Exam 1: Ethics,social Responsibility,and the Law

Michael is the corporate manager at Hatch & Jake Pvt.Ltd.He is asked to always consider if the benefits to the shareholders outweigh the costs to the corporation.Michael takes the action only if the shareholders' benefits offset corporate costs.Discuss.

Ethical rules of conduct developed by various professions are often easy to understand and follow.

Amanda Hutchins sued her managers for making merger decisions that caused shareholders to lose money.The managers argued that they made decisions based on the long-term benefits of the merger to everyone involved,including the local community and the state.Hutchins argued that the shareholders' profits should be the managers' first priority.Analyze the case and the possible ruling of the court.

Utilitarianism focuses on the circumstances that an individual faces.

Living an ethical lifestyle means simply doing what is legal.

Justin learns that the air bags that his employer,Excel Auto Corporation,installs in its new cars can kill or seriously injure young children when the bags deploy in an auto accident.When he reports this to responsible Excel officials,they redesign and recall the old airbags at considerable expense since "it is the best thing to do for the driving public." Name and explain the ethical system Excel used to make this decision.

Which of the following is true of ethical and legal harmony?

The social contract ethical theory:

Political scientist and philosopher,Michael Sandel,warns that our tendency to evaluate everything based on money creates two insidious results-injustice and corruption.Here,Sandel is most likely critiquing which ethical theory?

William develops a new design for a gasoline engine that will increase fuel economy by 30%.He decides not to patent this design because it will be good for the environment and the entire world.Name and explain the ethical system William has used to make this decision.

Lisa realizes that her colleagues and her boss judge her based on the way she speaks.Lisa is French and does not speak fluent English.Discuss the situation.

Martin Luther King,Jr.refused to obey the injunction in Birmingham in the early 1960s that prohibited King from speaking publicly merely because he was black.He was jailed for his disobedience.King felt that there was a higher law than the law of the land.King's actions were most likely based on a(n)________ ethical model.

Negative rights theory holds that rights are a divine invention designed to help people escape moral law.

All corporations are considered "legal persons" under federal and state statutes.

Some argue that ________ is actually in the long-term best interests of the corporation.This argument,referred to as ________,is based on the notion that socially responsible corporations benefit by creating ________ for themselves,thus motivating consumers to purchase their products,investors to buy their stock,and lawmakers to grant them further legal advantages.

Julia decides not to dump her used motor oil in the creek that runs behind her garage since that would damage individuals who live downstream and upset the peace and harmony in which she has lived with these neighbors.Name and explain the ethical system Julia has used to make this decision.

________ sees the morality of an action is determined by its ultimate effects.

If Alfredo,a small business owner,engages in cost-benefit thinking,he will generally only focus on the benefits and problems his business will face as the result of a decision he makes.

Positive law derives from an outside source that has emerged within society.

________ is a philosophical theory that says ethical values can be determined by a proper application of human reason.