Deck 1: Introducing Straight Talk About Managing Business Ethics: Where Were Going and Why

Question 1

According to the authors, ethical behavior is defined as:

A) a set of moral principles or values that guide an individual
B) rules of behavior set by the Federal government
C) principles, norms, and standards agreed upon by society
D) none of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Discarding the few "bad apples" will usually solve all of the ethical problems within an organization.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Definition of ethics-"the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group"-focuses on _______.

A) organization
B) society
C) business
D) conduct

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the authors, most people are guided by a strict internal moral compass and will not be swayed by organization factors.

Question 5

When employees come to an organization, they have already developed into "good" or "bad" apples. Therefore, there is little a manager can do to impact an employee's ethical behavior.

Question 6

The Ethics Resource Center's 2011 National Business Ethics Survey found that only _____ percent of employees of for-profit enterprises report feeling pressured to compromise their ethical standards.

A) 7
B) 13
C) 19
D) 23

Question 7

Good character is the main factor determining whether an individual acts ethically within an organization.

Question 8

Which of these is Adam Smith's first book?

A) Wealth of Nations
B) The Theory of Moral Sentiments
C) The Corporation
D) The Moral Dimension

Question 9

According to the authors, all of these are factors that laid the groundwork for the disaster in the United States in 2008 EXCEPT:

A) borrowing was expensive
B) real estate became the investment of choice
C) mortgage originators peddled "Liar Loans"
D) banks securitized the poison and spread it around

Question 10

By ignoring the topic of ethical behavior, an organization may actually be encouraging unethical behavior through benign neglect.

Question 11

Ethical behavior can be influenced by:

A) an individual's religion
B) an organization's culture
C) ethical training
D) an individual's personality
E) all of the above

Question 12

Federal laws define what is ethical. Therefore, all unethical behavior is considered unlawful.

Question 13

The implosion of the financial markets in 2008 was largely the result of:

A) illegal behavior
B) the Federal government intervention
C) government regulation
D) unethical activities in that they ultimately produced great harm

Question 14

According to the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, only _____ percent of Americans surveyed trust banks to be ethical-a _____-point drop since 2008

A) 60; 20
B) 20; 40
C) 35; 34
D) 15; 28

Question 15

It is unethical for managers to "control" employees' ethical behavior through direct management and the organization's formal and informal cultural systems.

Question 16

Both characteristics of the environment and the individual contribute to unethical behavior.

Question 17

_________ students may need more ethics training because research has found that they rank lower in moral reasoning than other students.

A) Philosophy
B) Political science
C) Business
D) Medicine

Question 18

For individuals, values can be defined as "one's core beliefs about what is important, what is valued, and how one should behave across a wide variety of situations.".

Question 19

The interest in business ethics is just a fad that has only recently been created by popular scandals (i.e., Enron, WorldCom, etc.) reported in the news.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true?

A) "Bad apples" are just a few individuals who spoil it for the rest of us.
B) Employees' good behavior can be spoiled by a "bad barrel."
C) Ethics cannot be taught because individuals come into an organization already as a "bad apple."
D) "Bad barrels" are caused by "bad apples" in an organization.

Question 21

In this book, the authors focus on _____________ factors because ____________:

A) individual; these factors are the main determinant of unethical behavior
B) organization; these factors can be directly controlled by managers
C) individual; a few "bad apples" spoil it for the rest of us
D) organization; these factors are particularly important in unambiguous situations

Question 22

According to a national opinion survey, identify the goal that employees did not rank in the top five?

A) Honest company communications
B) Good pay
C) Respectful treatment
D) Ethical corporate behavior

Question 23

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that workplace theft costs U.S. businesses between $20 billion and $40 billion each year, and ______ are thought to be responsible for much of it.

A) employees
B) customers
C) community members
D) government agencies

Question 24

Parties who are affected by the business and its actions and who have an interest in what the business does and how it performs are called _______.

A) stakeholders
B) large customers
C) community committees
D) government parties