Deck 2: Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a stakeholder?

A)a business competitor.
B)shareholders.
C)employees.
D)customers.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Unethical behavior is a bar to financial success.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Generally speaking, managers feel better about themselves when they behave ethically.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A company that engages in unethical behavior may suffer severe consequences.

Question 5

Under utilitarian ethics, if a decision maximizes happiness in the most people and minimizes pain, it is ethical.

Question 6

Which of the following statements best exemplifies how society as a whole benefits from ethical behavior?

A)Consumers are willing to pay more for a product they believe to be ethically produced.
B)People feel better when they behave ethically.
C)Unethical behavior can be very costly.
D)Ethical behavior builds trust which is important in all of our relationships.

Question 7

Society is hurt when business managers behave ethically.

Question 8

Ethical behavior always pays off financially for businesses.

Question 9

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who was a proponent of utilitarian ethics.

Question 10

Life Principles are set by your parents and do not change over time.

Question 11

John Akers, former chairman of IBM, argued that ethics are not important to economic competitiveness.

Question 12

What is ethics?

A)Always telling the truth
B)The study of how people should behave
C)Following the law
D)The rules by which you live your life

Question 13

Researchers who study happiness find that good health, companionship, and enjoyable leisure activities all contribute more to happiness than money does.

Question 14

Deontologists would agree that the increasing medical concern over obesity in the United States justifies federal regulation of high fat, high sugar, low nutrition food advertising during children's television programs.

Question 15

Wever, Inc. is considering relocating a facility to Mexico. The interests of the various stakeholders affected by this decision may conflict.

Question 16

Ethics is the study of how people should behave.

Question 17

Utilitarian ethics holds that decisions should be made on the basis of practicality, and whatever action is most convenient should be favored.

Question 18

Which person argued that a corporate manager's primary responsibility is to the shareholders of the organization and that managers should make the company as profitable as possible while also complying with the law?

A)John Rawls
B)John Stuart Mill
C)Immanuel Kant
D)Milton Friedman

Question 19

John Johnson is a customer of company ABC. As such, John is a(n)

A)shareholder.
B)customer and stakeholder.
C)customer only.
D)stakeholder only.

Question 20

Which scenario is an example of a true ethics dilemma?

A)The Tipton Company considers running advertisements to publicize the contribution it made to a national charity that offers tutoring to low-income children.
B)Employees at Spiffy Hair Salon ask management if they can set up a booth at an inner-city street fair to give free haircuts to anyone who needs one.
C)Sure-Good Soup Company is thinking about using more expensive organic vegetables in its products to promote consumer health, even though company profits might be reduced.
D)At the request of many customers, Maxim Company considers pulling advertising from a radio talk show that endorses "fringe" conspiracy theories.

Question 21

Immanuel Kant believed that the results of a decision are not as important as the reason for making it. This is the principle behind

A)utilitarian ethics.
B)deontological ethics.
C)Rawlsian justice.
D)moral relativism.

Question 22

Your text outlines three practices to help us avoid ethical traps: slow down, remember your Life Principles, and

A)focus on the matter at hand.
B)do not trust your first instinct.
C)think about what society expects.
D)go with your gut reaction.

Question 23

The goal of utilitarian ethics is to

A)establish rules for why certain behaviors are ethical.
B)do the right thing, no matter the result.
C)produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
D)establish universal ethical rules that apply to all people.

Question 24

What is the best definition for the term corporate social responsibility ?

A)an organization's obligation to contribute positively to the world around it
B)an organization's obligation to maximize profits for its shareholders
C)an organization's obligation to be environmentally responsible
D)an organization's obligation to value its employees above all other stakeholders

Question 25

According to Immanuel Kant, the truth should be told, no matter the outcome. This is the idea behind what he called

A)moral universalism.
B)the categorical imperative.
C)moral relativism.
D)the veil of ignorance.

Question 26

Alanis tries to talk her supervisor out of a business decision she thinks is unethical. Which of the following best characterizes her reaction?

A)loyalty
B)capitulation
C)voice
D)exit

Question 27

Outline the beliefs of the various theories of ethics.

Question 28

What are Life Principles and what should one consider when developing his or her own Life Principles?

Question 29

Haley is an accountant for a large hospital network. She knows that she could easily "skim" money from the organization to keep for herself and chances are she  would not get caught. However, she keeps thinking about what would happen to her and her family if her actions went viral and appeared all over the Internet or in her local newspaper. What ethics test is Haley considering?

A)the social media test
B)the front page test
C)the public scrutiny test
D)the bystander test

Question 30

Which person held the belief that the circumstances into which we are born play an important role in our personal outcome?

A)Immanuel Kant
B)John Stuart Mill
C)Milton Friedman
D)John Rawls

Question 31

Theo believes that everyone must develop his or her own ethical rules. So whereas he believes that gay marriage should be legal, he understands that other people might feel differently. Theo would be considered to be a(n)_______ relativist.

A)individual
B)issue-oriented
C)cultural
D)societal

Question 32

Does ethical behavior maximize profitability?

A)Yes, there is concrete evidence that ethical behavior will always maximize profitability.
B)No, there is concrete evidence that unethical companies will always outperform ethical companies.
C)Although there is no guarantee that ethical behavior pays in the short or long run, there is evidence that the ethical company is more likely to win financially.
D)There is strong evidence that ethical behavior pays financially in the long run, but not in the short run.

Question 33

John Rawls' suggestion that society should reward behavior that provides the most benefit to the community as a whole is referred to as

A)the difference principle.
B)the veil of ignorance.
C)moral universalism.
D)moral relativism.

Question 34

Tianhui was recently hired as a sales representative by Oxtron, Inc. Before leaving on his first sales trip, a number of the other sales representatives take Tianhui aside and tell him that it is customary for the sales representatives to "pad" (increase)their expense reports each month by 20%. Use utilitarian ethics to decide what Tianhui should do about the expense report he submits to Oxtron.

Question 35

Jamal was recently hired as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. He notices that all the other sales reps "pad" their expense accounts by claiming meals with clients that never took place and then pocket the extra money. Jamal figures that since everyone else is cheating on their expense accounts, he might as well do the same. What ethics trap is Jamal falling into?

A)following orders
B)competition
C)conformity
D)lost in a crowd

Question 36

Oxtron, Inc. is considering establishing a program that actively encourages ethical behavior. What reasons would support Oxtron's adoption of an ethics program?

Question 37

Explain the meaning of the following ethics traps: rationalization, conformity, following orders, lost in a crowd, and blind spots.

Question 38

How does unethical behavior in an organization affect its workforce?

A)It instills fear in employees making them more productive.
B)It helps workers focus on the goal of profitability.
C)It creates a workforce that is more informed and, therefore, motivated.
D)It creates a workforce that is cynical and resentful.

Question 39

_______ is the belief that some acts are always right or always wrong, whereas ______ is the belief that a decision may be right even if it is not in keeping with our own ethical standards.

A)Moral universalism; moral relativism
B)Moral relativism; moral universalism
C)Utilitarianism; deontological ethics
D)D eontological ethics; utilitarianism