Deck 3: Emerging Business Ethics Issues

Question 1

Which of the following has been identified by the Ethics Resource Center as the leading form of observed misconduct in organizations?

A) Discrimination
B) Bullying
C) Lying
D) Misuse of company resources
E) Sexual harassment

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Concerns involving copyright infringement on books, movies and music, and other illegally produced goods relate to which type of ethical issue?

A) Conflict of interest
B) Honesty
C) Communications
D) Discrimination
E) Intellectual property rights

Answer 2

E

Question 3

_____ is defined as any purposeful communication that deceives, manipulates, or conceals facts in order to create a false impression.

A) Stealing
B) Lying
C) Fraud
D) Misappropriation
E) Accounting fraud

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Among retail stores, _____ is a larger problem than customer shoplifting.

A) poor stock performance
B) weak leadership
C) internal employee theft
D) misuse of merchandise
E) employee dissatisfaction

Question 5

A person uncomfortable with his employer's unspoken policy of hiring only white men is experiencing

A) a conflict of interest.
B) an ethical issue.
C) a feeling of guilt.
D) cognitive dissonance.
E) a moral attribute.

Question 6

When a commercial states that a product is superior to any other on the market, the marketer risks accusations of

A) concealed facts.
B) false labeling.
C) deceptive advertising.
D) concealed facts.
E) puffery.

Question 7

An ethical issue is a problem, situation, or opportunity

A) that has no correct answer.
B) that harms the environment.
C) requiring society as a whole to choose among several actions that must be evaluated as right or wrong.
D) requiring an individual, group, or organization to choose among several actions that must be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical.
E) requiring an individual, group, or organization to choose between harming consumers or the environment and earning more profits.

Question 8

The first step toward understanding business ethics is to

A) know your company's ethical policies.
B) know your own morals and philosophies.
C) know society's ethical policies.
D) develop ethical-issue awareness.
E) develop a set of decision-making rules.

Question 9

In marketing communications, lying causes predicaments for companies because it destroys

A) trust.
B) honor.
C) confidence.
D) integrity.
E) products.

Question 10

War metaphors are common in business. This kind of mindset can be dangerous for business leaders because

A) it may lead executives to become violent.
B) it may foster the idea that honesty is unnecessary in business.
C) it may lead organizations to be excessively aggressive.
D) business is not like warfare and the metaphors are not appropriate.
E) business is more like a game than a war.

Question 11

_____ is an important element of virtue and means being whole, sound, and in unimpaired condition.

A) Optimization
B) Ethical issue
C) Honesty
D) Trust
E) Integrity

Question 12

Optimization is defined as

A) the quality of being just, equitable, and impartial.
B) a trade-off between equity and efficiency.
C) an interchange of giving and receiving in social relationships.
D) how wealth or income is distributed between employees within a company.
E) a lack of integrity, incomplete disclosure, and an unwillingness to tell the truth.

Question 13

Ethical issues in business typically arise because of conflicts between individuals' personal moral philosophies and values and the

A) values and attitudes of the organization in which they work.
B) values and attitudes of the society in which they live.
C) values and attitudes of the organization in which they work and the society in which they live.
D) laws and regulations of the country in which they live.
E) values and attitudes of their parents and religion.

Question 14

Issues related to fairness and honesty may arise because business is sometimes regarded as a

A) legal case, where everything must be done to the letter of the law.
B) contest, with the most ethical firm "winning."
C) guerilla war where anything goes in the fight for consumers' dollars.
D) game governed by its own rules rather than those of society.
E) game governed by the rules of society.

Question 15

Conflicts of interest exist when employees must choose whether to

A) advance their own personal interests, those of the organization, or those of some other group.
B) advance the interests of the organization or those of society.
C) accept bribes or not.
D) carry out an assignment they perceive to be unethical.
E) report an unethical coworker.

Question 16

An activity is probably ethical if it

A) is approved of by most individuals in the organization and is customary in the industry.
B) is approved of by no one in the organization, but has been carried out in the industry before.
C) is customary in the industry.
D) is not illegal.
E) does not make consumers feel cheated, deceived, or manipulated.

Question 17

A court found an oil company guilty of placing profits over the safety and well-being of its employees. This situation can be classified as

A) ethical.
B) unethical.
C) an ethical issue.
D) a dilemma.
E) a justice issue.

Question 18

_____ is the offering of something of value in order to gain an illicit advantage.

A) Shoulder surfing
B) Hacking
C) Gift exchange
D) Conflicts of interest
E) Bribery

Question 19

The ethical decision-making process begins

A) with a conflict of interest.
B) when an individual experiences a conflict between his or her values and those of his or her firm.
C) when stakeholders trigger ethical issue awareness and individuals openly discuss it with others.
D) with a conflict in values.
E) when an individual experiences a conflict between his or her values and those of society.

Question 20

Which of the following is not a side-effect of being the victim of workplace bullying?

A) Increased productivity
B) Sleep disturbance
C) Depression
D) Increased sick days
E) Stomach problems

Question 21

Mr. Smith told his client, Mr. Jabar, who was not an IT expert, that the new software systems were much better than his existing ones. To convince Mr. Jabar, Mr. Smith used a great deal of technical jargon that his client did not really understand. Mr. Smith did this intentionally to confuse Mr. Jabar. This is an example of

A) false advertising.
B) commission lying.
C) omission lying.
D) noise.
E) surrogate lying.

Question 22

Affirmative action programs

A) involve the promotion of unqualified employees.
B) are not imposed by federal law on employers.
C) are not very commonly used anymore because there is no need to protect minorities.
D) only involve the training of individuals.
E) involve the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and training of qualified individuals.

Question 23

What type of fraud involves intentional deception on the part of an individual or group in order to derive an unfair economic advantage over an organization?

A) Channel
B) Integrative
C) Consumer
D) Product
E) Conventional

Question 24

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act specifically outlaws hiring practices that discriminate against people

A) who are under the age of 18.
B) who are between 16 and 20.
C) who are between 49-69.
D) who are past retirement age.
E) who are younger than 18 and older than 49.

Question 25

What type of fraudulent activity could involve a consumer staging an accident to seek damages?

A) Whacking
B) Duplicity
C) Guile
D) Defamation
E) Collusion

Question 26

Prior to the 2008 financial meltdown, bond ratings agencies were accused of having _____ because they were paid by the organizations that they rated. The organizations would shop around for the agency that gave them the best rating.

A) high ethical standards
B) excessively complicated systems
C) a hostile workplace
D) conflicts of interest
E) a good business model

Question 27

Accountants must abide by a strict code of ethics that defines their responsibilities to

A) their clients only.
B) their clients and the public interest.
C) the public only.
D) their investors and shareholders.
E) government regulators.

Question 28

Which of the following is not a consequence of ethical misconduct?

A) Decreased reputation
B) Shaken customer loyalty
C) Reduced investor confidence
D) Increased sales
E) Legal actions by wronged parties

Question 29

A company can be sued for discrimination if it

A) hires minorities.
B) maintains reasonable minority standards.
C) discharges a minority individual, but has a just cause for doing so.
D) uses age as a hiring or firing criterion.
E) has more men than women on staff.

Question 30

What type of fraudulent activity involves an employee who assists a consumer in fraud?

A) Whacking
B) Duplicity
C) Guile
D) Defamation
E) Collusion

Question 31

Which of the following statements is most correct?

A) Affirmative action programs require quotas to govern employment decisions.
B) Affirmative action programs have eliminated discrimination in employment.
C) Affirmative action programs are required in all organizations by law.
D) Affirmative action programs involve efforts to recruit, hire, train, and promote qualified individuals from groups that have traditionally been discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, or other characteristics.
E) Affirmative action programs involve efforts to avoid recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified individuals from groups that have traditionally been discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, or other characteristics.

Question 32

When Devon looked at what another employee was typing in order to get a password, he committed

A) shoulder surfing.
B) whacking
C) discrimination
D) password guessing
E) hacking

Question 33

_____ is associated with a hostile workplace where someone considered a target is threatened, harassed, belittled, or verbally abused.

A) A code of conduct
B) Sexual harassment
C) Coercive power
D) Bullying
E) Rewards

Question 34

Abusive or intimidating behavior is the most common ethical problem for employees. Which of the following is not related to this concept?

A) Physical threats
B) False accusations
C) Being annoying
D) Profanity
E) Performance probation

Question 35

The _____ makes it illegal for individuals, firms, or third parties doing business in American markets to "make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business."

A) U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
B) Kyoto Protocol
C) World Trade Organization (WTO)
D) Consumer Protection Act
E) Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

Question 36

_____ are used to obtain or retain business and are not generally considered illegal in the U.S.

A) Facilitation payments
B) Bribes
C) Gifts
D) Coercive techniques
E) Threats

Question 37

_____ involves tricking individuals into revealing their passwords or other valuable corporate information.

A) Shoulder surfing
B) Remote hacking
C) Social engineering
D) Physical hacking
E) Dumpster diving

Question 38

Which of the following is not a question you need to ask when you suspect that workplace bullying has occurred?

A) Is your boss treating you well and compensating you adequately?
B) Is your boss asking obviously impossible things from you without training and stating that, once completed, the work is never good enough?
C) Are surprise meetings called without your knowledge?
D) Have others at work told you to stop working, talking, or socializing with them?
E) Are you never left alone to do your job without interference?

Question 39

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty committed to

A) lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
B) limiting bribery in international business relations.
C) making medical care available to the poverty stricken.
D) eliminating the exploitation of third-world workers.
E) creating equal employment opportunities for men and women.

Question 40

Discuss how one goes about recognizing an ethical issue.

Question 41

List three business problems, situations, or opportunities that you believe are ethical issues. Explain why.

Question 42

Describe the different methods of obtaining corporate intelligence that competitors commonly use.

Question 43

What are the different definitions of bribery?

Question 44

What is a conflict of interest? Provide an example.

Question 45

Discuss that factors that go into creating a hostile work environment. Why is this a bad thing? Give an example of a hostile work environment.