Exam 2: Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations

saying that a new line of air fresheners is "guaranteed to stave off any and every odor that comes your house's way" would be an example of what?

Plagiarism is a legal issue and not an ethical issue.

what is the potential downside to whistle-blowing?

What does the symbol ® indicate about a word, phrase, or symbol?

using social media ethically entails avoiding false endorsements. What are three other guidelines for the ethical use of social media?

Chapter 2 lists four factors governing the fair-use exemption, which allows you to use copyrighted material without permission under certain conditions. One factor is the nature and purpose of the copyrighted work. What are the other three factors?

What does the symbol ® stand for, and what rights does it grant a company?

Which of these resources is likely to be available to employees of a company with a strong ethical culture?

When your state's revenues for the year are 40 percent below estimates, the state legislature cuts education funds by 40 percent but reduces farmers' subsidies by only 20 percent. Which moral standard does this action violate?

In one state, West County and East County share a border. The state capital is in East County. Many residents of West County (almost half of all adults in the county) commute to East County for work. East County has high levels of air pollution, and residents there must get their car exhaust systems tested every two years. Although West County has less air pollution than East, the pollution levels in West are rising. The state Department of Environmental Regulation orders that residents of West County must now get their car exhaust systems tested every two years as well. What moral standard best explains this decision by the Department of Environmental Regulation?

A writer preparing an electrician's manual is considering inserting company-designed danger symbols to denote the potential for electrocution. In deciding whether to do so, what should the writer's primary concern be?

To be effective, a code of conduct must stipulate penalties.

Contract law affects technical communication because technical documents sometimes contain warranty statements.

Which of the following is NOT a guideline for using social media ethically and legally, according to Chapter 2?

You are writing the second edition of a user manual to be included with software sold to the general public. You want to reuse a portion of the introductory materials from the first edition but cannot determine who wrote that section or what the contractual conditions were. You know that your company has customarily required that freelance writers sign work-made-for-hire agreements. What should you do?

Under the concept of work made for hire, anything written on the job by an employee being paid by the organization is the property of the organization-provided that the employee agrees after the document is written to surrender his or her copyright.

saying that a recently fired employee was "offered an alternative career opportunity" would be an example of which of the following?

You work for a pharmaceuticals company. During your lunch breaks, you have become acquainted with one of the graphic artists at your company. He has just finished designing a logo for a new product, and the logo is now on your company's website. He mentions that he created the new design by downloading a logo that he found on an automaker's website and changing it a little. Which of the following statements is true?

Steven is selling a used car that is 10 years old. He found a way to set the odometer back 50,000 miles, making his car appear more valuable than it actually is. A potential buyer looks at the car and is amazed at the low mileage. He asks Steven if anyone has tampered with the odometer. Steven replies, "Hey, that would be illegal. No one wants to get caught doing something illegal." What type of misleading statement did Steven make in his reply?

Susan was assigned to analyze the process her company uses to write proposals. She worked on her report for more than a month. Stacy in the marketing department and John in the finance department gave Susan a lot of information and had several meetings with her. Susan placed an acknowledgments section in her report, where she thanked Stacy and John. What standard best explains Susan's decision to provide acknowledgments?