Exam 3: Conducting Business Ethically and Responsibly

Jana and Kate are the owners of an upscale jewelry boutique that offers unique and much-desired accessories in an affluent neighborhood. Jana and Kate are concerned, however, that the company's commitment to social responsibility has begun to diminish in various respects. How would this most likely be evident?

The defensive stance to social responsibility rejects the idea that business has contributed to many of society's problems and, therefore, business has a social obligation to correct those problems.

Behaviour that is deemed unethical is usually also illegal.

Europol's Criminal Finances and Technology section estimates that up to 90 percent of all carbon market volume in certain EU nations is fraudulent.

Marilyn has decided to use the three-step model to decide whether a particular business decision is ethical or unethical. She has already gathered the relevant factual information about the situation. What should she do next?

Jordan is a recent college graduate with a degree in computer programming. He has just begun his first full-time job and is excited to apply the skills that he worked so hard to acquire. Though he excelled as a student, Jordan is anxious about how successful he will be as an employee. When an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself to take credit for a brilliant software program that someone else wrote, Jordan does not resist and claims the program as his own. Which of the following would least likely also happen along with Jordan's decision?

List two ways that a company can formalize top management commitment to ethical business practices.

Discuss the problem of land pollution. Include in your response the sources of land pollution and a recommended solution for dealing with that problem.

What is the difference between "ethics" and "business ethics"?

All of the following groups are organizational stakeholders except

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. The marketing department of Pandora is recommending to the CEO that Pandora focus future advertising on green marketing and emphasize its pro-environmental approach and natural product ingredients. The CEO does not agree and argues that it is not a good idea to focus on green marketing. Which of the following statements, if true, would support the argument made by the marketing department?

A business firm's influence on the ethical behaviour of its employees is very limited because family and friends influenced employee beliefs about right and wrong long before the employees joined the business firm.

The fair trade movement has as its main goal the improvement of working conditions for factory workers in developing countries.

The top management level at Brown Corp. has already publicly stated its commitment to being socially responsible. What is the next action that Brown Corp. needs to take?

Jerry wants to use the ethical norm of utility when making decisions. To do this, he should ask "Is this decision fair to everyone?"

What is consumerism?

A major concern for the small business owner is whether he or she can afford to have a social agenda.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

An individual's peers have only limited influence on the development of that person's ethical values.

Moia is a successful entrepreneur who owns several popular pastry shops. She often imports macadamia nuts from countries with poor economic conditions, which has furthered her desire to help improve the lives of the people living there. Which of the following challenges would Moia likely find to be most central in seeking to run both a socially responsible and successful business?