Chapter 6
John Peters was a 44-year old cardiologist on the staff of a hospital located in a large city in
the Southeastern United States. Happily married with two teenage children, he had served with
distinction for many years at the same hospital, and in fact had done his residency there after
graduating from Columbia University’s medical school. Last year. he came to China to work
at Quan Zou hospital, a branch of them in China.
Hua Ji was an attractive Chinese girl registered nurse on the staff of Quan Zou hospital with
Peters. Unmarried and without children, she lived in a hospital-owned apartment on the hospital
grounds and devoted almost all her time to her work at the hospital, or to taking additional
coursework to further improve her already excellent nursing skills.
David Jayden, an American expatriate CEO at Quan Zou hospital. He was a head of HRM
department. He took enormous pride in what he called the extraordinary professionalism of the
doctors, nurses and other staff members at his hospital. Although he took a number of
rudimentary steps to guard against blatant violations of equal employment opportunity, he
believed that most of the professionals on his staff were so highly trained and committed to the
highest professional standards that “they would always to the right things” as he put it. He has
married with 2 lovely children.
Jayden was therefore upset to receive a phone call from John Peter, his close friend, informing
him that Hua Zi had developed an unwholesome personal attraction to him” and was
bombarding him with Valentine Day’s cards, affectionate personal notes, and phone calls –
often to his home. Concerned about hospital decorum and the possibility that Peters was being
sexually harassed, Jayden met privately with Hua Zi. He explained that Peters was very
uncomfortable with the personal attention she was showing to him, and asked that she please
not continue to exhibit her show of affection for Peters.
Jayden assumed that the matter was over. Several weeks later, when Hua Zi resigned her
position at the hospital, Jayden didn’t think much of it. He was therefore shocked and dismayed
to receive a registered letter from a local attorney, informing him that Jayden personally were
being sued by Hua Zi for racial discrimination against Chinese citizens: her claim was that
Jayden, in their private meeting, had told her,” We don’t think it’s right for Chinese people to
have romantical affairs at this an American hospital”.
Because of this scandal, Jayden was required to stop his expatriate CEO position in China and
come back to the United States with his duty failure.
Questions
a. What do you think of the way Jayden handled the accusations from John Peters and his
conversation with Hua Zi? If you were Jayden, how would you behave?
b. Do you think Peters had the basis for a sexual harassment claim against Hua Zi? Why
or Why not? Do you think Hua Zi would be successful at the court?