Question 1

"It is perfectly legal for us to accept cash payments from our suppliers, as long as we don't get too greedy, and as long as we don't do anything that could get us in trouble with the law," said Barney Storms, CEO of Blue Eye Products. "That's why I have instructed our corporate counsel to design mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish legal violations." Barney is promoting a(n) ________ ethics program.

Accepted Answer

By instructing corporate counsel to design mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish legal violations, Barney Storms is promoting a compliance-based ethics program. This type of program emphasizes following laws and regulations and often has formal systems in place to ensure compliance.

Question 2

Use the information given below to answer the following three questions:

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The answer of Use the information given below to answer...

Question 3

Describe Kohlberg's model of cognitive moral development.

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Question 4

What are topics that a business ethics code might address?

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Question 5

Deon received a holiday gift from a company supplier. He estimated the value of the gift at $25. He was not sure he could ethically accept the gift, so he reviewed company policy and discussed the matter with his boss. Then, using the relativism approach to decision making, Deon

Accepted Answer

The relativism approach to decision making involves making decisions based on the norms and values of one's community or the guidance of respected figures or resources, rather than on universal ethical principles. Deon's action of discussing the matter with his boss and reviewing company policy aligns with this approach, as he is seeking guidance from other resources and respected people within his organization.

Question 6

Think about your own values. How might your personal values conflict with your employer? Explain with examples.

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Question 7

Many factors create a climate conducive to unethical behavior. One of these is an unwillingness to take an ethical stand that may impose financial costs. For the first part of the answer, provide a real or hypothetical specific example of this factor, showing how it contributes to a real or hypothetical specific unethical decision or action. For the second part of the answer, discuss how a manager responded or might respond when confronted with this specific example.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many factors create a climate conducive to...

Question 8

Over the weekend, an employee attended a party and photos were taken and posted on Facebook. On Monday, several employees came to see you to show you and a contractor called to voice their concerns. Explain your response.

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The answer of Over the weekend, an employee attended a...

Question 9

Describe the four levels of corporate social responsibility.

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Question 10

Discuss the housing bubble as it concerns the role mortgage practitioners are/were not to blame.

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Question 11

If you were a frontline manager and an employee confided in you-in a whistleblowing manner-about a very confidential work-related ethics problem, explain how you might respond using the relativism ethical system.

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The answer of If you were a frontline manager and...

Question 12

A sales manager, Dev, is facing an ethical situation wherein his bicycle company that specializes in mountain bikes sold a bicycle with a defective component. If he informs the customer and issues a recall, it would cost him a substantial amount of money. If the bike malfunctions, there is a very small chance that it could cause serious injury to a cyclist who might use it on rough terrain. He decides to use the egoism approach to decision making and remain silent about the defect, because he

Accepted Answer

The egoism approach to decision making is motivated by self-interest, and in this case, Dev is prioritizing the financial interests of his company over the potential harm to customers. This is not a morally justifiable decision, as it puts the safety of others at risk. The ethical choice would be to inform customers and issue a recall, even if it comes at a high cost to the company.

Question 13

A developer of a high-end condominium project in a downtown area of a large city chooses to incorporate the concept of sustainable growth into her project. What will be the underlying goal (definition) of sustainable growth as it applies to her project, and what are examples of design goals/features that she might incorporate?

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Theo is very open about his religious beliefs. He is very outspoken about a contractor that has recently been selected to deliver a product for your business. Write out a role play with Theo that addresses his concerns, yet does not impact business.

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Question 15

"That's a problem that is endangering the public! Our company needs to immediately stop production and solve it!" warned Daniel. His manager, Dominic, said, "Daniel, we're not going to solve any problem that means spending money. Our profits are behind plan this quarter." An unwillingness to take an ethical stand that may impose financial costs is a sign that the company has a(n) ________ that is conducive to unethical behavior.

Accepted Answer

The statement indicates that the company's manager is more concerned with profits than addressing a problem that endangers the public. This shows a lack of ethical leadership within the company, which creates an unethical climate.

Question 16

Alejandra, owner of a small craft shop, inadvertently sold decorative wall hangings that included hazardous lead-based paint. The paint was a very small part of the finished product, and the crafts were intended to hang well above the reach of small children and pets. Nonetheless, when Alejandra learned that the crafts contained the hazardous paint, she contacted each buyer, took back the crafts she had sold them, and replaced the crafts with products that did not contain the hazardous paint. She acted as a mature businessperson with good moral character by using the ________ approach to ethical decision making.

Accepted Answer

The fact that Alejandra took responsibility for her mistake and made efforts to rectify it indicates that she used virtue ethics in her decision making. This approach emphasizes the importance of developing good moral character and acting with integrity, rather than simply following rules or calculating consequences.

Question 17

Jiho Park, Chairman of the Board of Maritime Products, said to the CEO, "Lowell, we must cease production of those items; they are not healthy for our customers. We must transition to new, safe product lines. I know that other firms are producing those unhealthy items, and I know that no laws prevent us or them from producing them. However, just because something is legal, doesn't mean that it is ethical. Jiho is promoting a(n) ________ ethics program.

Accepted Answer

Jiho is promoting an integrity-based ethics program, which emphasizes ethical values such as honesty, fairness, and responsibility. He is not simply focused on compliance with laws and regulations (compliance-based), nor is he relying solely on the judgment of individual associates (associate-based). He is not implementing a specific set of rules and systems (systems-based), nor is he seeking consensus among stakeholders (consensus-based).

Question 18

As a business, many philanthropies will seek financial support. Design a rubric or scoring sheet to evaluate the requests and determine which philanthropies you will fund.

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Question 19

Identify an example of an ethical dilemma in the workplace, describe the two or more values that are in conflict and why they are in conflict, and describe what steps a manager might take to address the dilemma.

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Question 20

Explain the thought experiment created by John Rawls based on the "veil of ignorance," using an example to show how a decision maker can tactically apply this concept to minimize personal bias.

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Quiz 4: Ethics and Corporate Responsibility