LES 305 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(GRADED A+)
primum non nocere - ANSWER"above all do no harm"
ethical egoism - ANSWERwe all act in our own self-interest and limit our judgements
to our own conduct, not the conduct of others.
Blanchard and Peale - ANSWERIs it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me
feel?
virtue ethicists (Plato & Aristotle) - ANSWERdevelop virtues and determine conduct
by those virtues
utilitarian theory - ANSWERgreatest good for the greatest number of people
categorical imperative (Kant) - ANSWERone ought only to act such that the principle
of one's act could become a universal law of human action in a world in which one
would hope to live
rights theory - ANSWEReveryone has a set of rights and it is the role of the
government to enforce those rights
contractarians and justice - ANSWERputting ethical standards in place by a social
contract; using rational thinking people to develop a set of rules for everyone
Front Page of the Newspaper Test - ANSWER"Contemplating any business act, an
employee should ask himself whether he would be willing to see it immediately
described by an informed and critical reporter on the front page of his local paper,
there to be read by his spouse, children, and friends."
Laura Nash - ANSWER(1) Have you defined the problem accurately?
(2) How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
(3) How did this occur in the first place?
(4) To whom and what do you give your loyalties as a person and as a member of
the corporation?
(5) What is your intention in making this decision?
(6) How does this intention compare with the likely results?
(7) Whom could your decision or action injure?
(8) Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you
make your decision?
(9) Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it
seems now?
(10) Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, your
CEO, the board of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
(11) What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? If misunderstood?
(12) Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?
, Steps to follow for analyzing an ethical dilemma - ANSWER1. make sure you have
grasp of all available facts
2. list any info you would like to have but don't and what assumptions you would
have to make to resolve the dilemma
3. take each person involved and list the concerns they have
4. develop a list of resolutions for problem
5. evaluate resolution for costs, legalities, and impact
Ethics - ANSWERthe unwritten rules we have developed for our interaction with
each other
divine command theory - ANSWERethical standards based upon religious beliefs
Wall Street Journal - ANSWER(1) Am I in compliance with the law?
(2) What contribution does this choice of action make to the company, the
shareholders, the community, and others?
(3) What are the short- and long-term consequences of this decision?
list of rationalizations - ANSWER(1) Everybody else does it
(2) If we don't do it, someone else will
(3) That's the way it has always been done
(4) We'll wait until the lawyers tell us it's wrong
(5) It doesn't really hurt anyone
(6) The system is unfair
(7) I was just following orders
stakeholders - ANSWERgroups of people who are impacted by a company's
business decisions including customers, suppliers and the government
Enlightened Self-interest
School of Social Responsibility - ANSWERadvises managers to be responsible to
shareholders by being responsive to the LARGER SOCIETY
the categories of ethical dilemmas - ANSWERa. Taking things that don't belong to
you
b. Saying things you know are not true.
c. Giving or allowing false impressions
d. Buying influence or engaging in conflicts of interest
e. Hiding or divulging information
f. Taking unfair advantage g. Committing acts of personal decadence
h. Perpetrating interpersonal abuse
i. Permitting organizational abuse
ANSWERS(GRADED A+)
primum non nocere - ANSWER"above all do no harm"
ethical egoism - ANSWERwe all act in our own self-interest and limit our judgements
to our own conduct, not the conduct of others.
Blanchard and Peale - ANSWERIs it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me
feel?
virtue ethicists (Plato & Aristotle) - ANSWERdevelop virtues and determine conduct
by those virtues
utilitarian theory - ANSWERgreatest good for the greatest number of people
categorical imperative (Kant) - ANSWERone ought only to act such that the principle
of one's act could become a universal law of human action in a world in which one
would hope to live
rights theory - ANSWEReveryone has a set of rights and it is the role of the
government to enforce those rights
contractarians and justice - ANSWERputting ethical standards in place by a social
contract; using rational thinking people to develop a set of rules for everyone
Front Page of the Newspaper Test - ANSWER"Contemplating any business act, an
employee should ask himself whether he would be willing to see it immediately
described by an informed and critical reporter on the front page of his local paper,
there to be read by his spouse, children, and friends."
Laura Nash - ANSWER(1) Have you defined the problem accurately?
(2) How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
(3) How did this occur in the first place?
(4) To whom and what do you give your loyalties as a person and as a member of
the corporation?
(5) What is your intention in making this decision?
(6) How does this intention compare with the likely results?
(7) Whom could your decision or action injure?
(8) Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you
make your decision?
(9) Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it
seems now?
(10) Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, your
CEO, the board of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
(11) What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? If misunderstood?
(12) Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?
, Steps to follow for analyzing an ethical dilemma - ANSWER1. make sure you have
grasp of all available facts
2. list any info you would like to have but don't and what assumptions you would
have to make to resolve the dilemma
3. take each person involved and list the concerns they have
4. develop a list of resolutions for problem
5. evaluate resolution for costs, legalities, and impact
Ethics - ANSWERthe unwritten rules we have developed for our interaction with
each other
divine command theory - ANSWERethical standards based upon religious beliefs
Wall Street Journal - ANSWER(1) Am I in compliance with the law?
(2) What contribution does this choice of action make to the company, the
shareholders, the community, and others?
(3) What are the short- and long-term consequences of this decision?
list of rationalizations - ANSWER(1) Everybody else does it
(2) If we don't do it, someone else will
(3) That's the way it has always been done
(4) We'll wait until the lawyers tell us it's wrong
(5) It doesn't really hurt anyone
(6) The system is unfair
(7) I was just following orders
stakeholders - ANSWERgroups of people who are impacted by a company's
business decisions including customers, suppliers and the government
Enlightened Self-interest
School of Social Responsibility - ANSWERadvises managers to be responsible to
shareholders by being responsive to the LARGER SOCIETY
the categories of ethical dilemmas - ANSWERa. Taking things that don't belong to
you
b. Saying things you know are not true.
c. Giving or allowing false impressions
d. Buying influence or engaging in conflicts of interest
e. Hiding or divulging information
f. Taking unfair advantage g. Committing acts of personal decadence
h. Perpetrating interpersonal abuse
i. Permitting organizational abuse
