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Business Ethics

Assessment Questions

Business EthicsAssessment Questions

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Table of contents
  1. Preface
  2. 1 Why Ethics Matter
    1. Introduction
    2. 1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity
    3. 1.2 Ethics and Profitability
    4. 1.3 Multiple versus Single Ethical Standards
    5. Key Terms
    6. Summary
    7. Assessment Questions
    8. Endnotes
  3. 2 Ethics from Antiquity to the Present
    1. Introduction
    2. 2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens
    3. 2.2 Ethical Advice for Nobles and Civil Servants in Ancient China
    4. 2.3 Comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West
    5. 2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
    6. 2.5 Deontology: Ethics as Duty
    7. 2.6 A Theory of Justice
    8. Key Terms
    9. Summary
    10. Assessment Questions
    11. Endnotes
  4. 3 Defining and Prioritizing Stakeholders
    1. Introduction
    2. 3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation
    3. 3.2 Weighing Stakeholder Claims
    4. 3.3 Ethical Decision-Making and Prioritizing Stakeholders
    5. 3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
    6. Key Terms
    7. Summary
    8. Assessment Questions
    9. Endnotes
  5. 4 Three Special Stakeholders: Society, the Environment, and Government
    1. Introduction
    2. 4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility
    3. 4.2 Sustainability: Business and the Environment
    4. 4.3 Government and the Private Sector
    5. Key Terms
    6. Summary
    7. Assessment Questions
    8. Endnotes
  6. 5 The Impact of Culture and Time on Business Ethics
    1. Introduction
    2. 5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture
    3. 5.2 Business Ethics over Time
    4. 5.3 The Influence of Geography and Religion
    5. 5.4 Are the Values Central to Business Ethics Universal?
    6. Key Terms
    7. Summary
    8. Assessment Questions
    9. Endnotes
  7. 6 What Employers Owe Employees
    1. Introduction
    2. 6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions
    3. 6.2 What Constitutes a Fair Wage?
    4. 6.3 An Organized Workforce
    5. 6.4 Privacy in the Workplace
    6. Key Terms
    7. Summary
    8. Assessment Questions
    9. Endnotes
  8. 7 What Employees Owe Employers
    1. Introduction
    2. 7.1 Loyalty to the Company
    3. 7.2 Loyalty to the Brand and to Customers
    4. 7.3 Contributing to a Positive Work Atmosphere
    5. 7.4 Financial Integrity
    6. 7.5 Criticism of the Company and Whistleblowing
    7. Key Terms
    8. Summary
    9. Assessment Questions
    10. Endnotes
  9. 8 Recognizing and Respecting the Rights of All
    1. Introduction
    2. 8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
    3. 8.2 Accommodating Different Abilities and Faiths
    4. 8.3 Sexual Identification and Orientation
    5. 8.4 Income Inequalities
    6. 8.5 Animal Rights and the Implications for Business
    7. Key Terms
    8. Summary
    9. Assessment Questions
    10. Endnotes
  10. 9 Professions under the Microscope
    1. Introduction
    2. 9.1 Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Culture
    3. 9.2 The Influence of Advertising
    4. 9.3 The Insurance Industry
    5. 9.4 Ethical Issues in the Provision of Health Care
    6. Key Terms
    7. Summary
    8. Assessment Questions
    9. Endnotes
  11. 10 Changing Work Environments and Future Trends
    1. Introduction
    2. 10.1 More Telecommuting or Less?
    3. 10.2 Workplace Campuses
    4. 10.3 Alternatives to Traditional Patterns of Work
    5. 10.4 Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Workplace of the Future
    6. Key Terms
    7. Summary
    8. Assessment Questions
    9. Endnotes
  12. 11 Epilogue: Why Ethics Still Matter
    1. Introduction
    2. 11.1 Business Ethics in an Evolving Environment
    3. 11.2 Committing to an Ethical View
    4. 11.3 Becoming an Ethical Professional
    5. 11.4 Making a Difference in the Business World
    6. Endnotes
  13. A | The Lives of Ethical Philosophers
  14. B | Profiles in Business Ethics: Contemporary Thought Leaders
  15. C | A Succinct Theory of Business Ethics
  16. Answer Key
    1. Chapter 1
    2. Chapter 2
    3. Chapter 3
    4. Chapter 4
    5. Chapter 5
    6. Chapter 6
    7. Chapter 7
    8. Chapter 8
    9. Chapter 9
    10. Chapter 10
  17. Index
1.

True or false? Corporations that embrace CSR policies consistently produce a lower rate of return on investment for shareholders.

2.

True or false? Milton Friedman’s economic philosophy advocates increased government regulation to ensure that corporations are socially responsible.

3.

Which of the following is not true?

  1. Shareholder primacy is the clear legal precedent in the United States.
  2. Maximizing shareholder profits is a legitimate goal of management.
  3. Dividends are paid out of corporate profits.
  4. Companies that pursue CSR policies can also be profitable.
4.

Industries like to be in control of their own destiny and as a result prefer self-regulation to laws imposed by governments. Self-regulation is often ________.

  1. based on external codes of conduct
  2. enforced by the courts
  3. in conflict with common law
  4. less costly for firms than government regulation
5.

Identify two benefits for a company following a policy of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

6.

What is earth jurisprudence?

7.

Which of the following best describes the tragedy of the commons?

  1. People are always willing to sacrifice for the good of society.
  2. People are likely to use all the natural resources they want without regard to others.
  3. The common good of the people is a popular corporate goal.
  4. Tragedies occur when there is too much government regulation.
8.

ISOs are sustainability standards for businesses ________.

  1. promulgated by the state government
  2. promulgated by the federal government
  3. promulgated by the World Trade Organization
  4. none of the above
9.

True or false? If environmental harm is discovered, the business entity causing it is frequently held liable by both the government and the victims of the harm in separate proceedings.

10.

Which of the following is a potentially effective way to reduce global warming?

  1. build more coal-burning power plants
  2. build more diesel-burning cars
  3. implement a carbon tax
  4. implement tax-free gasoline
11.

True or false? The law prohibits all executives from serving in senior government posts and then leaving to go back to work for the same company in the private sector.

12.

True or false? Air pollution is regulated by three levels of government: local, state, and federal.

13.

Which of the following is true?

  1. Very few business executives have ever left private jobs to go into government service.
  2. Most government regulatory agencies are funded by donations.
  3. Numerous executives have left Goldman Sachs to go to work for the government.
  4. Few people leave government service to go into the private sector.
14.

Which of the following constitutional provisions gives regulatory power to the federal government?

  1. First Amendment
  2. Tenth Amendment
  3. Commerce Clause
  4. Supremacy Clause
15.

The Citizens United case ________.

  1. upheld existing law limiting spending on behalf of political candidates
  2. overturned existing law
  3. sent the case back to the lower court to be re-tried
  4. created more restrictive limits on political spending
16.

What Amendment was at the center of the Citizens United case? Explain.

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