Deck 4: Corporate Culture, Governance, and Ethical Leadership

Question 1

A corporate culture is fashioned by a shared pattern of all of the following except:

A)beliefs.
B)expectations.
C)meanings.
D)bylaws.

Answer 1

bylaws.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true of corporate cultures?

A)Corporate cultures are always changing rapidly.
B)One person, even a strong leader, cannot have a significant impact on a company's culture.
C)An organization's culture offers it direction and stability during challenging times.
D)A firm's culture cannot be its sustaining value.

Answer 2

An organization's culture offers it direction and stability during challenging times.

Question 3

Which of the following is true of an ethical organizational culture?

A)An ethical corporate culture can be compromised for short-term financial gains.
B)An ethical culture empowers employees to act in ethically responsible ways even when the law does not require it.
C)An ethical corporate culture evolves naturally and is self-sustaining.
D)An ethical corporate culture changes rapidly with whatever social trends that are prevalent at a given point in time.

Answer 3

An ethical culture empowers employees to act in ethically responsible ways even when the law does not require it.

Question 4

According to research conducted by Collins and Porras, which of the following is a common practice that explains the success of visionary companies?

A)A great emphasis on essential and enduring tenets
B)Aggressive marketing techniques that ensure profitability
C)A commitment to following bureaucratic norms
D)An attitude that justifies adopting any means as long as ends are met

Question 5

Which of the following is a difference between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Coast Guard?

A)Unlike the United States Coast Guard, FEMA is a less bureaucratic organization that takes into account the opinions of all employees before taking a decision.
B)Unlike the United States Coast Guard, FEMA is able to act swiftly even when a situation does not fit plans and the existing rules do not apply.
C)Unlike FEMA, the United States Coast Guard cannot effectively move information up to decision makers in time.
D)Unlike FEMA, the United States Coast Guard empowers front-line individuals to solve problems without waiting for superiors to give directions.

Question 6

Which of these is not a requirement of internal mechanisms for reporting wrongdoing within an organization?

A)They must be effective.
B)They must allow anonymity.
C)They must report to legal authorities.
D)They must protect the rights of the accused.

Question 7

Which of these is true regarding assessment and monitoring of the ethics of a corporate culture?

A)Ongoing ethics audits can uncover silent vulnerabilities that could later challenge the firm.
B)Ongoing ethics audits can serve as a vital element in risk assessment and prevention.
C)Ongoing ethics audits can enable organizations to spot weak areas before other stakeholders (internal and external) can spot them.
D)Ongoing ethics audits can and do serve all of these functions within an organization.

Question 8

Personal decision making and ethical behavior within a given company actually are influenced very little, or not at all, by the corporate culture of that company.

Question 9

Ethical business leaders not only act ethically on a personal level, but also allocate corporate resources to support and promote ethical behavior in the workplace.

Question 10

In a study of the nature of ethical leadership, if leaders strongly demonstrated individual traits of receptivity, listening, openness, and caring for people, these traits were found to impede their success and employees' perception of them as ethical leaders.

Question 11

Before having an impact on the culture via a code of conduct or a statement of values, a company must first determine its mission and articulate its mission statement.

Question 12

"Whistleblowing" can harm the business and the whistleblower, but has not been known to end the unethical behavior it exposes.

Question 13

Ethics ombudsmen and ethics hotlines in organizations allow employees to report wrongdoing and create procedures for follow-up and enforcement.

Question 14

In an organization, codes and rules prove to be meaningless if ethical behavior is not enforced.