Deck 11: Managing Environmental Issues

Question 1

Which of the following statements is not true with respect to acid rain?

A) A primary source of acid rain is coal-fired utilities.
B) Acid rain occurs when carbon dioxide combines with water vapor in the atmosphere.
C) Acid rain is worse in some regions of the United States than others.
D) Acid rain degrades buildings.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Clean Air Act of 1990 incorporated the concept of tradable allowances as a key part of its approach to pollution reduction.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An ecologically sustainable organization is a business that addresses environmental issues only when they pose an immediate threat.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Most big companies are still in the pollution prevention stage of corporate environmental responsibility.

Question 5

The EPA has identified carbon monoxide as the sole indicator of the overall level of air pollution.

Question 6

Effective environmental management requires an integrated approach that involves all parts of the business organization.

Question 7

Environmental regulations, such as energy conservation, depress the economy.

Question 8

Which of the following is not true about water pollution?

A) It affects crop yields.
B) It can be caused by pesticides and herbicides.
C) It can be caused by biodegradable products.
D) The Water Pollution Control Act maintains the integrity of all surface water in the United States.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of air pollution?

A) Air pollution occurs when more pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere than can be safely absorbed and diluted by natural processes.
B) A majority of the people in the U.S. breathe unsafe air for at least part of the year.
C) Air pollution caused by particulate matter is responsible for fewer than 600 premature or unnecessary deaths annually.
D) The EPA has identified hundreds of "criteria" pollutants, relatively common harmful substances that serve as indicators of overall levels of air pollution.

Question 10

Efforts to prevent inequitable exposure to risk, such as from hazardous waste, are sometimes referred to as the movement for environmental justice.

Question 11

In the United States, the federal government regulates which of the following major areas of environmental protection?

A) Air pollution.
B) Water pollution.
C) Land pollution.
D) All of the above.

Question 12

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 requires permits for most point sources of pollution, such as industrial emissions.

Question 13

Rewards and incentives are effective ways to make business people consider the environmental impacts of their actions.

Question 14

The first United States federal laws to protect the environment involved protecting navigable waterways.

Question 15

By setting a common standard for all firms, government can take the cost of pollution control out of competition.

Question 16

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, hazardous waste must be treated before disposal in landfills.

Question 17

Emissions of nearly all major pollutants have increased substantially since 1970.

Question 18

Superfund has been regarded as a public policy success in the cleanup of toxic waste sites.

Question 19

Cross-functional teams are usually a poor way to solve environmental problems.

Question 20

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created:

A) To monitor and regulate nuclear activity.
B) To coordinate most of the government's efforts to protect the environment.
C) To monitor and regulate occupational health and safety standards.
D) All of the above.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is not true about environmental standards?

A) Regulatory agencies can establish standard allowable levels of pollutants.
B) The government has the power to command business firms to comply with certain standards.
C) The government rarely interferes in a business's choice of pollution technology.
D) They are the most widely used methods of regulation.

Question 22

Which of the following is the most advanced stage of corporate environmental responsibility?

A) Pollution prevention stage.
B) Clean technology stage.
C) Product stewardship stage.
D) Green management stage.

Question 23

Which of the following is indicative of a firm in the pollution prevention stage of the corporate environmental responsibility model?

A) Realizing that it would be less efficient and more expensive to prevent pollution before it is created.
B) Focusing on all environmental impacts of the product life-cycle.
C) Minimizing or eliminating waste before it is created.
D) Incurring losses due to environmental costs.

Question 24

Effective environmental management requires an integrated approach that involves:

A) A team of line managers within a business organization.
B) Leadership from top-level executives who make all corporate decisions.
C) All parts of the organization, as well as strong partnerships with stakeholders.
D) None of the above.

Question 25

Which of the following is not true about "green" management practices?

A) 76 percent of large U.S. firms have adopted at least some environmental initiatives.
B) There are three main stages of corporate environmental responsibility.
C) Most big companies appear to be addressing sustainability issues.
D) No more than 10 to 25 percent of all U.S. companies are adopting environmental practices.

Question 26

Subaru Automotive of America's effort to minimize waste is an example of:

A) Pollution prevention.
B) Product stewardship.
C) Clean technology.
D) None of the above.

Question 27

Businesses in the clean technology stage:

A) Actively manage environmental issues.
B) Have well-funded programs for environmental technology.
C) Evaluate cyber technology-related risks.
D) Develop innovative technologies that support sustainability.

Question 28

Environmental regulations stimulate some sectors of the economy by:

A) Creating jobs in industries like environmental consulting, asbestos abatement, and instrument manufacturing.
B) Saving jobs in industries like fishing and tourism when natural areas are protected or restored.
C) Compelling businesses to become more efficient by conserving energy.
D) All of the above.

Question 29

does not require:

A) Toxic waste generators to have a permit.
B) Transporters to maintain careful records.
C) Disposal facilities to treat hazardous waste before disposal.
D) All hazardous waste to be incinerated.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is (are) true about the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)?

A) It established a fund supported primarily by a tax on the petroleum and chemical companies.
B) It is regarded as one of the most successful environmental laws.
C) The funds collected are used to clean up sites where the original polluter cannot be identified.
D) Both A and C, but not

Question 31

Companies in the United Kingdom and Japan are motivated to "go green" due to:

A) The chance to gain competitive advantage.
B) A desire to gain approval from the public sector or regulators.
C) A moral commitment to ecological responsibility.
D) All of the above.

Question 32

Which country has made the greatest progress in reducing its solid waste stream?

A) United Kingdom.
B) Germany.
C) Japan.
D) United States.

Question 33

Environmental regulations hurt the economy in the following way (s):

A) $160 billion a year spent by business and individuals in the United States in 2000 to comply.
B) Job increases in some particularly polluting industries.
C) Increased competitiveness among capital-intensive, "dirty" industries.
D) None of the above.

Question 34

When businesses form voluntary, collaborative partnerships with environmental organizations and regulators to achieve specific objectives this is called:

A) Interorganizational alliances.
B) Environmental partnerships.
C) Cross-functional teams.
D) Command and control.

Question 35

Which of the following is true about the Toxic Substances Control Act?

A) It required reductions in urban smog, acid rain, and greenhouse gas emissions.
B) It established a national policy to regulate, restrict, and, if necessary, ban toxic chemicals.
C) It promoted nontoxic chemicals and fuels for business use.
D) It authorized funds for treatment plants and toxic waste cleanup.

Question 36

Environmental justice is a movement to:

A) Prevent inequitable exposure to risk, such as from hazardous waste.
B) Identify polluters and require them to pay for the cleanup of their toxic waste.
C) Reduce pollution at the source, rather than treat and dispose of waste at the "end of the pipe."
D) Specifically restrict the use of dangerous pesticides which can pollute groundwater.

Question 37

Which of the following is (are) true about emission fees?

A) Each business is charged for the undesirable pollution that it emits.
B) Companies emitting more pollutants end up paying more pollution taxes.
C) Revenues from emission fees are used to support environmental efforts.
D) All of the above.

Question 38

Which of the following is not a possible cost of environmental regulation?

A) Unemployment.
B) Reduced capital investment.
C) Corporate restructuring.
D) Lowered productivity.

Question 39

Which of the following is not true about the guidelines for sentencing environmental wrongdoers set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission?

A) The penalties reflect the severity of the offense and the company's demonstrated environmental commitment.
B) Businesses having an active compliance program would receive lighter sentences in the event of a violation.
C) Businesses having no active compliance program would be granted an extension to develop a program.
D) Businesses that promptly assisted any victims would receive lighter sentences in the event of a violation.

Question 40

Being able to continue their activities indefinitely, without altering the carrying capacity of the earth's ecosystem, is a characteristic of:

A) Ecologically sustainable organizations.
B) Concerned citizens.
C) Codes of environmental conduct.
D) Environmental regulations.

Question 41

Discuss the following statement: "Effective environmental management makes firms more competitive."

Question 42

When environmentally proactive companies seek out imaginative, innovative new methods for reducing pollution and increasing efficiency, they are adopting which strategy?

A) Technological innovation.
B) Product differentiation.
C) Green marketing.
D) Cost savings.

Question 43

What is the appropriate amount of civil and criminal enforcement for those companies who violate environmental laws? What types of guidelines exist for sentencing environmental wrongdoers?

Question 44

Companies that reduce pollution and hazardous waste, reuse or recycle materials, and operate with greater energy efficiency achieve a competitive advantage due to:

A) Technological innovation.
B) Product differentiation.
C) Green marketing.
D) Cost savings.

Question 45

(p. Entire chapter) Cost-benefit analysis seeks to weigh the relative costs and benefits of various alternatives, to see which one gives the "best value." Of the various areas of environmental protection discussed in this chapter (air, water, and land), which one do you think has been the best value? Which has been the worst value? On what basis do you think so?

Question 46

Some researchers believe that business firms moving towards ecological sustainability results in:

A) Competitive advantages.
B) Decreased worker productivity.
C) More government regulation.
D) Less money for shareholders.

Question 47

Briefly describe acid rain. Do you think a command-and-control or market-based regulatory approach would work better to reduce acid rain emissions, and why?

Question 48

Moving towards more proactive environmental management is called the "greening" of management. Using this process, discuss what organizational approaches have been used by a specific company of your choice. Did "green" management improve the company's strategic competitiveness?

Question 49

Do you think businesses should voluntarily undertake environmental improvement efforts, beyond those required by law? Why or why not?

Question 50

Companies that cultivate a vision of sustainability must adopt sophisticated strategic planning techniques to:

A) Increase the competitive advantage of other international organizations.
B) Detect the limited number of internal factors that influence the employee performance reviews.
C) Allow their top manager to assess the full range of the firm's effects on the environment.
D) Increase the number of government regulations that are passed to reduce pollution.

Question 51

Describe the environmental management practices of a business firm with which you are familiar. Which stage of the corporate environmental responsibility model best fits this firm, and why? Looking again at this same firm, what steps might its managers take to improve its environmental performance? In answering this question, consider the various elements of effective environmental management.

Question 52

When companies develop a reputation for environmental excellence, and they produce and deliver products and services designed to attract environmentally aware customers, this is called:

A) Technological innovation.
B) Strategic planning.
C) Green marketing.
D) Cost savings.