Exam 1

business ethics

compliance

corporate culture

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

deontology

ethical relativism

ethics

goodwill

long-term perspective

normative ethical theories

shareholder/stockholder

short-term perspective

social contract

stakeholders

utilitarianism

virtue ethics

eudaimonia

golden mean

junzi

li

managerial ethics

phrónēsis

quan

virtue ethics

Categorical Imperative

Greatest Happiness Principle

consequentialism

harm principle

justice as fairness

justice theory

original position

social contract theory

unanimity of acceptance

utility function

veil of ignorance

Sam runs a local bar and is trying to make the place more agreeable to all possible patrons. To do this, he imagines what the experience of his bar would be like from a variety of different perspectives, e.g., poor, disabled, foreigner, elderly, etc. This leads him to make some changes in how things are accessed and experienced in his bar.

What tool has Sam just used to make his business more accessible to all?

Cliff's company has had three consecutive quarters of poor performance. As a result, he's been ordered to reduce staffing. He figures out he can let go of two highly paid employees, or give all thirteen people in the department an 11% reduction in pay. In the end, he decides it best to keep a happy and motivated workforce even if it has two less people in it.

What principle of ethical reasoning did Cliff employ?

Diane is frustrated with the way her co-workers continue to make mistakes. She believes they've been given too much freedom in their roles and wants management to remove some of their privileges. According to the harm principle, what would justify management doing this?

Norm is generally an agreeable person and good employee. However, he doesn't like the new lunch-hour policy that requires employees to stagger their lunch breaks. However, he is convinced by his manager who shows him the projections, which predict if everyone gives up a little bit of their freedom in this regard, then it will benefit the group as a whole and lead to greater profits, more bonuses, better job security, etc.

This supports what concept from this module?

Carla and Ernie are business partners in a marketing firm. Carla has become jealous of Ernie's recent success, so, she plots to break into his office and steal information about potential client leads he has acquired. When she breaks in, she finds Ernie passed out on the floor, apparently having suffered a heart attack. She experiences a crisis of conscious and calls for help, she then begins CPR. She ultimately saves her partner's life and decides to give up on stealing the files.

Which normative ethical theory would find no fault with any of Carla's actions?

Woody comes from a small town in the Midwest and now works a service job in the business district of Boston. His folksy charm wins him many friends but it's his steadfast dedication to 'treat others as he wants to be treated' that really earns the trust of co-workers.

This principle lines up most directly with which concept from this week's module?

As a new supervisor, Rebecca has been working hard with her staff to create a set of mutually agreed upon expectations. However, she refuses to put them in place until everyone is on board. There are couple of people holding out and so she works to accommodate them, listening and considering their concerns, before putting the new expectations in place.

Which of Rawl's principles explains what Rebecca is doing?

Frasier is working to develop a strong culture of camaraderie and community as the manager of a local bookstore. He wants everyone to feel valued and empowered to address problems in the workplace. To aid this, he creates a system that fairly distributes power among employees.

Frasier is primarily operating in line with which theory of ethics from this week?

The primary characteristic that Rawl's believed ethics hinged on was fairness.

Ashley works hard, treats people with respect, and is generally considered well accomplished in her career. People look to her with admiration because of her long history of reputable decisions. Ashley is also known for exuding a general feeling of peace, contentment, and satisfaction. This can be understood as achieving [BLANK].

As a friend, Jeff is always trying to help others understand the world should follow a proper order, one that can be best understood by practicing rituals and upholding customs that support order and harmony on earth.

Jeff advocates for [BLANK] in doing this.

Nicky is known at the office for his prudence and practical wisdom. He sees through to the heart of the issue quickly. He uses his past experience and skillful judgement to offer realistic strategies that are often successful.

What concept from this week best describes this characteristic?

As a character-based form of ethics, virtue ethics emphasizes the important of role-models and moral exemplars in understanding a right or wrong course of action.

Will is engaged in a journey of self-discovery and seeking to find a way to balance what he does with who he is. He thinks this understanding will help him to make better moral judgements and navigate moral dilemmas.

What concept describes what Will is looking for?

Geoffrey recently took a mid-level job at a large catering business and wants to be seen as a manager who is able to work through layers of bureaucracy and the complexities of human interaction to get things done in a way that is effective, respectful, and considerate of the company's mission.

What concept from this week does Geoffrey need in order to do this?

As an HR supervisor, Vivian has to select a new benefits plan for her company. She wants to be generous to the employees, avoid being miserly or stingy, but also not be foolish in picking the most expensive plan with unneeded extras. Which concept would help Vivian achieve the virtue of generosity here?
phrónēsis

From a very early age Phil has always held to certain values as his guiding light, such as loyalty, courage, and honesty. As a manager, he applies these values in a way that considers how they might manifest in a given situation. Phil can best be described as practicing [BLANK].

Both forms of virtue ethics, Confucian and Aristotelian, assert that the professional self and the personal self are best kept separate and distinct. This better allows one to be profit-oriented at work and more values-oriented in their personal life.

Hillary is prone to excessive spending with her corporate credit card. She claims she has to provide clients with special treatment, but really has a problem achieving balance in her own life. She is unable to see how her personal habits are effecting her professional performance. As such, she represents a poor example of [BLANK].

One day at work, Marcia didn't have a report ready for her boss because she forgot to get it done. She decided to make up a story about caring for her ailing mother rather than come clean. Later she found out that a colleague of hers had made up an excuse about being busy to get out of attending the barbecue that Marcia was hosting for friends. Marcia was upset with the colleague. She told him it's wrong to lie and claimed he should have just told Marcia the truth.

What concept applies to Marcia's behavior in this situation?

Mike has to make a decision about whether or not to invest in a new product line or spend marketing capital on his current product line. The new product line would help put the company on strong footing in the market for years to come, but would take time to develop and introduce. So, Mike chooses to spend marketing capital on the existing product line, because of this the next quarter's profits will look better on the shareholder report.

What concept explains Mike's decision?

Alice has worked at companies in the past who have incurred massive fines from regulating agencies because they played fast and loose with the rules. As a result, she is dedicated to ensuring [BLANK] is a strong part of her new company's culture and work ethic so this doesn't happen again.

Cindy knows that the rules at work are important, but that they also don't cover every situation that comes up. So, Cindy sought out a mentor at work to help her develop good moral judgement that she can apply in a variety of situations where rules may not create the most ethical outcome.

Which normative ethical theory describes Cindy's approach?

Bobby recently opened a cafe in his local downtown commercial district. He's been successful in the first few months and is thankful to his patrons who have helped spread the word. One day he announces a plan where he allows his customers to round up to the nearest dollar and he donates the money to the city to help deal with problem of homelessness in the surrounding area.

This action indicates that Bobby understands what about the business-society relationship?

Peter is new to human resources and has been placed in charge of training programs. He is searching for content to help explain to the staff the different criteria that inform the way people should act in the workplace. He wants something that is robust but also grounded in practical reason.

What would help Peter communicate these different criteria?

Jan works for a major transnational corporation and is overseeing a new structural expansion of the campus where she works. The business has purchased three new lots adjacent to their campus. These lots will connect the business to a residential area, as well as a small outlet of boutique shops. The shop owners, as well as the residents of the neighborhood, are important to Jan because they represent [BLANK] to the business's plans for expansion.

Greg has made a career out of helping businesses understand and develop standards for conduct by which they and their agents respect the rights of their stakeholders, such as customers, clients, employees, etc.

What best describes Greg's career field?

Carol recognizes the importance of a healthy, and stakeholder-oriented, set of shared beliefs and values in her business. She knows this strong [BLANK] is the organizational context in which her employees and managers interact.

Sam runs a landscaping business and has many corporate clients. He's been widely successful in the field because he keeps up strong relationships with the businesses he services. He often visits the sites of his clients to check-in on the landscaping. Even though he doesn't see an immediate return for this behavior, it has earned the trust of his clients.

What concept best describes Sam's thinking on these visits?