The quality manager for Acme Company has been asked by Sloan Tools, a neighboring company, to provide Sloan employees with the same SPC training that Acme developed and uses for its employees. Sloan operates in a different industry from Acme but believes that its employees can benefit from the SPC training. In this situation, the Acme quality manager should take which of the following actions?

The training program is the intellectual property of Acme Company. The quality manager, as an employee and agent of Acme, does not have the authority to share or sell company assets unilaterally. The most ethical and professional course of action is to present the request to Acme's management. Management can then evaluate the strategic implications, potential revenue, intellectual property risks, and legal considerations before making a decision. This action aligns with the manager's fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of their employer.

B. Turning down the offer unilaterally may cause Acme to miss a potential business opportunity (e.g., licensing the training); this decision belongs to management.
C. Accepting the offer without authorization is a breach of professional ethics and a misuse of company property, regardless of any potential knowledge gain.
D. The fact that Sloan is not a competitor does not grant the manager the right to share proprietary company assets without explicit permission from the owners.

1. ASQ. (2018). Code of Ethics. American Society for Quality. In "Relations With Employers," the code states, "I will act in a professional manner and be a faithful agent or trustee for each employer or client." and "I will not disclose confidential information concerning the business affairs or technical processes of any present or former employer or client without their consent." The training is a technical process and business asset, requiring consent from the employer (management) before disclosure.

2. Weatherford, S. M. (2011). Linking professional ethics and the quality professional. In ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement Proceedings (p. 29). This paper emphasizes the quality professional's role as a steward of the organization's assets and reputation, which requires consulting management on matters involving proprietary information.