Exam 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Zoe frequently streams movies from a website that offers free programs. She doesn't realize that the website doesn't have permission to make the copyrighted content available and that she is illegally using copyrighted content. Explain how this behavior could lead to a tragedy of the commons if Zoe encourages others to stream movies from the website.

________ encourage employees to behave in a socially responsible manner.

Websites that allow free downloading of songs and movies illustrate the "tragedy of the commons" because there is pursuit of self-interest with no consideration for societal interest.

The moral rights rule states that people should put the community's interests above the company's.

Aaron works in the accounting department for a large manufacturing company. His manager instructed him to record a transaction in an incorrect manner to increase the revenue for the fiscal year. Aaron is pondering whether to report this issue to a higher-level manager. He is experiencing an ethical dilemma.

The influence of one's family, peers, and upbringing in general can affect a person's ________ ethics.

Your company has been caught participating in some questionable practices with an important overseas supplier. A report by a watch dog group found that employees at an overseas manufacturing plant you rely on for your products earn a wage that is barely enough to sustain them, work overtime without an increase in their hourly wage, and work in unsafe conditions. What are the potential consequences of this news on the company and its stakeholders? What would you recommend that your company do to repair its reputation?

The ________ is the idea that the pursuit of self-interest with no consideration for societal interests leads to disaster.

________ ethics are the standards that govern how members of a society should deal with one another in matters involving issues such as fairness, justice, poverty, and individual rights.

The essential problem when solving moral dilemmas is

The ________ rule states that an ethical decision is one in which rewards and harms are distributed in a fair and impartial way.

The ________ has organizationwide authority. Hence, organization members in any department can communicate instances of unethical behavior by their managers or coworkers without fear of retribution.

Catherine owns a start-up company that manufactures inexpensive clothing made in the United States. Using the four rules for ethical decision making, discuss how Catherine might operate her business differently depending on which rule she adhered to.

The ________ stakeholder group is often considered to be the most critical.

Stockholders are interested in how a company operates because they

A company that expects its managers to behave ethically to the degree that they stay within the law, but no more, is acting with a(n)________ approach to social responsibility.

Eleanor has witnessed her manager harassing a coworker on multiple occasions. Eleanor knows that she should report the incidents to a superior manager, but she is hesitant to report the inappropriate behavior because she thinks she could lose her job. This example illustrates a(n)

When Bob calculates the yearly bonuses for his employees, he pays particular attention to the individual employee scores to ensure that they are based on performance and not favoritism. Which ethical rule is Bob following?

Gerald's Jewelry has a deep moral commitment to act responsibly in its sourcing of precious metals and gemstones. This is an example of ________ ethics.

One managerial implication of the justice model is that to be ethical, managers should base their decisions on