Q&A Hero

Q: The Theory of Justice is the same as the Categorical Imperative.

Q: Kant believes so long as you do the right thing, it does not matter what your reasons were.

Q: The Golden Rule is a form of the Categorical Imperative.

Q: John Stuart Mill wrote The Moral Sentiments of Markets.

Q: Utilitarianism is described as the "greatest happiness principle".

Q: Jeremy Bentham is a proponent of utilitarianism.

Q: Temporary chaos can result as markets make adjustments under Adam Smith's theories.

Q: Adam Smith is part of the Divine Command School.

Q: Ayn Rand wrote The Moral Sentiments of Markets.

Q: Acting in one's own self-interest is a description of ethical egoism.

Q: Ayn Rand was the philosophical thinker who developed the Divine Command Theory.

Q: The United States Declaration of Independence is grounded in natural law.

Q: The Divine Command Theory includes the principles of natural law.

Q: Normative standards are the same as legal standards.

Q: Plato believed one cannot make ethical decisions without first developing virtue.

Q: It is more ethical to remain silent about misdeeds.

Q: The failure to disclose a current employee's conduct that resulted in dismissal and harm to a prospective employer is a breach of ethics.

Q: Taking your current employer's customer list to a prospective employer is a breach of trust.

Q: Taking your current employer's supply chain management system to a prospective employer is not a breach of trust.

Q: Ethical lapses involve gradual decision processes.

Q: Most ethical lapses are sudden and not foreseen.

Q: In the "Parable of the Sadhu," Bowen McCoy realizes that the times when he didn"t reach the summit were more memorable than when he did.

Q: In the "Parable of the Sadhu," the hikers don"t know why the Sadhu is on the mountain.

Q: In the "Parable of the Sadhu," Bowen McCoy makes the point that many may act, but none assume accountability.

Q: In the story of the "Parable of the Sadhu," the author never helped the Sadhu.

Q: In the story of the "Parable of the Sadhu," the author never learns whether the Sadhu lived or died.

Q: Using co-workers to give your supervisor the impression that you are in the office is not an ethical issue.

Q: Submitting a new pair of shoes as a travel expense is an example of a dishonest act.

Q: Laura Nash does not see any purpose in examining how an ethical dilemma occurs.

Q: Warren Buffett is credited with the development of the "Front Page of the Newspaper" tests as a means for resolving ethical dilemmas.

Q: One of the questions in the Laura Nash model is to examine your intentions in choosing a particular course of conduct.

Q: One of the questions in the Laura Nash model is whether the proposed conduct is legal.

Q: Peter Drucker believes that the ethical obligation of business is to bluff within reason.

Q: Claiming a computer is stolen in order to obtain insurance when the computer is simply outmoded is acceptable when the insurer doesn"t question claims that amount to less than $2,000.

Q: Putting down a degree on a resume that is not yet earned is acceptable if the degree is pending.

Q: A purchasing agent who is an owner of 25% of the shares in a supplier does not have a conflict of interest.

Q: A purchasing agent whose daughter works for a supplier has a conflict of interest.

Q: The safest and simplest conflict of interest policy for purchasing agents is to accept nothing from suppliers.

Q: A purchasing agent for a company could accept a Rolex from a supplier so long as there is no bid pending.

Q: A journalist who fails to disclose his or her financial interest in the subject of a story he or she is covering has a conflict of interest.

Q: A false impression, unlike lying, is not an ethical violation.

Q: Employee hotlines exist to help employees who feel they cannot communicate concerns through the lines of authority.

Q: Violation of company rules is not considered an ethical violation.

Q: You need not disclose in your employment application those positions you held which will not result in good feedback about you if your supervisors there are contacted.

Q: If you are fired from your job, you can use any information you gained while employed to help your next employer.

Q: It is an ethical violation to disclose personnel information about your co-workers even to your family.

Q: You should disclose to your employer if a relative of yours has submitted a bid for work with your company.

Q: Using things of minimal value that belong to your employer for personal reasons (such as paper, paper clips, pens) is not an ethical violation.

Q: It is not your responsibility to report a co-worker who leaves the office early each day without taking time off.

Q: Following positive law is not the full extent of ethics.

Q: Conduct may comply with the law but still be unethical.

Q: Your college of business is sponsoring a case competition. All teams must watch the other teams compete. The order of presentation is by luck of a draw. The team that is the last to present left during one of the presentations, went to the computer room and redid its PowerPoint slides and restructured its presentation based on what other teams had presented. This team has done nothing wrong.

Q: With respect to #73, it would be unethical for you to hire your friend to get him to bring the information to your company.

Q: You work for a construction firm that is submitting a bid for the construction of a new company headquarters building for Smithco. A friend you have known since high school works in Smithco's capital budgeting area and has full knowledge of all the bids from all firms. It would be unethical for your friend to share that information with you before you submitted your bid.

Q: It would not be unethical to continue interviewing for positions after you have already accepted employment with a particular firm.

Q: It would not be unethical for you to accept two employment offers in case one fell through.

Q: A newspaper reporter is interviewing you about your experiences in working for a member of Congress. You have indicated you have information about his private life but will not share it. The reporter responds, "Tell me, just between you and me." You share the information and a quote from you on the private life of the member of Congress appears in the newspaper the next day. The reporter was unethical in violating a trust.

Q: Your supervisor has had a calendar with pictures of naked women on the inside panel of his desk for several months. A secretary spotted the calendar and commented to your supervisor that it was not appropriate for an office. Your supervisor took down the calendar and has asked you to back him up if any complaints are filed. He has asked you to say that you never saw the calendar. It would not be unethical for you to do as your supervisor requests because he has removed the calendar.

Q: Alice is a secretary in your department. Alice is also a member of the American Guild of Organists. Alice has been placed in charge of the Guild's national convention. Each time you pass by Alice's desk or go to her to have some work done, you notice she is on the phone discussing or working on the convention. Alice's work on the convention during work hours is an ethical violation.

Q: With respect to #66, it is not necessary for the company to take any action to correct the problem or refund money for those who already own the new calculator.

Q: Although you are not part of your company's engineering group, you have discovered a major flaw in the company's new paper-thin solar calculator. The calculator adds when the subtract button is pressed if there are more than 3 figures to the right of the decimal point. Since it is not your area, you should do and say nothing.

Q: The mayor owns property next to one of the proposed sites for the city's new baseball stadium. The mayor has a conflict of interest and should not vote on the location of the stadium when the city council takes action on the site.

Q: Alice is a co-worker who is going through a divorce and has two small children. Alice's husband is not paying the child support the temporary court order requires. As a result, Alice is broke until she can get her court hearing. Alice has been able, through diverting checks returned to the company, to take about $2200 from the company to "temporarily help her cover her bills," as she has explained to you. You must report Alice's embezzlement.

Q: Your supervisor has told you that he wants to "get rid of Jane." Jane is a Hispanic female co-worker who is very bright and capable and hardworking. Your supervisor has asked you to document everything Jane does and says that will help build a case for termination. You should do as your supervisor tells you.

Q: You work for a school district as a facilities coordinator. You drive to the various schools in the district and supervise construction and remodeling and assess various building needs. When you are traveling around to the various schools, you use a district vehicle that is clearly marked as such. One day you stop at the country club and have lunch before heading to the next school since the country club is on the way. You also stop at the bank drive-thru teller to do some personal banking business. Both the lunch and the bank stop are ethical breaches.

Q: Your company has several outdated computers sitting in a storage closet that no one is using. You have taken one home and set it up for personal use. This is unethical conduct.

Q: You are a building inspector for the county. A friend of yours is a plumbing contractor. Under county regulations, all steps in plumbing construction from the initial dig to the final installation of sink and bathroom fixtures requires an inspection sign-off. Your plumbing contractor friend has just called and wants to take you to dinner for your birthday at a five-star restaurant. Because you are friends anyway, the dinner presents no ethical problems.

Q: Accepting gifts from suppliers and vendors is not a problem so long as no bid decisions are pending.

Q: A supplier has just been awarded a large contract by your company. As an employee in purchasing, you were largely responsible for awarding that supplier the contract. The supplier's sales representative has just called and would like to take you to lunch to thank you for the support. Going to lunch with the sale representative does not present any ethical problems.

Q: Attending a class on company time would be unethical.

Q: With respect to #55, using your work computer and paper to complete the case analyses would be unethical.

Q: You are taking a graduate level course in management that will help you in performing your duties at work. Each week you must submit case analyses to your professor. Using work time to complete the analyses would be unethical.

Q: Your company's policy on company vehicles is that no family members may use them or ride in them. It would be unethical to use a company car to drive you and your spouse to a movie.

Q: If my supervisor asked me to cover for him by lying about his whereabouts, I should agree to do it but remind him that I can't make it a habit.

Q: If I discovered that I unintentionally violated a federal environmental regulation, I should just wait and see if anything happens before taking any action.

Q: If I discover that a fellow employee is reporting falsely his overtime hours, it is best for me to say nothing and ignore the situation.

Q: If I worked in purchasing in my company, it would be unethical for me to accept season tickets for my city's NBA team from the company that has supplied catering for the company's training sessions.

Q: Long-term relationships create ethical and legal obligations between the parties through conduct and accommodations.

Q: The failure to disclose relevant information about a product or service is unethical.

Q: Taking advantage of a party in a contract situation due to the party's inexperience, and not due to any lack of disclosure on your part, is ethical.