Deck 4: The Institutionalization of Business Ethics

Question 1

The _____ regulates tobacco, dietary supplements, vaccines, veterinary drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, products that give off radiation, and biological products.

A) World Trade Organization
B) Consumer Financial Protection Agency
C) Department of Justice
D) Environmental Protection Agency
E) The Food and Drug Administration

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The _____ is an independent agency within the Federal Reserve System that "regulate[s] the offering and provision of consumer financial products or services under the Federal consumer financial laws."

A) Consumer Financial Protection Agency
B) Federal Reserve
C) World Trade Organization
D) Department of Justice
E) Federal Trade Commission

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The primary objective of U.S. antitrust laws is to

A) protect consumers from high prices and foreign products.
B) protect domestic businesses.
C) protect employees.
D) promote strategies that enhance business welfare over consumer welfare.
E) distinguish competitive strategies that enhance consumer welfare from those that reduce it.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following acts exempted the insurance industry from antitrust legislation?

A) Equal Pay Act of 1963
B) Civil Rights Act of 1964
C) McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1944
D) Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
E) Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

Question 5

Which of the forces of the business environment involves the rivalry among businesses for customers and profits?

A) The economic dimension
B) The legal dimension
C) The competitive dimension
D) The technological dimension
E) The voluntary responsibilities dimension

Question 6

What is a primary reason why some small businesses resist the opening of large chain retailers like Walmart or Home Depot?

A) Because the large size creates economies of scale and they can charge lower prices
B) Because the selection in the stores is too large
C) Because large retailers attract crime to neighborhoods in which they are based
D) Because community leaders do not like the top management
E) Because large retailers almost never hire local workers as employees

Question 7

Which is not one of the four sources of criminal and civil laws?

A) Judicial law
B) Common law
C) Constitutional law
D) Administrative law
E) Statutory law

Question 8

_____ ties giving to a business' overall strategy and objectives.

A) Social responsibility
B) Business ethics
C) Corporate philanthropy
D) Strategic philanthropy
E) Cause-related marketing

Question 9

Which of the following acts can be classified as procompetitive legislation?

A) Equal Pay Act of 1963
B) Civil Rights Act of 1964
C) McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1944
D) Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
E) Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

Question 10

Anticompetitive strategies that focus on weakening or destroying a competitor have spurred antitrust legislation and include all of the following except

A) sustained price cuts.
B) free samples.
C) discriminatory pricing.
D) price wars.
E) corporate espionage.

Question 11

Which of the following is not an aspect of the institutionalization of social responsibility?

A) Voluntary practices
B) Legal responsibilities
C) Core practices
D) Familial responsibilities
E) Strategic philanthropy

Question 12

_____ law not only prohibits specific actions in business such as fraud, theft, or securities trading violations, but also imposes fines or imprisonment as punishment for breaking the law.

A) Civil
B) Criminal
C) Competitive
D) Administrative
E) Regulatory

Question 13

Which of the following is not a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act?

A) Strengthens penalties for corporate fraud
B) Discourages the creation of ethical and legal compliance programs
C) Requires codes of ethics for financial reporting in corporations
D) Makes fraudulent financial reporting a criminal offense
E) Requires greater transparency in financial reporting

Question 14

The _____ was called "a sweeping overhaul of the financial regulatory system…on a scale not seen since the reforms that followed the Great Depression."

A) Equal Pay Act
B) Americans with Disabilities Act
C) Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
D) Age Discrimination in Employment Act
E) VII of the Civil Rights Act

Question 15

The _____ was established after the latest financial crisis, in response to a situation that caused many consumers to lose their homes.

A) Environmental Protection Agency
B) World Bank
C) Consumer Financial Protection Agency
D) World Trade Organization
E) Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Question 16

_____ law defines the rights and duties of individuals and organizations (including businesses).

A) Civil
B) Criminal
C) Competitive
D) Administrative
E) Regulatory

Question 17

Which of the following is not a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act?

A) Increases the accountability and transparency of financial institutions
B) Creates a bureau to educate consumers in financial literacy
C) Creates an organization to pay the bills of low-income consumers
D) Create incentives for whistle-blowers to come forward
E) Increases oversight of the financial industry

Question 18

_____ focus(es) on developing sound organizational practices and integrity for financial and nonfinancial performance measures, rather than on an individual's morals.

A) The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
B) Compliance
C) Organizational ethics
D) Core practices
E) The Sarbanes Oxley Act

Question 19

Which of the following acts, passed in response to public outrage over conditions described in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, was the first consumer protection legislation?

A) Civil Rights Act of 1964
B) Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
C) Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1974
D) Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972
E) Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

Question 20

Which of the following groups is not a group that receives special legal protections?

A) The elderly
B) Children
C) Senior citizens
D) The highly educated
E) Young consumers

Question 21

Which of the following is not one of the seven steps that the U.S. Sentencing Commission requires for an effective compliance program?

A) Develop a code of conduct
B) Provide oversight by high-ranking personnel
C) Create a communication system for disseminating standards and procedures
D) Monitor and audit systems designed to detect misconduct
E) Comply with ISO 14000 guidelines

Question 22

Which of the following is not a reason why the institutionalization of business ethics has progressed in recent decades?

A) Institutionalization of ethics is now mandated for all organizations by governments around the world
B) Stakeholders have recognized the need for improving business ethics
C) The government has stepped in when scandals and misconduct have damaged key constituents of businesses
D) Gatekeepers have been questioned as to their contributions to major scandals
E) Highly ethical companies tend to be more profitable than those suffering from misconduct issues

Question 23

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

A) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.
B) penalizes the top executives in an organization for misconduct.
C) is basically the same as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
D) discourages whistle-blowers from reporting misconduct.
E) prohibits pay discrimination on the basis of gender.

Question 24

Passed by Congress in 1991, the _____ created incentives for organizations to develop and implement ethical compliance programs.

A) Sarbanes-Oxley Act
B) U.S. Sentencing Commission's Guidelines for Ethical Compliance
C) Ethical Compliance Act
D) Social Responsiveness Compliance Act
E) Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations

Question 25

Which of the following is not a benefit to businesses of engaging in voluntary responsibilities?

A) Help create an ethical culture and values that can act as a buffer to organizational misconduct
B) Reduce government involvement by providing assistance to stakeholders
C) Develop employee leadership skills
D) Improve employee compensation and retention
E) Improve the quality of life in communities

Question 26

Which of the following provide incentives for developing core practices within a firm that could help ensure ethical and legal compliance?

A) Department of Justice and Open Compliance Ethics Group
B) Department of Justice and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
C) Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
D) Food and Drug Administration and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
E) Securities and Exchange Commission and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Question 27

_____ responsibilities relate to a business's contributions to stakeholders.

A) Economic
B) Legal
C) Ethical
D) Voluntary
E) Social responsiveness

Question 28

Laws and regulations change over time; however, in the United States the thrust of most business legislation can be summed up as

A) any practice is permitted.
B) any practice is permitted that does not substantially reduce competition and harm consumers or society.
C) any practice is permitted that does not substantially harm consumers or society, but this applies only within the United States.
D) any practice is permitted that does not harm the environment.
E) any practice is permitted that does not break the law.

Question 29

Donation of computer equipment to schools by Toshiba would be associated with _____ responsibilities.

A) economic
B) voluntary
C) legal
D) ethical
E) minimum

Question 30

_____ tie(s) an organization's product(s) directly to a social concern through a marketing program.

A) Voluntary contributions
B) Cause-related marketing
C) Strategic philanthropy
D) Corporate giving
E) Employee benefits

Question 31

Part of the reason why credit ratings firms did not catch major problems prior to the global financial meltdown of 2008 was because they were paid by the firms that they rank, which creates

A) economies of scale.
B) synergy.
C) a conflict of interest.
D) cooperation.
E) efficiency.

Question 32

Cause related marketing can affect consumer _____, if consumers are sympathetic to the cause and the brand and cause are seen as a good fit.

A) individual ethics
B) tastes
C) perceptions
D) budgets
E) buying patterns

Question 33

The _____ of ethics involves embedding values, norms, and artifacts in organizations, industries, and society.

A) institutionalization
B) rationalization
C) commercialization
D) mobilization
E) enforcement

Question 34

Investigations into the financial rating industry after the financial meltdown of 2008 found all of the following except

A) analysts cut corners when faced with less time to perform due diligence.
B) analysts' ratings were inaccurate.
C) many high ratings were based on inadequate historical data.
D) analysts were overwhelmed with the volume and complexity of trades.
E) most analysts were completely untrained and unprepared to do their jobs.

Question 35

By prohibiting accounting firms from providing both auditing and consulting services to the same corporate clients without permission, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is attempting to eliminate

A) conflicts of interest.
B) cronyism.
C) reporting transparency.
D) corporate espionage.
E) dual reporting.

Question 36

Who provides information to managers, investors, tax authorities, and other stakeholders who make resource allocation decisions for corporations?

A) Accountants
B) Federal regulators
C) The Securities and Exchange Commission
D) The Department of Justice
E) Human Resources departments

Question 37

An ethical organizational culture creates an environment in which to structure behavior that is then evaluated by stakeholders. The key elements of an organizational culture include all of the following except

A) values.
B) norms.
C) artifacts.
D) legal compliance.
E) employee compensation

Question 38

Companies that _____ will most likely be found in violation of procompetitive legislation.

A) pollute waterways
B) knowingly harm consumers
C) contract with sweatshops
D) establish monopolies
E) help consumers

Question 39

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act created the _____ to oversee the accounting firms that audit public corporations and to establish rules and standards for auditing.

A) Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
B) Corporate Accounting Oversight Commission
C) Enron Accounting Fraud Administration
D) Occupational Health and Safety Administration
E) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Question 40

Some, especially those in business, complain that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and similar legislation

A) is excessively complex and financially burdensome.
B) is not necessary.
C) is fair to all firms.
D) has reduced restatements of financial reports.
E) is too simplistic.

Question 41

Why do you think the costs of compliance with Sarbanes Oxley go down over time?

Question 42

Society often expects a lot from business. Do you think that it is possible to balance profit and other business objectives with the goals and desires of society? Why or why not?

Question 43

What ethical issues affecting consumers and society as a whole are created by unfair competition?

Question 44

According to the text, the opinions of society, as expressed through legislation, can change over time and different courts and government legislatures may take different views about the acceptability of specific business activities. Why is this so?