Exam 1: Ethical Theory, Philosophical Foundations, Our Reasoning Flaws, and Types of Ethical Dilemmas

Under the Blanchard/Peale model, which of the following statements is correct?

Your supervisor has had a calendar with pictures of naked women on the inside panel of his desk for several months. A secretary spotted the calendar and commented to your supervisor that it was not appropriate for an office. Your supervisor took down the calendar and has asked you to back him up if any complaints are filed. He has asked you to say that you never saw the calendar. It would not be unethical for you to do as your supervisor requests because he has removed the calendar.

What category of ethical dilemma applies to the use of cell phone alibis?

Which of the following phrases does not signal a potential ethical pitfall?

Which of the following would be consistent with the Divine Command Theory?

A member of the city council who is employed by a waste management firm would have a conflict of interest in voting on the city's award of a contract for the handling of the city's waste.

Accepting gifts from suppliers and vendors is not a problem so long as no bid decisions are pending.

A supplier has just been awarded a large contract by your company. As an employee in purchasing, you were largely responsible for awarding that supplier the contract. The supplier's sales representative has just called and would like to take you to lunch to thank you for the support. Going to lunch with the sale representative does not present any ethical problems.

Having loan applicants pay for the expenses of bank officer travel for purposes of evaluating collateral is not a conflict of interest.

Stephen Ambrose, a popular historian with many books to his credit, admitted that some segments of one of his recent books had language taken from the books of other historians that was not in quotes. Mr. Ambrose did footnote the work of authors he relied upon in doing his book.

Your supervisor has told you that he wants to "get rid of Jane." Jane is a Hispanic female co-worker who is very bright and capable and hardworking. Your supervisor has asked you to document everything Jane does and says that will help build a case for termination. You should do as your supervisor tells you.

From Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, "If you can cheat in the NFL, you can cheat in college, you can cheat in high school, you can cheat on your grade-school math test. There's no limit as to what you can do. I think they owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility." What rationalization is the Jacksonville coach applying?

Taking your current employer's customer list to a prospective employer is a breach of trust.

"Smoothing out earnings" can be a comfort name for:

Alice is a co-worker who is going through a divorce and has two small children. Alice's husband is not paying the child support the temporary court order requires. As a result, Alice is broke until she can get her court hearing. Alice has been able, through diverting checks returned to the company, to take about $2200 from the company to "temporarily help her cover her bills," as she has explained to you. You must report Alice's embezzlement.

"We didn't think of them as bribes. We thought of them as useful expenditures," is an example of virtue ethics.

Mary Pickford is an analyst for Munford Stanley, an investment banker. She has touted the stock, an initial primary offering (IPO), of an obscure biotech firm as a "must buy." Munford Stanley is the underwriter for the IPO. Pickford:

If I discover that a fellow employee is reporting falsely his overtime hours, it is best for me to say nothing and ignore the situation.

Warren Buffett is credited with the development of the "Front Page of the Newspaper" tests as a means for resolving ethical dilemmas.

With respect to #73, it would be unethical for you to hire your friend to get him to bring the information to your company.