Deck 3: Philosophical Ethics and Business

Question 1

The "administrative" version of utilitarianism considers competitive markets to be the most efficient means of maximizing happiness.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: The "market" version of utilitarianism considers competitive markets to be the most efficient means of maximizing happiness.

Question 2

The three major categories of an ethical framework are:

A) utility, virtue, and values.
B) universal rights, values, and moral principles.
C) universal rights, cultural norms, and morals.
D) consequences, principles, and personal character.

Answer 2

D
Explanation: The three major categories of an ethical framework are consequences, principles, and personal character.

Question 3

Ethics attempts to answer the question of how we should live,but it does not give reasons to support its answers.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Ethics attempts to answer the question of how we should live, but it also gives reasons to support its answers.

Question 4

According to a principle-based ethical framework,social contract functions to organize and ease relations between individuals.

Question 5

An ethics of virtue focuses on the actions of a person rather than the person's characteristics.

Question 6

The study of various character traits that can contribute to,or obstruct,a happy and meaningful human life is part of ____.

A) Kantian tradition
B) virtue ethics
C) principle-based ethics
D) utilitarianism

Question 7

A philosophical and reasoned ethics must provide justifications for why a human being should act and decide in a particular prescribed way.

Question 8

Utilitarianism has been called a consequentialist approach to ethics and social policy.

Question 9

One of the major challenges to an ethics based on rights points to practical problems in applying a theory of rights to real life situations.

Question 10

The "market" version of utilitarianism argues that questions of safety and risk should be determined by experts who establish standards that the business is required to meet.

Question 11

A principle-based framework defines a set of rules that enforces us to act or decide in certain ways.

Question 12

Identify the ethical tradition that directs us to act on the basis of moral principles.

A) Principle-based ethics
B) Utilitarianism
C) Virtue ethics
D) Consequence-based ethics

Question 13

Principle-based ethics direct us to consider the moral character of individuals and how various character traits can contribute to,or obstruct a happy and meaningful human life.

Question 14

Utilitarianism is a social philosophy that opposes policies that aim to benefit only a small social,economic,or political minority.

Question 15

Virtue ethics emphasizes the more affective side of our character.

Question 16

Employees have a right to a minimum wage,equal opportunity,and to bargain collectively as part of a union.These rights are examples of contractual agreements with employers.

Question 17

Which of the following ethical frameworks directs us to decide based on overall consequences of our acts?

A) Principle-based ethics
B) Kantian tradition
C) Utilitarianism
D) Virtue ethics

Question 18

Utilitarians would object to child labor as a matter of principle.

Question 19

Utilitarianism's fundamental insight is that we should decide what to do by:

A) considering the moral character of individuals.
B) following the rules, regardless of consequences.
C) acting only out of a self-interest.
D) considering the consequences of our actions.

Question 20

The concept of a human or moral right is central to the utilitarian ethical tradition.

Question 21

Which of the following principles does utilitarianism emphasize?

A) Producing the greatest good for the greatest number
B) Acting only out of self-interest
C) Ensuring that a fair decision is an impartial decision
D) Obeying the law and keeping promises

Question 22

According to the ____,the most efficient economy is structured based on the principles of free market capitalism.

A) Kantian framework of ethics
B) principle-based framework of ethics
C) utilitarian framework of ethics
D) virtue-based framework of ethics

Question 23

Which of the following is true of a market version of utilitarianism?

A) Questions of safety and risk are determined by experts.
B) Social science determines policies to maximize the overall good.
C) Individuals calculate for themselves what risks they wish to take.
D) A government regulator determines the safety standards in the marketplace.

Question 24

Which of the following traditions would support child labor if it produces better overall consequences than the available alternatives?

A) Virtue ethics
B) Deontological ethics
C) Utilitarianism
D) Classicism

Question 25

"We ought to stop at a red light,even if no cars are coming and I could get to my destination that much sooner." Identify the ethical approach that follows this line of thought.

A) Virtue ethics
B) Utilitarianism
C) Role ethics
D) Ethics of principles

Question 26

The utilitarian tradition relies on _____ for deciding on the ethical legitimacy of alternative decisions.

A) intuition
B) experience
C) variable analysis
D) social sciences

Question 27

Which of the following statements reflects the approach of a principle-based ethical tradition?

A) Obey the law
B) Ends justify the means
C) Maximize the overall good
D) Survival of the fittest

Question 28

Utilitarianism has been called a(n):

A) commonsensical approach to ethics.
B) behavioral approach to ethics.
C) consequentialist approach to ethics.
D) intuitive approach to ethics.

Question 29

_____ ensure the integrity and proper functioning of the economic,legal,or financial systems.

A) Social functions
B) Administrative functions
C) Marketing functions
D) Gatekeeper functions

Question 30

No group could function if members were free at all times to decide for themselves what to do and how to act.Which of the following functions to organize and ease relations between individuals?

A) Autocracy
B) Self-rule
C) Social contract
D) Personal norms

Question 31

According to Immanuel Kant,there is essentially one fundamental moral duty:

A) to treat people as objects that exist for our purposes.
B) to consider the consequence of our actions.
C) to treat each person as an end in themselves.
D) to do whatever we choose to do to another person.

Question 32

Which of the following would be advocated by the "administrative" version of utilitarianism?

A) Deregulation of advertising standards
B) Reliance on free and competitive markets
C) Risk-taking by consumers
D) Government regulation of business

Question 33

The essence of utilitarianism is its:

A) focus on personal character.
B) reliance on consequences.
C) focus on principles.
D) reliance on moral systems.

Question 34

Which of the following approaches emphasizes the need to follow legal rules regardless of unfavorable consequences?

A) Virtue ethics
B) Utilitarianism
C) Principle-based
D) Egoism

Question 35

Which ethical framework goes against the ethical principle of obeying certain duties or responsibilities,no matter the end result?

A) Principle-based framework of ethics
B) Kantian framework of ethics
C) Virtue ethics framework of ethics
D) Utilitarian framework of ethics

Question 36

Which of the following traditions is commonly identified with the rule of producing "the greatest good for the greatest number"?

A) Principle-based
B) Kantian
C) Virtue
D) Utilitarianism

Question 37

What is the difference between a principle-based framework of ethics and utilitarianism?

A) Ethics of principles is based on self-interest, whereas utilitarianism is based on human rights.
B) Ethics of principles is based on human rights, whereas utilitarianism is based on self-interest.
C) Ethics of principles is based on rules, whereas utilitarianism is based on consequences.
D) Ethics of principles is based on consequences, whereas utilitarianism is based on rules.

Question 38

Which of the following is a problem with utilitarian ethics?

A) Its need to count, measure, compare, and quantify consequences
B) Utilitarianism's focus on the means
C) The focus on the good of individuals compared to the overall good
D) The necessity to follow rules with no regard to consequence

Question 39

Which of the following ethical approaches binds us to act or decide in certain ways?

A) Kantian ethics
B) Utilitarianism
C) Virtue ethics
D) Principle-based ethics

Question 40

How is a market version of utilitarianism different from an administrative version?

A) The market version ensures that experts establish the safety standards a business is expected to meet.
B) The market version uses social sciences to predict consequences.
C) The market version requires a government body to regulate business.
D) The market version produces those goods that the consumers want.

Question 41

Which of the following approaches shifts the focus from questions about what a person should do,to a focus on who that person is?

A) Altruism
B) Principle-based
C) Utilitarianism
D) Virtue ethics

Question 42

Which of the following is true of ethics based on rights?

A) Rights and duties can be easily defined.
B) There is no agreement on the scope and range of rights.
C) Application of theory to real-life situations is easy.
D) Rights and desires can be easily differentiated.

Question 43

Which of the following focuses on the concept of business practices and what type of people these practices are creating?

A) Virtue ethics
B) Kantian ethics
C) Utilitarian ethics
D) Principle-based ethics

Question 44

Which among the following is a legal right?

A) The right to select a specific health care package
B) The right to bargain collectively as part of a union
C) The right to select a particular pension fund
D) The right to select the number of paid holidays

Question 45

Identify the view which holds that people act only out of a self-interest.

A) Altruism
B) Egoism
C) Utilitarianism
D) Libertarianism

Question 46

Virtue ethics emphasizes the more _____ side of our character.

A) affective
B) cognitive
C) conative
D) intuitive

Question 47

Which of the following approaches conceives of practical reason in terms of deciding how to act and what to do?

A) Utilitarianism
B) Virtue-based
C) Kantian
D) Altruism

Question 48

Virtue ethics directs us to consider the _____ of individuals and how various character traits can contribute to,or obstruct a happy,meaningful life.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is inferred from Rawls's theory of justice?

A) Decisions taken my seniors should be acceptable to everyone.
B) A decision which is partial is considered an unfair decision.
C) Each individual in the society should be treated differently.
D) Rights to liberty depend on the economic status of individuals.

Question 50

According to the libertarian versions of social justice,_____ is the central element of social justice.

A) equality
B) government control
C) individual liberty
D) employment

Question 51

The emphasis on producing the greatest good for the greatest number makes _____ a social philosophy that opposes policies that aim to benefit only a small social,economic,or political minority.

Question 52

_____ is commonly identified with the principle of "maximize the overall good" or,in a slightly different version,of producing "the greatest good for the greatest number."

Question 53

The _____ version of utilitarianism would by sympathetic with government regulation of business on the grounds that such regulation will ensure that business activities do contribute to the overall good.

Question 54

The Kantian tradition claims that humans do not act only out of instinct and conditioning; they make free choices about how they live their lives,about their own ends.In this sense,humans are said to have a fundamental human right of:

A) dignity.
B) rationality.
C) autonomy.
D) dependency.

Question 55

Which of the following traditions seeks a full and detailed description of those character traits that would constitute a good and full human life?

A) Kantian ethics
B) Principle-based ethics
C) Utilitarianism
D) Virtue ethics

Question 56

A rights-based ethical framework would object to child labor because:

A) of all the likely consequences of a practice of employing young children in factories.
B) such practices are a means to production and economic growth.
C) such practices violate our duty to treat children with respect.
D) child labor does not produce beneficial consequences.

Question 57

What is the difference between virtue ethics and principle-based ethics?

A) Virtue ethics is based on character traits, whereas principle-based ethics is based on a set of rules.
B) Virtue ethics is based on the consequences of actions, whereas principle-based ethics is based on character traits.
C) Virtue ethics is based on set of rules, whereas principle-based ethics is based on consequences of actions.
D) Virtue ethics is based on producing the greater good, whereas principle-based ethics is based on self-interest.

Question 58

The concept of moral rights is central to the:

A) virtue-based ethical tradition.
B) consequence-based ethical tradition.
C) behavior-based ethical tradition.
D) principle-based ethical tradition.

Question 59

The _____ tradition claims that our fundamental human rights,and the duties that follow from them,are derived from our nature as free and rational beings.

A) utilitarian
B) virtue-based
C) role-based
D) Kantian

Question 60

People endorsing child labor by justifying that it brings in foreign investment within poor countries are ____.

Question 61

_____ is a view that holds that people act only out of self-interest.

Question 62

What is a moral right?

Question 63

Right to a minimum wage,equal opportunity,to bargain collectively as part of a union,and to be free from sexual harassment are examples of _____ rights.

Question 64

Explain Immanuel Kant's view on the ethical principles of human rights.

Question 65

How does utilitarianism contradict the fundamental ethical principle: the end does not justify the means?

Question 66

What is an ethical framework? What does it address?
An ethical framework is nothing more than an attempt to provide a systematic answer to the fundamental ethical question: How should human beings live their lives? Not only do ethics attempt to answer the question of how we should live,but they also provide reasons to support their answer.Ethical frameworks seek to provide a rational justification for why we should act and decide in a particular way.

Question 67

_____ rights protect individuals from being treated in ways that would violate their dignity and that would treat them as mere objects or means.

Question 68

Legal rules,organizational rules,role-based rules,and professional rules,all form a part of a ____,which functions to organize and ease relations between individuals.

Question 69

Distinguish between legal and employee rights.

Question 70

How is the concept of moral right central to the principle-based ethical tradition?

Question 71

How do legal rules and principles bind us to act and take decisions in certain ways?

Question 72

What do principle-based,ethical frameworks address?
Making decisions based upon the consequences certainly should be a part of responsible ethical decisions making.But this approach must be supplemented with the recognition that some decisions should be a matter of principle,not consequences.In other words,the ends do not always justify the means.But how do people know what principles they should follow and how do they decide when a principle should trump beneficial consequences? Principle-based,ethical frameworks work out the details of such questions.

Question 73

What is a social contract?

Question 74

Briefly highlight the challenges associated with utilitarian thinking.

Question 75

Briefly explain the concept of virtue ethics.

Question 76

Explain how child labor may be justified in the eyes of a utilitarian.

Question 77

How does utilitarianism have a strong impact on business and business ethics?
Utilitarianism answers the fundamental questions of ethics-What should we do?-by reference to a rule: maximize the overall good.This rule is reminiscent of the financial practice of conducting a cost-benefit analysis and making a decision based on maximizing net benefits over costs.

Question 78

A challenge associated with utilitarianism is that the essence of utilitarianism is its reliance on ____.

Question 79

How does a free and competitive market help in attaining utilitarian goals?
Utilitarianism answers the fundamental questions of ethics - what should we do?-by reference to a rule: maximize the overall good.One movement within utilitarian thinking invokes the tradition of Adam Smith,claiming that free and competitive markets are the best means for attaining utilitarian goals.This version would promote policies that deregulate private industry,protect property rights,allow for free exchanges,and encourage competition.In such situations,decisions of rationally self-interested individuals would result,as if led by "an invisible hand" in Adam Smith's terms,in the maximum satisfaction of individual happiness.
Current free market economics advises us that the most efficient economy is structured according to the principles of free market capitalism.This requires that business managers,in turn,should seek to maximize profits.This idea is central to one common perspective on corporate social responsibility.By pursuing profits,business ensures that scarce resources go to those who most value them and thereby ensures that resources will provide optimal overall satisfaction.Thus,these economists see competitive markets as the most efficient means to the utilitarian end of maximizing happiness.

Question 80

What is the biggest challenge posed by 'egoism'?