5 Running Head: An Analysis of Robert McDonnell’s Managerial Shortcomings An Analysis of Robert McDonnell’s Managerial Shortcomings Davenport University BUSN 520 Abstract In the management of any institution or faction—be it a municipality, a country, a Fortune 500 company, or a school, it is imperative that integrity, morals, ethics and principles are established, recognized, and upheld and by every member involved in executive operations. When these codes of ethics are compromised, it can lead to irreparable damage that affects not only the members of the organization, but the people that rely on the services or products offered by that organization as well. In this paper I will discuss the case of Robert McDonnell, the former Governor of Virginia who was recently indicted on corruption charges, as well as discuss the ramifications of his actions and reasons for why this case is in fact a managerial issue. Discussion On January 21, 2014, after a months-long investigation, Robert McDonnell and his wife were indicted on federal corruption charges that stemmed from the acceptance of more than $135,000 in gifts from Jonnie Williams Sr., CEO of Star Scientific, a drug and dietary supplement company (Helderman, Leonnig, and Horwitz, 2014). Following a five-week trial, on September 4th, 2014, McDonnell and his wife were found guilty of all 11 corruption related counts that were brought against them (Helderman and Zapotosky, 2014). Their sentencing hearing is slated for January 6th, 2015 with the couple facing decades in prison should the judge impose the maximum penalty for their crimes (Helderman and Zapotosky, 2014). In addition to their recent corruption scandal, in 2013 McDonnell had come under fire for misappropriating thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for a variety of personal items, such as body wash, sun screen, vitamins, and dry-cleaning (Vozzella, 2013). While some may believe that this case is not particularly serious given that most of the money was returned (Helderman, Leonnig, and Horwitz, 2014) and the sum in question was not incredibly high (as far as most political corruption scandals are concerned), one cannot overlook the fact that the money in question was returned only after it was discovered that he received these ‘gifts’; it is very likely that he would have gladly accepted more of these gifts had there been no investigation; corrupt officials rarely ever stop and suddenly say to themselves “you know what, that’s enough nefarious behavior on my part, I think I’ll end it there”—unless of course, they are caught red-handed. Let’s not forget the fact that such “donations” made to government officials are not without their price. It is typically expected that these favors are returned in some form or fashion, even if it means passing legislation that is against the best interests of the people that these officials are meant to govern. Furthermore, such behaviors on the part of any managing body lea.

1. 5
Running Head: An Analysis of Robert McDonnell’s Managerial
Shortcomings
An Analysis of Robert McDonnell’s Managerial Shortcomings
Davenport University
BUSN 520
Abstract
In the management of any institution or faction—be it a
municipality, a country, a Fortune 500 company, or a school, it
is imperative that integrity, morals, ethics and principles are
established, recognized, and upheld and by every member
involved in executive operations. When these codes of ethics
are compromised, it can lead to irreparable damage that affects
not only the members of the organization, but the people that
rely on the services or products offered by that organization as
well. In this paper I will discuss the case of Robert McDonnell,

2. the former Governor of Virginia who was recently indicted on
corruption charges, as well as discuss the ramifications of his
actions and reasons for why this case is in fact a managerial
issue.
Discussion
On January 21, 2014, after a months-long investigation, Robert
McDonnell and his wife were indicted on federal corruption
charges that stemmed from the acceptance of more than
$135,000 in gifts from Jonnie Williams Sr., CEO of Star
Scientific, a drug and dietary supplement company (Helderman,
Leonnig, and Horwitz, 2014). Following a five-week trial, on
September 4th, 2014, McDonnell and his wife were found guilty
of all 11 corruption related counts that were brought against
them (Helderman and Zapotosky, 2014). Their sentencing
hearing is slated for January 6th, 2015 with the couple facing
decades in prison should the judge impose the maximum penalty
for their crimes (Helderman and Zapotosky, 2014). In addition
to their recent corruption scandal, in 2013 McDonnell had come
under fire for misappropriating thousands of dollars in taxpayer
money for a variety of personal items, such as body wash, sun
screen, vitamins, and dry-cleaning (Vozzella, 2013).
While some may believe that this case is not particularly serious
given that most of the money was returned (Helderman,
Leonnig, and Horwitz, 2014) and the sum in question was not
incredibly high (as far as most political corruption scandals are
concerned), one cannot overlook the fact that the money in
question was returned only after it was discovered that he
received these ‘gifts’; it is very likely that he would have gladly
accepted more of these gifts had there been no investigation;
corrupt officials rarely ever stop and suddenly say to themselves
“you know what, that’s enough nefarious behavior on my part, I
think I’ll end it there”—unless of course, they are caught red-
handed. Let’s not forget the fact that such “donations” made to
government officials are not without their price. It is typically
expected that these favors are returned in some form or fashion,
even if it means passing legislation that is against the best

3. interests of the people that these officials are meant to govern.
Furthermore, such behaviors on the part of any managing body
leads to mistrust and suspicion amongst those within and
associated with that organization, which could eventually lead
to the deterioration or total dissolution of that organization.
It can be argued that Virginia’s lax ethics laws (Robertson,
2014) and the inadequate monitoring of McDonnell’s daily
activities allowed the corruption to initially go unnoticed.
Whenever there exists a situation wherein a person managing a
sector has the opportunity to illicitly profit from his influential
position, and he is not being monitored closely, the tendency or
temptation for that individual to take advantage of that situation
is heightened.
As this is a case that deals with an individual who oversees the
passing and vetoing of various laws, and the proper allocation
of tax dollars in the state of Virginia, there is no question that
this case is an issue of management, more specifically, the
mismanagement of tax revenue, and the failure to manage
ethically and within the confines of officiating obligations and
duties. The United States of America is much like a corporate
conglomerate, with the President serving as the CEO, and
various governing bodies within the U.S. acting as the board-of-
directors. McDonnell’s former position as Governor of Virginia
was simply one of many governing branches of involved in the
management of the U.S. affairs.
I believe that in time, the people of Virginia will certainly
recover from such a deliberate breach of trust on McDonnell’s
part. Political scandals and corruption are as old as politics
itself, and while there exists a number of moralistic politicians
who are committed to doing the right thing, there will always be
a handful of individuals who are willing abuse their
management powers for the sake of personal gain. From what I
have gathered, the Commonwealth of Virginia has taken the all
the appropriate measures to rectify the situation. The parties
involved in the corruption scandal have been indicted, and there
will now be a thorough review of Virginia’s ethics laws, which

4. some say are currently too lax (Robertson, 2014). Perhaps these
measures will succeed in reversing some of the collateral
damage caused by McDonnell, and alleviate some of the
cynicism and suspicion that the citizens of Virginia may have
developed as a result of the scandal.
Conclusion
Ethical management is just as important as efficient
management. McDonnell’s failure to manage ethically not only
adversely impacted himself, but it also imperiled the integrity
of the Commonwealth of Virginia. For any organization that
wishes to sustain and operate as efficiently as possible, it is
critical that those involved in its management exercise a strict
code of ethics and principles.
References
Helderman, R., Leonnig, C., & Horwitz, S. (2014, January 21).
Former Va. Gov. McDonnell and wife charged in gifts case.
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-
politics/former-va-gov-mcdonnell-and-wife-charged-in-gifts-
case/2014/01/21/1ed704d2-82cb-11e3-9dd4-
e7278db80d86_story.html
Helderman, R., & Zapotosky, M. (2014, September 4). Ex-Va.
governor Robert McDonnell guilty of 11 counts of corruption.
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-
politics/mcdonnell-jury-in-third-day-of-
deliberations/2014/09/04/0e01ff88-3435-11e4-9e92-
0899b306bbea_story.html
Robertson, G. (2014, September 9). Top Virginia lawmakers
back stiffer ethics law after ex-governor's conviction. Retrieved
from http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/us-usa-
virginia-ethics-idUSKBN0H41S620140909
Vozzella, L. (2013, June 13). Mansion spending records indicate
improper billing by Virginia governor and his family. Retrieved
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/mansion-
spending-records-indicate-improper-billing-by-virginia-

5. governor-and-his-family/2013/06/16/6008bfdc-c240-11e2-8c3b-
0b5e9247e8ca_story.html