Disclosure by Michael Crichton - Movie Review Example

Disclosure Introduction: The film “Disclosure” (1994) based upon the novel by Michael Crichton, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas, presents an interesting premise – the reversal of roles in a case of sexual harassment. The film also highlights the power play that is a constant feature in mega corporations, especially during a merger as is the case in “Disclosure” and the fading of ethical issues when it is overpowered by the greed for profits. Summary of the plot of “Disclosure”: The protagonist is Tom Sanders, employed at a Seattle based Company – Digital Communications (Digicom). His wife is a lawyer and the rich couple stand to become even richer because Digicom is in the process of a merger with a New York publishing conglomerate. This merger has become feasible largely due to the development of a superior software product that is Sanders’ brainchild – Arcamax, which is a stand alone CD –Rom player that works at the twice the speed of available commercial products, enhancing the vision of a digital future featuring sophisticated CD environments with phenomenal storage capacity and an interactive database environment. Saunders welcomes the merger and envisions a promotion to Vice President of the company as well as lucrative stock options when his division goes public. But the promotion goes to a woman instead – Meredith Johnson, an aggressive corporate type. The justification provided is to improve the representation of women. Saunders agrees to a meeting alone with Johnson, only to discover that his new boss is more interested in rekindling their affair rather than in business. When he refuses to succumb to her aggressive advances, she turns around and accuses him of sexual harassment and Saunders’ “punishment” for this is that he is to be transferred to a division which he is secretly aware will be sold off soon. Saunders decides to fight back by suing her for sexual harassment and in the process of vindicating himself, also successfully reveals what a manipulative woman Johnson is and how ill suited to carry out the responsibilities of the position she has been promoted to. Analysis of workplace issues raised in the film: One of the most significant issues raised in the film is that of sexual harassment. In a recent study on sexual harassment in the U.S. federal workplace that was conducted by Newman, Jackson and Baker (2003), the impact of several variables such as sex, education, marital status, pay grade and job type on sexual harassment were explored and the authors concluded that young, single or divorced females who were in low status jobs were most likely to receive unwanted sexual attention. Other studies (Fitzgerald 1990, Gruber 1990) have shown that up to 50% of women experience some form of sexual harassment on the job, while a study of sexual harassment conducted by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (1995:13) revealed that 44% of women and 19% of men had experienced sexual harassment on the job. However, the same study also revealed a difference in the sexes, i.e, while only 1% of the women reported harassment from other women, 21 percent of the men had been harassed by other men and the prevalence of men to men harassment was also documented in a study conducted by Pryer and Whalen (1997:140) According to Gutek (1985) the ratio of men/women in the workplace is also a factor in sexual harassment, since women experience more sexual harassment while working primarily with men while men in turn experience it in a predominantly women based environment. This appears to suggest that harassment could be based upon power balances in the workplace and such a conclusion is also suggested by the Newman, Jackson and Baker (2003) study, since it is those in an inferior position who are likely to be victims of harassment. Applying the inferences drawn from the studies mentioned above to the film “Disclosure” it may be stated firstly, that sexual harassment of a man by a woman is not necessarily an anomaly. However, as pointed out by Brewis (1998), the portrayal of the character of Meredith Johnson in the film “Disclosure” only consolidates the prevailing negative notions of working women in male dominated corporate environments, as overly aggressive, competitive and predatory. McDowell(1997:152) characterizes this as a “careerist” role – that embodies an “unspoken neglect of familial responsibilities or worse, a selfish rejection of motherhood.” The manner in which Meredith aggressively makes sexual advances to Saunders despite her knowledge that he is a married man demonstrates an uncaring attitude towards marriage and family. The manner in which she furiously turns around and slaps a charge of sexual harassment on Saunders is a clear demonstration of the pride and arrogance that drives her to shamelessly manipulate and use her feminity to seek her revenge upon a man who would dare to reject her. Despite the fact that Johnson was the actual harasser, the fact that the Company’s founder, Bob Garvin, has taken a fancy to Johnson, is very helpful in shifting the organizational verdict on the issue of sexual harassment in her favor. The fact that she is Saunders’ boss and therefore in a position of power over him is also an asset. The film clearly illustrates the fact that “sexual harassment is about power”, as Saunders’ female attorney Fernandez tells him. It is not the fact that sexual harassment of a man by a woman is relatively uncommon, which is the governing factor that helps Johnson substantiate her claim within the organizational hierarchy. In fact, as Fernandez points out to Saunders, it may be that only 5% of sexual harassment suits are brought by men against women, however when viewed in the context of the corporate environment where only 5% of supervisors are women, this suggests that women and men may harass each other in equal proportions. Fernandez states further that “as more women get corporate jobs, the percentage of claims by men is going up. Because the fact, is harassment is a power issue. And power is neither male nor female.” This is the reason that Fernandez also attributes to the support that Johnson receives from the upper echelons within the firm. Johnson is a new entrant into the firm, while Saunders is an old employee who has also made a valuable contribution through the Arcamax CD-Rom player, yet he is the one who is faced with the prospect of a transfer to another division. The only explanation for this position by the upper echelon of the firm appears to be that stated by Fernandez in the film “Power protects power. And once a woman gets up in the power structure, shell be protected by the structure, the same as a man." This film is therefore extremely valuable in pointing out the importance of the power factor that drives the organizational environment – it is perhaps power rather than gender that is the real motivation for harassment and the character of Johnson suggests that women who are placed in a position of power are likely to be as aggressive and potential harassers of those in an inferior position in the workplace as men are. The fact that women appear to be victims of sexual harassment by men more than the inverse case is therefore likely to be the result of the fact that fewer women are in the uppermost echelons of power in the corporate workplace. Another important aspect that is addressed in the film Disclosure is the insecurity that employees face when the question of a merger between two firms arises, because there is always the prospect that certain employees may be laid off. For example, Applebaum and Gandell (2003) have examined human resource related issues in firms undergoing a merger and acquisition and the changes in this area, as well as the changed communication systems that result in a merger environment. Saunders experiences the same kind of uncertainty when Digicom is merging with the publishing conglomerate, because his expectations about being promoted are rebuffed and he finds himself unexpectedly placed in the position of reporting to a person who has been brought in from outside the organization to fill a role he had expected to acquire himself. Moreover, there are always ethical issues that play a significant role in the event of a merger. For example, a study conducted by Clark (2003) revealed that employees in firms undergoing a merger and acquisition observe the occurrence of misconduct and feel ethics related pressures at a rate that is almost double that in a firm which is not going through a merger. The success of a merger has been directly linked to the organizational commitment and job performances of the employees of the acquired company (Wilde 2004). Yet, unethical conduct towards employees may be far more common in a concern that is going through a merger where there are financial implications and profits at stake as opposed to one that is not. One example of this is the treatment meted out by Garvin to Saunders and his willingness to pass over his long time employee in favor of a woman who has used her sexual attributes to gain a position of power for herself. Another aspect of the ethical issue is the fact that profits suddenly become more important than ethical conduct towards employees and this is amply demonstrated in Garvin’s conduct to Saunders. In the film Disclosure, Garvin is shown as the typical corporate executive who will go to any lengths to avoid a scandal that may affect the profits that will accrue to the firm as a result of the merger. This is revealed in several of his dialogues, for example when Garvin hears about Saunders’ sexual harassment suit, he tells him: “Why can’t you just forget it? Work together like adults and everyone makes a pile of money……I can’t have her [Meredith Johnson] involved in a scandal and I won’t say goodbye to $100 million.” Kortren (1995:16) has characterized the modern corporation as a wealth sucking monster: “Money is its blood. It is at its core an alien entity with one goal: to reproduce money to nourish and replicate itself.” The limited liability of the directors of a corporation enables greed to thrive and flourish without the liability that would be imputed for unethical profit making. The purpose of a merger is to ensure that fat profits are made and a scandal undermines the profit making motive by creating unpleasant publicity that impacts negatively upon the position of the corporate entity in the stock market. Therefore, Garvin is more interested in suppressing a scandal rather than in worrying about whether he is dealing ethically with a long time employee. Despite Saunders’ protestations of innocence in the charge of sexual harassment that has been placed upon him and despite his greater potential competence in the position of Vice President, it is still not adequate to earn Saunders the forum he needs to tell the truth. In fact, the sexual harassment suit also creates unpleasant ripples at Saunders’ home, thereby demonstrating the acute stress that can be generate din employees’ home lives through incidents that occur at the corporate workplace. It is only when Saunders, after tremendous efforts and through a lucky streak, is able to accumulate enough evidence against Meredith Johnson to reveal her as the manipulative, deceptive bitch she is that he gains the ear of the upper echelon and indeed most of his colleagues. Throughout the film, it is like a losing battle for Saunders and his insistence on pursuing the sexual harassment suit impinges negatively on his reputation and dignity in the eyes of his colleagues. On the other hand, Johnson, by virtue of using her sexuality is able to wield more power on her own behalf and gain the support of the predominantly male executives at the top levels of management. The fact that Johnson has used her sexuality to grab a position for which she is a less experienced contender as compared to Saunders is revealed in the view of a female colleague, who when questioned by another colleague why Saunders cannot “sleep his way to a better job” responds with a “men and women are different”, thereby clearly implying that while a woman may be able to seduce her way into a better job, a man does not have the same facility in the workplace. This only serves to further heighten the negative perception of women corporate executives as pointed out by Brewis (1988). Conclusion: On the basis of the above, it may thus be noted that the film Disclosure raises several workplace issues, notably the question of power play and gender relations in the corporate environment – significantly in the area of sexual harassment. It also provides insight into a merger based environment and the ethics related issues that may become subservient to the profit making goals of a merger between two corporations. References: * Brewis, J. 1998. “What is wrong with picture? Sex and gender relations in Disclosure” In Hassard, J and Holliday, R, “Organization representation: Work and organization in popular culture.” Sage Clark, M. M, 2003. “Corporate Ethics Programs Make a Difference, but not the only Difference.” Human Resource Magazine, 48(7), pp 36. * Fitzgerald, Louise, 1990. “Sexual harassment: the definition and measurement of a construct” IN “Ivory power: Sexual harassment on campus” (Michele A Paludi eds), pp 21-44 * Gruber, James E, 1990. “Methodological Problems and Policy Implications in Sexual Harassment Research”. Population Research and Policy Review, 9: 235-54. * Gutek, Barbara A, 1985. “Sex and the Workplace: The Impact of Sexual Behavior and Harassment on Women, Men, and Organizations”. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. * Korten, D, 1995. “When corporations rule the world.” San Francisco: Kumarain Press. * McDowell, L, 1997. “Capital Culture: Gender at work in the city.” Blackwell * Newman, Meredith A., Robert A. Jackson, and Douglas D. Baker, 2003. “Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace”. Public Administration Review, 63(4): 472-83. * Pryor, John B., and Nora J. Whalen, 1997. “A Typology of Sexual Harassment. Characteristics of Harassers and the Social Circumstances under which Sexual Harassment Occurs” IN “Sexual Harassment. Theory, Research, and Treatment” (William ODonohue edn), MA: Allyn and Bacon at pp 129-51. * U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 1995. “Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace: Trends, Progress, Continuing Challenges”. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. * Wilde, K. D, 2004. “HR Systems Drive Successful Post-acquisition Integration at General mills.” Journal of Organizational Excellence, 23(2), pp 17–33. Read More