Question 1

Which of the following best defines "termination at will"?

Accepted Answer

A)  employees can refuse to collaborate with specific coworkers for personal reasons 
B)  either the employer or the employee can end the employment relationship at anytime 
C)  employers can deny employees' requests for vacation and leave for any reason 
D)  customers can end relationships with service providers for any reason at anytime 
E)  employers can end business relationships with clients even if a contract exists

Question 2

Health-Tech Materials is a firm that manufactures medical equipment purchased by hospitals and clinics.The firm employs over 2,500 workers in its two manufacturing facilities located in Texas and Arizona.Recently,Health-Tech dismissed a number of employees for ethics violations ranging from improper Internet usage to stealing company funds.In addition,the firm has been sued by two former employees for wrongful discharge.As a result,Health-Tech's top executives are evaluating the firm's hiring process,ethics training system,reward system,and disciplinary system to determine how to promote ethics and fair treatment. Which of the following undermines the argument that Health-Tech should shift from a traditional discipline system to a non-punitive discipline system?

Accepted Answer

A)  The most common employee discipline situations at Health-Tech involve theft or physical altercations. 
B)  Health-Tech has already modified its hiring process to include ethics tests when screening job applicants. 
C)  A court ruled in a wrongful discharge case against Health-Tech that the employee handbook served as an implied contract. 
D)  Frequent tardiness is the primary infraction among Health-Tech employees who receive decision-making leave. 
E)  During Health-Tech performance appraisals, managers review an employee's discipline record throughout his or her career.

Question 3

Which of the following terms refers to the characteristic values,traditions,and behaviors a company's employees share?

Accepted Answer

A)  organizational culture 
B)  organizational climate 
C)  organizational ethics 
D)  corporate climate 
E)  corporate mission

Question 4

The principal cause of ethical compromises is based on organizational pressure to meet a schedule or some other objective.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

When do most firms provide employees with ethics training?

Accepted Answer

A)  after employees have taken sabbaticals 
B)  during employee orientation sessions 
C)  after employees receive promotions 
D)  during annual company conferences 
E)  after annual performance appraisals

Question 6

All of the following are reasonable grounds for dismissal EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  misconduct 
B)  whistle blowing 
C)  unsatisfactory performance 
D)  lack of job qualifications 
E)  changed job requirements

Question 7

The principles of conduct governing an individual or a group are referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  judgments 
B)  norms 
C)  ethics 
D)  laws 
E)  virtues

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT responsible for eroding the strength of the "terminate at will" doctrine?

Accepted Answer

A)  implied employment contracts 
B)  public relations campaigns 
C)  occupational safety laws 
D)  public policies 
E)  EEO laws

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of the four points of the hot stove rule?

Accepted Answer

A)  impersonal 
B)  immediate 
C)  consistent 
D)  feedback 
E)  warning

Question 10

Ethical decisions always involve normative judgments about what is right or wrong.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Health-Tech Materials is a firm that manufactures medical equipment purchased by hospitals and clinics.The firm employs over 2,500 workers in its two manufacturing facilities located in Texas and Arizona.Recently,Health-Tech dismissed a number of employees for ethics violations ranging from improper Internet usage to stealing company funds.In addition,the firm has been sued by two former employees for wrongful discharge.As a result,Health-Tech's top executives are evaluating the firm's hiring process,ethics training system,reward system,and disciplinary system to determine how to promote ethics and fair treatment.
-Which of the following best supports the argument that Health-Tech should establish an employee hotline?

Accepted Answer

A)  Health-Tech monitors its employees phone calls and Internet usage to protect itself from lawsuits and ethical violations. 
B)  Independent contractors working for Health-Tech are not allowed to work for the firm's competitors, which angers most contractors. 
C)  Exit interviews at Health-Tech indicate that employees feel uncomfortable about raising ethics concerns with managers. 
D)  Health-Tech managers have been reluctant to terminate disruptive employees for fear of lawsuits. 
E)  Unsatisfactory performance is the primary reason for employee dismissals at Health-Tech.

Question 12

Wrongful discharge occurs when an employee's dismissal does not comply with the law or with the contractual agreement stated or implied by the firm through its employment application forms and employee manuals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Employers should avoid providing dismissed employees with full explanations of why and how termination decisions were made because such details typically lead the former employees to file wrongful discharge lawsuits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

When an employee's dismissal does not comply with the law or with the contractual agreement stated or implied by the firm via its employment application forms,employee manuals,or other promises,________ has most likely occurred.

Accepted Answer

A)  mutiny 
B)  insubordination 
C)  wrongful discharge 
D)  gross misconduct 
E)  emotional hardship

Question 15

As a manager,all of the following are methods that you should use to shape the ethical behavior of subordinates EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  clarifying expectations 
B)  serving as a role model 
C)  rewarding honest work 
D)  taking credit for others' work 
E)  penalizing workers' wrongdoings

Question 16

Which of the following terms refers to a systematic process by which a terminated employee is trained and counseled in how to perform a self-appraisal and secure a new position?

Accepted Answer

A)  exit interview 
B)  outplacement counseling 
C)  job counseling fair 
D)  downsizing 
E)  outsourcing

Question 17

The consent exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act permits ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  employees to access private employer documents if they have reason to suspect unethical behavior by company agents 
B)  employers to monitor employee communications if the employees have given informed consent 
C)  employers to monitor communications if they can show a legitimate business reason for doing so 
D)  employers to listen to personal employee phone calls if the calls are made on employer time 
E)  employees to conduct personal business during work hours if they can show it is necessary

Question 18

The standards an individual uses to decide what his or her conduct should be are known as common law.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Health-Tech Materials is a firm that manufactures medical equipment purchased by hospitals and clinics.The firm employs over 2,500 workers in its two manufacturing facilities located in Texas and Arizona.Recently,Health-Tech dismissed a number of employees for ethics violations ranging from improper Internet usage to stealing company funds.In addition,the firm has been sued by two former employees for wrongful discharge.As a result,Health-Tech's top executives are evaluating the firm's hiring process,ethics training system,reward system,and disciplinary system to determine how to promote ethics and fair treatment. 
-Which of the following best supports the argument that Health-Tech should make significant changes to its disciplinary process?

Accepted Answer

A)  According to surveys, Health-Tech employees feel that managers do not listen to their concerns or take their opinions seriously. 
B)  Health-Tech requires employees to receive annual ethics training to ensure that they understand the firm's latest policies. 
C)  Health-Tech's main competitor uses fictional scenarios to test applicants' morality and has fewer ethics problems than Health-Tech. 
D)  Health-Tech assigns decision-making leave to employees who repeatedly fail to comply with company rules. 
E)  Historically, arbitrators have overturned the dismissal decisions of Health-Tech's managers because of unclear company rules.

Question 20

According to research,which of the following has the greatest impact on work-related ethical decisions?

Accepted Answer

A)  organizational characteristics 
B)  environmental pressures 
C)  management attitudes 
D)  corporate procedures 
E)  personal inclinations

Exam 14: Ethics, Justice, and Fair Treatment in HR Management

Which of the following best defines "termination at will"?

Which of the following terms refers to the characteristic values,traditions,and behaviors a company's employees share?

The principal cause of ethical compromises is based on organizational pressure to meet a schedule or some other objective.

When do most firms provide employees with ethics training?

All of the following are reasonable grounds for dismissal EXCEPT ________.

The principles of conduct governing an individual or a group are referred to as ________.

Which of the following is NOT responsible for eroding the strength of the "terminate at will" doctrine?

Which of the following is NOT one of the four points of the hot stove rule?

Ethical decisions always involve normative judgments about what is right or wrong.

Wrongful discharge occurs when an employee's dismissal does not comply with the law or with the contractual agreement stated or implied by the firm through its employment application forms and employee manuals.

Employers should avoid providing dismissed employees with full explanations of why and how termination decisions were made because such details typically lead the former employees to file wrongful discharge lawsuits.

When an employee's dismissal does not comply with the law or with the contractual agreement stated or implied by the firm via its employment application forms,employee manuals,or other promises,________ has most likely occurred.

As a manager,all of the following are methods that you should use to shape the ethical behavior of subordinates EXCEPT ________.

Which of the following terms refers to a systematic process by which a terminated employee is trained and counseled in how to perform a self-appraisal and secure a new position?

The consent exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act permits ________.

The standards an individual uses to decide what his or her conduct should be are known as common law.

According to research,which of the following has the greatest impact on work-related ethical decisions?