Question 1

… is defined as any actions that violate accepted societal norms.

Accepted Answer

The definition given in the question matches the definition of unethical behavior, which refers to actions that are deemed unacceptable or inappropriate by society's norms and standards. Moral awareness refers to an individual's ability to perceive ethical issues or dilemmas, ethical awareness is a similar concept but focuses on the recognition of ethical implications or consequences, and moral judgment refers to an individual's ability to reason about what is right or wrong. None of these concepts fully align with the given definition, making A the best choice.

Question 2

…refers to the ability of an individual to understand the ethicality of a situation or behavior

Accepted Answer

Moral awareness refers to an individual's ability to recognize and understand that a particular behavior or situation could have ethical implications. It includes being able to identify ethical issues, values, and principles that may be at stake. It is considered a critical first step towards making ethical decisions and taking moral action.

Question 3

… refers to the process by which someone reasons about how to deal with an ethical situation

Accepted Answer

Moral judgment refers to the process by which someone reasons about how to deal with an ethical situation. Unethical behavior refers to actions that violate ethical standards. Moral awareness and ethical awareness both refer to the ability to recognize ethical issues and considerations.

Question 4

The deactivation processes where, when faced with potential behavior counter to his or her own personal standards, a person may choose to deactivate the standard and still participate in the behavior is known as

Accepted Answer

The deactivation processes described refer to the concept of moral disengagement, whereby individuals justify or rationalize their behavior by deactivating their moral standards or conscience. Option A, dehumanization, refers to the process of perceiving others as inferior or less human, and is not directly related to deactivating personal standards. Option C, moral justification, refers to the process of redefining morally questionable or unethical behavior as acceptable, whereas deactivation refers to the abandonment or suppression of personal standards altogether. Option D, advantageous comparison, refers to the process of comparing one's behavior to that of others who may be engaging in more extreme or reprehensible behavior, to make one's behavior seem less objectionable. While this process may be related to moral disengagement, it is not the same as deactivating personal standards. Therefore, the correct answer is B) Moral disengagement.

Question 5

When individuals justify certain actions to make them seem more morally acceptable.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of moral justification, the process by which people make their own morally questionable behavior seem more acceptable.

Question 6

Advantageous comparison occurs when someone compares a worse behavior with another behavior and rationalizes the behavior on that basis.

Accepted Answer

Advantageous comparison occurs when someone compares a worse behavior with another behavior and rationalizes the behavior on that basis. This is a form of moral justification that allows individuals to justify their own actions while still adhering to their moral code.

Question 7

When a company justifies dumping toxic pollutants in a river because the wildlife destroyed by the act may not be seen as worth saving because they are seen as sub-humans, the company is engaging in

Accepted Answer

Dehumanization involves perceiving others as less than human, which can justify harmful actions against them. In this case, the company views wildlife as sub-human, thus dehumanizing them to rationalize pollution.

Question 8

When a person can blame the misreporting of sales figures for a quarter because the boss wanted the behavior, this is called a (n)

Accepted Answer

Displacement of responsibility occurs when a person shifts blame for their actions onto someone else, often a higher authority figure. In this case, the person is blaming their boss for wanting them to misreport sales figures, rather than taking responsibility for their own unethical behavior.

Question 9

When a specific member of a board of directors can attribute the decision to close a plant to the group rather than an individual decision, this is called a (n)

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility refers to the tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility when acting as a part of a group rather than as an individual. In this case, the specific board member is attributing the decision to close a plant to the group rather than taking personal responsibility for the decision.

Question 10

When a customer returns a used product by justifying that the unethical behavior will clearly not impact the large company from which the product was purchased, this called a (n)

Accepted Answer

Distortion of consequences refers to the justification of unethical behavior by minimizing or downplaying the negative consequences of one's actions, especially in the context of believing that such actions will not significantly impact a large entity.

Question 11

When the decision maker ascribes the fault for the decision to the target, this is called

Accepted Answer

Attribution of blame occurs when the decision maker assigns fault to the target, effectively blaming them for the decision or its consequences.

Question 12

This occur when the "most well-meaning person unwittingly allows unconscious thoughts and feelings to influence seemingly objective decisions"

Accepted Answer

The given scenario describes the concept of unconscious biases, where a person's unconscious thoughts and feelings affect their decisions and actions without their awareness. It occurs when we make assumptions or judgments based on our past experiences, social norms, stereotypes, and beliefs. These biases can lead to discrimination, prejudice, and inequality in any environment, including the workplace, education, and healthcare. Therefore, it is essential to recognize and address our unconscious biases through self-awareness, education, and inclusive practices.

Question 13

When people tend to make associations between employee characteristics and organizational outcomes that may not be accurate, this is called

Accepted Answer

The answer of When people tend to make associations between...

Question 14

According to Banaji et al. (2003), in-group favoritism occurs because people tend to favor those individuals who share similar

Accepted Answer

Banaji et al. (2003) state that in-group favoritism occurs because people tend to favor those who share similar characteristics, which can include school, social class, religion, and other factors. Therefore, option E, which includes all of the above, is the best choice.

Question 15

Decision-making that can be unconsciously affected because the decision maker may benefit from the chosen decision is

Accepted Answer

Conflict of interest occurs when a decision maker's personal interests or influences may affect their decision-making process, even if they are not consciously aware of it. This can lead to biased decisions that may not be in the best interest of the organization.

Question 16

When a manager may turn overlooks a salesperson filing a fraudulent expense claim because the salesperson is one of the best performers in the company, he or she is engaging in which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Motivated blindness occurs when someone overlooks unethical behavior because they are motivated to maintain the relationship or gain benefits from the person engaged in the behavior, in this case, the manager is overlooking the fraudulent expense claim because the salesperson is a high-performing employee.

Question 17

… refers to the ability of individuals to access and interpret the moral context of information and stimuli they are presented with

Accepted Answer

Moral attentiveness is the correct term that describes the extent to which individuals chronically perceive and consider morality and moral elements in their experiences.

Question 18

… refers to the cognitive framework individuals prefer to use in moral decision making

Accepted Answer

Ethical predispositions refer to an individual's preferred cognitive framework for moral decision making. Moral awareness refers to an individual's recognition of the moral implications of a situation, moral judgment refers to the decision made about the morality of a situation, and unethical behavior refers to actions that violate established ethical standards. None of these fully capture the concept of ethical predispositions.

Question 19

When a company executive may unconsciously prefer a job applicant who also holds an MBA from the same school that the executive went to, they are demonstrating?

Accepted Answer

This scenario depicts in-group favoritism, where the executive is instinctively drawn to favor someone who shares a commonality with them - attending the same MBA program. This bias can be unconscious and unintentional, yet it can affect the hiring decisions made by the executive.

Question 20

When employees justify unethical behavior as orders that came from their managers, they are refering to?

Accepted Answer

Obedience to authority refers to the tendency of individuals to comply with orders given by those who are perceived as authority figures, such as managers. This can lead to employees justifying unethical behavior as they feel obligated to follow their manager's orders, even if it goes against their own moral code.

Quiz 2: Building Ethics at the Individual Level