Deck 4: Weighing the Ethical Issues

Question 1

Which statement below is least accurate?

A) Because the company owns all the documents produced, employees cannot possibly plagiarize each other's work.
B) Charts and other visuals can be distorted to create a more positive outcome.
C) Withholding information is equally as unethical as fabricating information.
D) The pressure to look the other way can lead to misuse of texts or data.
E) All of these statements are accurate.

Answer 1

Because the company owns all the documents produced, employees cannot possibly plagiarize each other's work.

Question 2

Reworking findings to make them more useful or appealing

A) is not misleading.
B) carries no consequences for any party involved.
C) is unethical.
D) is a clever way to promote the company's interests.
E) is an important skill to develop.

Answer 2

is unethical.

Question 3

Using upbeat images to downplay the negative messages of written text may be persuasive, but it is unethical.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

When preparing a technical document, do all of the following except

A) give candid feedback if warranted.
B) exaggerate information.
C) respect rights to privacy.
D) provide sufficient information.
E) inform of consequences or risks.

Question 5

Ethical decisions are always "black and white."

Question 6

Proprietary information is not the exclusive property of a company.

Question 7

Whistle-blowers usually are rewarded for going public with their company's unethical behavior.

Question 8

Reasonable criteria for ethical judgment include

A) obligations.
B) ideals.
C) consequences.
D) a, b, and c.
E) a and c only.

Question 9

"Groupthink" is another way of referring to good teamwork.

Question 10

A code of offers guidelines for avoiding ethical abuses within a specific organization or company.

Question 11

Deliberate miscommunication is fairly common in the workplace.

Question 12

Plagiarism and copyright infringement are the same.

Question 13

Often confused for teamwork, is a dynamic when group pressure prevents individuals from questioning, criticizing, or reporting bad news.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

A) I should make a distinction between what is certain and what is probable.
B) I should use jargon and euphemisms when stating my claims.
C) I should make sure that my sources of information are credible.
D) I should believe what I say and not have a hidden agenda.
E) I should distribute copies of the document to everyone who has a right to know about it.

Question 15

Examples of ethical abuses in technical communication include

A) plagiarizing the work of others.
B) exaggerating claims.
C) downplaying information.
D) a and b only.
E) a, b, and c.

Question 16

occurs when a person claims the work of another as his or her own.

Question 17

In advertising, false claims or suggestions are legally prohibited.