of retaliation. The envelope also contained other allegations- apparently Quantum Driveworks (QDee) had installed software in the cars which could track the movements of  individuals and also access their smart devices. The data was collected and then sold to an affiliate Quantum Driveworks (QDee) online shopping company so that they could target advertisements against the consumers. The consumers were not told about this.

Quantum Driveworks (QDee) had asked all their employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement which prevented any sensitive information from being brought to the attention of outsiders. The employees were told in briefings that the company would not hesitate to initiate civil proceedings against any employee found to have breached the nondisclosure agreement.

Quantum Driveworks (QDee) has put in place various measures to inculcate integrity among its workforce. Over the years, Quantum Driveworks (QDee) employees were required to pledge and reaffirm their commitment to do their work in a compliant and ethical manner, and respect one another, by reading and signing the Quantum Driveworks (QDee) Code of Conduct which guides the way employees carry out every day work. In addition, every employee was required to participate in a company-wide training called QDee Integrity, which featured real-life examples of compliance issues and consequences. The QDee Integrity training highlighted how adherence to the company’s values and doing business with integrity was critical to the company’s success. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) also has an internal whistleblower mechanism but it is not used often despite encouragement from the management. Amber felt that it was pointless to bring the matter up using the company’s whistleblowing process. She decides to bring the matter to the attention of the police. At the police station she hands over all the documents relating to safety issues at MESLA.

After three weeks of hearing nothing from the police, Amber decides to take matters into her own hands. Amber contacts her friend Lisa who is a well-known journalist at Daily Khabar, a popular newspaper known for courageously reporting wrongdoing. Amber hands over the confidential documents relating to the sub-standard parts to Lisa. The following week, the Daily Khabar runs a headline: “According to a reliable internal source, leading electric automaker in Cyberjaya is recklessly endangering customer lives by concealing defects in its car batteries.” No mention was made as to the source of the story so as to protect identity of Amber.  The news received wide coverage in Malaysia and was picked up by other local and international news organization. Even though no name was mentioned by Daily Khabar, many on social media were speculating that the company involved was Quantum Driveworks (QDee) as the news item referred to an electric car company with operation in Cyberjaya. Customers who had earlier booked QDee TRX One were now calling in to cancel their bookings resulting in sales of the popular electric vehicle recording a downturn.

Amber also approached Harish, a vocal Member of Parliament from the Opposition Ikhlas Justice Party (IJP) and handed over to him details of the wrongdoing happening in Quantum Driveworks (QDee). Harish holds a press conference outside Parliament House where he accused James CJ, the Chairman of the Board Directors Quantum Driveworks (QDee) of conflict of interest and profiting from the contract awarded to GoodWang Enterprise (GWE).  Harish then shares what appears to be bank statements showing the flow of money from GoodWang Enterprise (GWE) into the account of James CJ. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) has lodged a police report against Harish alleging wrongful disclosure of confidential information. The authorities have now launched an investigation against Harish.

Rodrigo and Amber would often go for breakfast meetings where Amber would confide in Rodrigo about her personal challenges. Rodrigo would often confide in Amber about his personal life and that he has marital issues. Office colleagues would tease Amber about her close ties to Rodrigo. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) has a policy which forbids any form of a romantic relationship between senior management and subordinate employees.  When staying back at night to complete urgent deadlines, Rodrigo would often invite Amber into his office for discussion. However, Amber has noticed that the discussions would often start with work related matters and then veer into personal issues. Also, Rodrigo had become more physical with her. He would place his hands on her shoulder when alone. At first Amber dismissed this a nothing more than a caring gesture.  Amber dismissed this and thought that Rodrigo was just feeling frustrated by his marriage and wanted companionship. But matters started to get worse. Rodrigo would invite Amber into his office and he would get very close to Amber and start touching her.  Often Amber would push him away or excuse herself. But this did not deter him. At times he would place his arms around her. At other times he would sneak up on her when she was alone. On more than one occasion, he would fondle her hair while whispering in her ear “you are so fresh. I am so into you.” Once he touched her upper thigh and groin-she was so afraid that she just froze. And another time he kissed her on the lips all of a sudden. She was so distraught that she took a few days off from work. Amber tries to avoid him but still has to work with Rodrigo as they are on the same team. Rodrigo used to message her regarding work related matters but the messages had now assumed confessions of a romantic nature-he would often confess his interest in her. Over time the messages assumed sexual overtones. This made Amber very uncomfortable. Often, when working late night, she would beg her close friend Nurul to stay back so that she would not have to be alone with Rodrigo but there was only so much Nurul could do as she had family commitments. Amber tried her best to avoid direct physical contact with Rodrigo much to his chagrin. Rodrigo’s messages had become more threatening with one message reading- “…what is the matter with you. Do you think you can avoid me. I am your boss.  You have to respect me. You are making a big issue of it. And it was you who started all this by going out with me. I listened to your problems and comforted you. I thought we had a thing going among us. You are not going to humiliate me. I will ensure that you will be stuck in your measly position.” Amber had found that Rodrigo had threatened other female staff previously. She has also found out that such conduct was quite prevalent in Quantum Driveworks (QDee)- many female staff had left Quantum Driveworks because of the rampant harassment and bullying but were compensated handsomely to remain quiet. The messages from Rodrigo kept coming. Some female employees had told Amber the conduct of the male employees towards female employees was part of the culture but had chosen to keep their discomfort private for the sake of their employment. There were allegations of some female staff being subject to unwelcome physical contact- however, the victims did not report it for fear of not being believed or of damaging their relationships at work or their career prospects. Amber could no longer tolerate it-it was affecting her personal life and her work commitments. Amber decided to bring the matter to the  Human Resource Department.

Amber has brought the matter up to Ruby, the Head of the Human Resource Department. Ruby informs Amber that these were serious allegations and that the company took such matters seriously and would take swift and decisive action to protect its employees from such harassment. Ruby assured Amber that stern action would be taken if the allegations were true.  She thanked Amber for being brave enough to bring the matter to the attention of the Human Resource Department. Ruby conducts an investigation and interviews a number of employees. Amber often had to contact the Human Resource Department to get updates regarding her complaint. Amber had requested a transfer to other departments pending the resolution of her complaint but was denied.

Finally, after two months, Amber was informed that the Human Resource Department has scheduled a domestic enquiry. The domestic enquiry was chaired by Justin and had two other panel members- Brad Wolf and Mole Black. Amber was unhappy about the composition of the panel as they were known to be close associates of Rodrigo. However, Amber was assured by Ruby that the enquiry would be conducted in a transparent manner.

During the domestic enquiry hearing, Amber explained what happened to her. Amber had asked other female employees who she suspected had also endured similar treatment at the hands of Rodrigo and other male staff to appear before the enquiry to support her but none appeared. Amber would later learn that the other female employees were threatened by Rodrigo that they risked termination if they supported Amber.

Rodrigo appeared at the enquiry and denied Amber’s accusation. He also claimed that the text messages and sexual references were just banter. Rodrigo accused Amber of trying to seduce him in order to gain promotion but he refused and this made Amber angry and she started making all these allegations against him.  Rodrigo also claimed that Amber would often flirt with others in the workplace. Rodrigo called a few male colleagues who testified that Amber would often engage in lewd banter with them. The male colleagues also recounted instance of Amber dressing in a sexy manner and behaving “seductively” with them. Other employees called by Rodrigo denied Amber’s allegations and they all praised Rodrigo as an exemplary leader who took the welfare of the employees seriously. They accused Amber of misconstruing Rodrigo’s concerns for the staff. Amber has learned from some close associates that all the employees were paid to testify favorably for Rodrigo. However, Amber has no proof of it. Amber was distraught by the domestic hearing and felt that she was made to feel as though she was the culprit in the whole matter.

Four weeks after the conclusion of the domestic enquiry, Amber received a letter from the Human Resource Department. Amber was informed that after careful deliberation, the domestic enquiry did not find any cogent evidence of wrongdoing by Rodrigo. The letter went on-

          We are pleased to inform you that the enquiry did not find any evidence of wrongdoing by Rodrigo. We also note that allegations such as these are easily made by females and can, if not probed properly result in a miscarriage of justice for the accused person and gravely tarnish an otherwise outstanding career. During the enquiry, we had received some feedback from the male employees about your attire. Although there is no attire policy in Quantum Driveworks (QDee), we would suggest that you perhaps reconsider your sartorial choice so as not to invite unwelcome gazes from the other staff. On a closing note, we appreciate you being forthright about this matter and trust that you will treat this matter as at an end and revert back to focus on your job-bearing in mind that working in an outstanding company like Quantum Driveworks (QDee) is a privilege only available to a selected few. Be grateful. Have a nice day.

Amber was taken aback by the letter from the Human Resource Department. Amber normally wears tight clothing with a short skirt but no one has thus far said anything to her. Further, she has received good reviews on her job performance and was once awarded “the most valuable staff.”

After the conclusion of the domestic enquiry, Amber has noticed that some male staff at Quantum Driveworks (QDee) become more aggressive towards her. The male staff would leer at her when she walked past them. And they would often make lewd and denigrating comments: “You are a hot chick.” Amber has heard that this was due to instructions from Rodrigo who wanted to “teach her a lesson for bringing the matter to the Human Resource Department”.  She brings this up to a senior female colleague, who told her to keep quiet and put up with it.  Amber had worked at other place before this but had not encountered such behaviour. Apparently, Rodrigo has also been telling everyone that Amber made all the allegations up as he had scorned her advances. Rodrigo has also been spreading rumors that Amber wanted to put the male employees in trouble-this explained the hostile reception Amber was receiving from her male colleagues.

Amber was unhappy with the decision of the Domestic Enquiry. She has also learned that Ruby was a close friend of Rodrigo and that Rodrigo was instrumental in her promotion. There were rumors that Rodrigo and Ruby were in a relationship once. Amber decides to lodge a police report regarding the harassment from Rodrigo. The police have launched an investigation under Section 509 of the Penal Code. The investigation papers have been sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Amber has been informed that there is a good possibility of the matter proceeding to court. However, Amber may be called as a witness to testify. Amber is a bit nervous about this.

Amber decides to continue working as she need to support her family. However, Rodrigo’s conduct becomes bolder. When alone with Amber, Rodrigo would greet her each morning by saying, “I’m horny,” and then slaps her bottom. Amber tries her utmost to keep her distance from Rodrigo. She confides in her close friend Nurul about how stressed she was. Once she told Nurul, “feel so scared to be near Rodrigo but no one seems to believe me. They are all so scared because of how much influence he has in the company. I cry myself to sleep every night and dread going in to work.” But Amber has little choice as she has study loans to repay. Further, she is the sole breadwinner in her household and need to look after the medical expenses for her elderly parents. Besides, she is supporting her younger siblings who are studying overseas. The lack of action by the Human Resource Department has emboldened the male employees. Everyday Ruby has to face lewd remarks from her colleagues.

A few weeks after the conclusion of the domestic enquiry, Amber received an email from Rodrigo that her work performance was below par. Amber had been late for the submission of some documents which were needed for a new project. It was also alleged that Amber was reluctant to work late at night and this contributed to the delay. Amber was reluctant to work late night as she was very nervous being near Adam. Four weeks later, Amber was transferred to another department with a drastic reduction in salary. Amber has heard that Rodrigo was out to get revenge on her and wanted to make an example of her for “embarrassing” him by taking the matter to the Human Resource Department. Apparently, Rodrigo said during a briefing for the new staff that, “at least with male staff I will not have to worry about petty complaints from pretty ones” to laughter from all those in the room.

Amber vows to fight the culture at Quantum Driveworks (QDee). She approaches another of her media friend Janice who had been investigating incidences of sexual harassment in the automotive sector for the past few years. Janice works for an international news organization. Amber sits down for an interview with Janice and tells her everything about Quantum Driveworks (QDee). The interview is aired as part of a documentary “A Cry for Help-Plight of Female Employees  in Auto Industry” which was aired during prime time. However, Amber’s face was blacked out to protect her identity. The documentary received rave reviews and cause an uproar. Consumer groups urged boycott of Quantum Driveworks (QDee) cars and staged protests outside its showrooms. Many consumers on social media vowed not to purchase Quantum Driveworks (QDee). The shares of Quantum Driveworks (QDee) went down as investors dumped the shares. The institutional shareholders called an emergency meeting and wanted the Board of Directors to act.  However, the CEO of Quantum Driveworks (QDee), Khairul Eddy assured everyone that everything was under control and that despite the controversies, Rodrigo continues to receive the backing of the top management. The CEO vows to stand by Rodrigo Adam and fight back at all the “malicious slurs being thrown at Quantum Driveworks (QDee). Khairul Eddy said Rodrigo was instrumental in the long term success of the company and was a key employee in the company

Amber has found manipulated videos of her being circulated on social media. The videos were recorded while she was doing a promotion for Quantum Driveworks (QDee) cars.  The videos were altered using AI and showed her performing lewd acts and uploaded onto adult sites. She believed that it was the work of Rodrigo who wanted to teach her a lesson for complaining to the Human Resource Department and making him attend the domestic inquiry. Amber is not happy with Quantum Driveworks (QDee) and has lodged a complaint with the Human Resource Department for breach of privacy. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) assured Emma that they would lodge a complaint with Google to have the videos removed from the internet. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) has agreed to compensate Amber with a sum of money provided she drops the matter altogether. However, Amber  has approached her friend Shafee, a lawyer, who has advised her that she may have a strong case against Quantum Driveworks (QDee) for breach of privacy.

All the work stress  has taken a toll on Amber. She confides in Nurul, a close work colleague, that she cries almost every day, feeling trapped and afraid to go to work. All the stress caused Amber to have a health breakdown and she was admitted to a hospital on and off. Once she had to take two months leave to get treatment. Amber experienced anxiety, and she felt unsettled and easily agitated. She became short-tempered and her sleep became erratic, and she commenced a course of antidepressant medication. According to the doctors, she was experiencing Adjustment-Disorder and Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Moods, arising as a consequence of the workplace sexual harassment. The only reason she tolerated the lewd and disgusting behaviour was because of her financial position-she has a loan to repay and was looking after her autistic sister who needed special care. Further, she did not want to walk away from this job as she worked hard to get a promotion and this paid off in consistently positive performance reviews. Amber also knew that if she quit Quantum Driveworks (QDee), it would be very difficult for her to find another job in the industry as Rodrigo was quite influential. Rodrigo was already spreading misinformation about her internally and also to other companies.

A few weeks later Amber received an email from the Human Resource Department that her work performance was below par. She is informed by the Human Resource Department that the company is letting her go as it feels she cannot handle pressure. Quantum Driveworks (QDee) had terminated Amber’s employment and compensated her with two-month’s salary even though Amber had been working there for five years. According to the termination letter from Quantum Driveworks (QDee, Amber is not able to contribute to the company due to her health issues.

Amber has been advised by some friends to bring the matter to the Industrial Court. However, others have told Amber that bringing the matter to the Industrial Court would be time consuming and Amber would not be able to get an appropriate remedy.

You are required to examine the law relating to Whistleblowing, Privacy and Personal Data Protection, Anti-Sexual Harassment as well as common law in Malaysia and apply it to the facts of the above case bearing in mind the provisions of the law and their applicability including the exceptions and the difficulties presented by the law.

These are some pointers that you may consider (not exhaustive)

1. Critically evaluate the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (Act 841) and other relevant legislation and its application to the facts of the case. Students are required to analyse and apply the provisions of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (Act 841) and other relevant legislation to right of redress for any person who has been sexually harassed as well as the establishment of the Tribunal for Anti-Sexual Harassment. Students should also consider common law remedies such as the case of Mohd Ridzwan Abdul Razak v Asmah Mohd Nor (Federal Court decision) [2013] 9 CLJ 243.

2.      Students should also critically evaluate the role of the Industrial Court in affording protection to employees who have been dismissed without just cause.

3. Critically evaluate the basis for legal action for “invasion of privacy” as enunciated in the case of Maslinda Ishak v Mohd Tahir Osman & Ors [2009] 6 CLJ having regard to the scope of the protection afforded.

4.          Students are also required to analyse and apply the provisions of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711) to the facts of the question.

5.        Suggest measures which can be adopted by companies to ensure such wrongdoings (such as incidences of sexual harassment, breaches of privacy) are prevented if not mitigated.

The following marking criteria should be kept in mind while doing the analysis.

Group leader please rate the performance of your group members in the table below:

Example-All group members contributed to this assignment. There were no issues.

 

 Example-

Structuring and formatting your submission

Your report should contain the following:

• Title Page, including the given title in full (“Group Assignment” should be in the title at the start of the assessment)
• Contents Page
• Introduction
• Main body, which should be organised into numbered sections under appropriate
• Conclusion
• Reference list/Bibliography
• Word count; excluding the Abstract, Contents page, appendices and reference list/bibliography
• Please use the cover page provided by the lecturer
• Its compulsory to Turnitin/safe-assign your work (with report attached to assignment).

Maximum 15% similarity.

• Please adhere        to        Harvard                For        details        refer        to https://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing or http://www.harvardgenerator.com/

Formatting the report

• The report should be word processed on A4 size paper with 12 font size, Times New Roman, 5 spacing.
• Pages should be
• Your name should appear only on the cover page.
• Your student ID(s) should be included on every page as a

Coursework policies

1. All coursework submitted must include the signed
2. Students MUST keep a copy of all submitted work for reference purposes prior to the original being handed in and returned. This will provide proof that the work was completed, in the event that the work goes astray.
3. All work must be submitted in the mode instructed by the Module
4. Work submitted under the student’s ID must only be the work of that student. All information sources must be acknowledged, by providing a reference to the source both within the text and in the form of a reference list and/or bibliography at the end of the submission. Not to do so is plagiarism, which is academic misconduct and will be dealt with as set out in the rules and regulations of INTI
5. You should provide your word count at the end of your report or essay. This should exclude your abstract, contents page, reference list and/or bibliography and appendices. You must not exceed the permitted word count by more than 10%. If your work is significantly shorter, you will probably have failed to provide the level of content
6. If you submit work after the submission deadline, you will fail in the coursework component. However, the Module Leader may comment on the quality of the work for learning The only exception to this is if you experience very serious circumstances which prevented you submitting your work on time, in which case you can apply for “extenuation”. For more information you may refer to your lecturer.

I.    GROUP PRESENTATION (10%)

Presentation Guidelines

• Your team will create a 7-10 slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing your arguments. The headings from your report should be the same for your presentation and in the same
• Each slide should have 3-5 bullet points maximum. Each bullet point should have 3-5 words No full sentences (exceeding the 5 word max) or paragraph on any slide.
• Graphics are fine to use, but keep to a minimum and use only to amplify a DO NOT use sound effects.
• Be sure to include your charts and graphs in your presentation. Charts and graphs should be on its own slide with only a header at the top of the
• You will have a title slide and a reference slide and these are NOT included in the slide
• Your presentation will be between 15-20 minutes in length. All members of the team MUST present an equal amount of Please leave 1-2 minutes at the end for questions. All members should be prepared to answer questions.

Rules for Group Presentation

• Kindly be on time, on the days’ of presentation
• Please do wear Formal Attire on the day of presentation
• At the time of the Presentation, Please submit the PPT (both hard copy and soft copy in CD) along with Marking Scheme
• All members of the group should be If any student is found absent on the day of the presentation will be marked ‘Zero’ (0) and this will affect the team performance.
• All Students should be present on all the days of If any student is found absent on the days will have to give a validating evidence and clarification of absence.
• Strictly follow the presentation time, e. 12-15 Minutes. One mark will be deducted for each extra minute taken.
• Time Warning Bell:
  • At 12 minutes – Short Bell
  • At 14 minutes- Short Bell
  • At 15 minutes- Long Bell

• Room, time and date for Group Presentation will be announced
• Please submit your presentation to the tutor two days before the presentation

Marking Criteria for Group Presentation (Individually assessed) Subject: MGT6211E: BUSINESS ETHICS AND LAW

Student Name            :                                                                       ID. No :                              

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