Exam 3: Conducting Business Ethically and Responsibly

Marlene is a shoe buyer for a large department store. Six months ago, she accepted a free trip to Barbados from one of the companies that she buys shoes from. Now, the company is strongly hinting that it wants Marlene to increase the size of her next order, and Marlene feels some obligation to do so because of the free trip she received. Marlene is involved in

A 2014 survey of global managers found that an average of ________ percent of managers felt that corruption was widespread in their country.

Is downloading music ethical or unethical?

Exxon's response to the Valdez oil spill in Alaska some years ago has been criticized on several fronts. Some say the company waited too long to respond, and that when the response came it was very weak. But Exxon points out that they cleaned up the spill and that they have gone out of their way to bring the area back to conditions that existed before the spill. This stance to social responsibility would best be classified as

Carl and Kelly have opened a gymnastics center. If they want to behave in a socially responsible fashion, which action should they definitely avoid?

Biggar Foods wants to take a proactive stance towards social responsibility. This means that

MKD Transportation operates a fleet of container ships and tankers that transport goods around the globe. Company executives have just been contacted by the media with a report that one of their ships is leaking an oily substance off the coast of Belize. Who are MKD's stakeholders in this instance?

How do organizations exercise social responsibility toward the environment?

What is collusion?

Describe some examples of socially irresponsible behaviour by business firms with regard to investors.

Pandora Products is a national company that produces a line of hot breakfast cereals, mainly featuring flavored instant oatmeal. Its products are sold in grocery stores across the country, but the company has faced stiff competition from larger, well established companies. Aligning the Pandora brand with a national nonprofit has many benefits. However, the CEO is still not convinced. Which of the following statements, if true, would support the argument made by the CEO to not tie sales of Pandora's breakfast oatmeal to the American Heart Association?

The view that business should balance its commitments to important individuals and groups in its environment is known as

Marilyn padded her expense account. When confronted by her boss, she defended her actions on the grounds that she was not paid enough for her work, so she had to supplement her salary by padding her expense account. This is an example of the "opportunity" factor that has been found to be important in explaining why unethical behaviour occurs.

John is a salesperson who feels that he is not paid nearly enough money for the work that he does. He therefore "pads" his expense account in order to receive increased financial benefits. John's behaviour would be seen as ethical according to which criterion?

A firm is considering opening a new plant in an existing building at a business park. It is located in the middle of a coal-producing region, which remains visibly blighted by the effects of strip mining. The plant's heating system is based on coal heat, which is locally produced and relatively cheap, reducing the plant's operating expenses significantly. Company engineers note that the plant's roof is ideal for solar panels, which would reduce the firm's future dependence on coal, nuclear, and other conventional sources of energy. However, the cost of installing the panels is considerable and would mean that the new plant would not return a profit to the company for several years. The CEO feels that the panels should be installed. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the ethical standing of the CEO's position?

Which statement would people in favor of socially responsible business most likely advocate?

What are ethics? What influences the development of ethics? How can ethical values vary significantly from one person to another?

Arctic Glacier Inc., a Canadian company, was one of several companies served with subpoenas by the U.S. government as it investigated possible

In Canada and the United States, tobacco companies are required to include warnings to smokers on their products and to limit advertising to prescribed media. Within Canada and the United States, they follow these rules but often use more aggressive methods in countries with no such rules. As such, tobacco companies typically adopt a(n) ________ stance to social responsibility in marketing their products.

Acme Inc. meets its legal and ethical requirements. In addition, Acme donates $50 000 each year to local charities, but only when a request is made. Which of the following approaches to social responsibility is evident here?