Question 1

Which of the following is an objection to naive immoralism?

Accepted Answer

The objection to naive immoralism is two-fold.First,to say that an action is ethically justified if everyone is doing it is not sufficient.Second,the multinational must recognize that it does have the ability to change the prevailing practice in a country.It can use its power for a positive moral purpose.

Question 2

Joel is the manager of his company's facilities in Bangladesh.He believes in applying the exact same standards of working conditions,wages,and labor management in Bangladesh as practiced in the company's corporate office in the U.S.-a policy that does not always translate successfully given the vast cultural differences between the two nations.Joel can be identified as subscribing to the straw man approach of:

Accepted Answer

Righteous moralism is the belief that a multinational's home-country standards of ethics are the appropriate ones for companies to follow in foreign countries.This approach is typically associated with managers from developed nations.

Question 3

A(n)_____ claims that a multinational's home-country standards of ethics are the appropriate ones for companies to follow in foreign countries.

Accepted Answer

Righteous moralism is the belief that a multinational's home-country standards of ethics are the appropriate ones for companies to follow in foreign countries.

Question 4

The straw man approach of righteous moralism is typically associated with managers from:

Accepted Answer

Righteous moralism is the belief that a multinational's home-country standards of ethics are the appropriate ones for companies to follow in foreign countries.This approach is typically associated with managers from developed nations.

Question 5

The best decisions,from a utilitarian perspective,are those that:

Accepted Answer

As a philosophy for business ethics,utilitarianism focuses attention on the need to weigh carefully all of the social benefits and costs of a business action and to pursue only those actions where the benefits outweigh the costs.The best decisions,from a utilitarian perspective,are those that produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Question 6

The facilitating payments allowed in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act can be seen as an acknowledgment that in some countries,the payment of speed money to government officials is necessary to get business done,and if not ethically desirable,it is at least ethically acceptable.This is in line with the straw man approach of:

Accepted Answer

While dismissing cultural relativism in its most sweeping form,some ethicists argue there is residual value in this approach.Societal values and norms do vary from culture to culture,customs do differ,so it might follow that certain business practices are ethical in one country,but not in another.

Question 7

An American manager in Colombia routinely pays off the local drug lord to guarantee that his plant will not be bombed and that none of his employees will be kidnapped.The manager argues that such payments are ethically defensible because everyone is doing it.This "drug lord problem" is a classic example of which one of the following straw man approaches to ethics?

Accepted Answer

Naive immoralism and asserts that if a manager of a multinational sees that firms from other nations are not following ethical norms in a host nation,that manager should not either.The classic example to illustrate the approach is known as the drug lord problem.

Question 8

Some contemporary moral philosophers view Kant's ethical philosophy as incomplete because his system has no place for:

Accepted Answer

Although contemporary moral philosophers tend to view Kant's ethical philosophy as incomplete-for example,his system has no place for moral emotions or sentiments such as sympathy or caring-the notion that people should be respected and treated with dignity still resonates in the modern world.

Question 9

_____ approaches to ethics hold that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences.An action is judged desirable if it leads to the best possible balance of good consequences over bad consequences.

Accepted Answer

Utilitarian approaches to ethics hold that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences.An action is judged desirable if it leads to the best possible balance of good consequences over bad consequences.

Question 10

In stating that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood,Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights echoes:

Accepted Answer

Echoing Kantian ethics,Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Question 11

Utilitarian philosophy has some serious drawbacks as an approach to business ethics,including that it:

Accepted Answer

One of the problems with utilitarianism is that the philosophy omits the consideration of justice.The action that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people may result in the unjustified treatment of a minority.

Question 12

Which of the following is a drawback of the utilitarian philosophy?

Accepted Answer

One of the problems with utilitarianism is measuring the benefits,costs,and risks of a course of action.Utilitarian philosophers recognize that the measurement of benefits,costs,and risks is often not possible due to limited knowledge.

Question 13

The belief that if a manager of a multinational sees that firms from other nations are not following ethical norms in a host nation,that manager should not either,is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Naive immoralism and asserts that if a manager of a multinational sees that firms from other nations are not following ethical norms in a host nation,that manager should not either.

Question 14

In contrast to the straw men approaches,most moral philosophers see value in _____ and _____ approaches to business ethics.

Accepted Answer

In contrast to the straw men approaches,most moral philosophers see value in utilitarian and Kantian approaches to business ethics.These approaches were developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and although they have been largely superseded by more modern approaches,they form part of the tradition upon which newer approaches have been constructed.

Question 15

Which of the following philosophers is credited with contributing to the development of the utilitarian approaches to ethics?

Accepted Answer

The utilitarian approach to business ethics-which holds that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences-dates to philosophers such as David Hume (1771-1776),Jeremy Bentham (1784-1832),and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873).

Question 16

A(n)_____ right is one that takes precedence over or "trumps" a collective good,and moral theorists argue that regard for these should form the basis of the moral compass of managers.

Accepted Answer

One well-known definition of a fundamental right construes it as something that takes precedence over or "trumps" a collective good.Moral theorists argue that fundamental human rights form the basis for the moral compass that managers should navigate by when making decisions that have an ethical component.More precisely,they should not pursue actions that violate these rights.

Question 17

Developed in the twentieth century,_____ recognize that human beings have fundamental rights and privileges that transcend national boundaries and cultures.

Accepted Answer

Rights theories are twentieth century theories which recognize that human beings have fundamental rights and privileges that transcend national boundaries and cultures.

Question 18

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a(n):

Accepted Answer

The notion that there are fundamental rights that transcend national borders and cultures was the underlying motivation for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,which has been ratified by almost every country on the planet and lays down basic principles that should always be adhered to irrespective of the culture in which one is doing business.

Question 19

Which of the following philosophy of ethics holds that people should be treated as ends and never purely as means to the ends of others?

Accepted Answer

Kantian ethics hold that people should be treated as ends and never purely as means to the ends of others.People are not instruments,like a machine.People have dignity and need to be respected as such.

Question 20

Many specific tools such as cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment are firmly rooted in:

Accepted Answer

Many businesses have adopted specific tools such as cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment that are firmly rooted in a utilitarian philosophy.Managers often weigh the benefits and costs of an action before deciding whether to pursue it.

Quiz 4: Ethics in International Business