business ethics and social responsibility

The Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packages about the health implications of smoking is an example of which of the following ethical issues? A) communications B) relationships within a business C) conflict of interest D) fairness and honesty E) none of the above

A) communications

If a very successful fast food restaurant has been ignoring customers' concerns about the small war toys and toy guns included in their Kids Meals, then managers should begin focusing on improving the firm's A) ethics. B) defense. C) profitability. D) productivity. E) game plan.

A) ethics

Today, most companies view social responsibility as A) an unnecessary burden. B) a cost of doing business. C) a waste of time. D) too costly to implement. E) a waste of human resources.

B) a cost of doing business

Business ethics relates to A) society's decisions. B) an individual's or work group's decisions. C) an organization's decisions. D) government decisions. E) legal decisions.

B) an individual's or work group's decisions

If the owner of a shoe store seeking a price reduction gives the manager of an athletic shoe manufacturing company a new personal computer, the shoe store owner is using which approach to influence the manufacturer's decision making? A) tipping B) bribery C) high technology D) computer impacting E) discounting

B) bribery

Which of the following is an argument against social responsibility? A) Businesses created many of the problems, so they should participate in finding solutions. B) Businesses may lose their focus on profit-making. C) As members of society, businesses should do their fair share. D) The survival of a healthy economy depends on businesses being socially responsible.

B) businesses may lose their focus on profitmaking

Which of the following statements about business ethics is true? A) It concerns the impact of a business's activities on society. B) It refers to principles and standards that determine acceptable behavior in the world of business. C) It relates to an individual's values and moral standards and the resulting business decisions he or she makes. D) What is ethical is determined by the public, government regulators, interest groups, competitors, and individual's personal moral values. E) All of the above.

B) it refers to principles and standards that determine acceptable behavior in the world of business

The most important step in understanding business ethics is A) establishing codes of ethics. B) learning to recognize ethical issues. C) having efficient operations. D) implementing a strategic plan. E) hiring ethical employees.

B) learning to recognize ethical issues

A _____ exists when a person must choose whether to advance his or her own personal interests or those of others. A) communication problem B) fairness and honesty issue C) conflict of interest D) business relationship problem E) conflict of values

C) conflict of interest

A supplier of pesticides has offered the manager of a farm supply store a free two-week cruise if his firm gets a very large order from the store. The most ethical course of action for the store manager to take would be to A) call the police. B) accept the offer. C) politely turn it down and discuss it with his supervisor. D) accept it if the pesticide in question meets quality standards. E) ask around and see how other store managers handled such offers previously.

C) politely turn it down and discuss it with his supervisor

A set of formalized rules and standards that describe what a company expects of its employees is called a(n) A) strategic plan. B) moral philosophy. C) guideline. D) code of ethics. E) corporate citizenship plan.

D) code of ethics

Actions society deems unethical are A) always illegal. B) socially responsible. C) illegal but socially responsible. D) not necessarily illegal. E) covered by business law.

D) not necessarily illegal

Consumers vote against firms they view as socially irresponsible by A) boycotting the company's products. B) expressing dissatisfaction by protesting. C) writing their representatives in Congress. D) filing complaints with the company. E) all of the above.

E) all of the above

The social responsibility of a business is important to A) owners and investors. B) employees. C) governments. D) competitors. E) all of the above.

E) all of the above

Which of the following issues did your textbook identify as a category of ethical issues to study? A) conflicts of interest B) fairness and honesty C) business relationships D) communications E) all of the above

E) all of the above

Which of the following management activities can help to reduce unethical behavior in business? A) establish clear policies on unethical behavior B) limit opportunities for unethical behavior C) establish formal rules and procedures D) punish unethical behavior firmly E) all of the above

E) all of the above

Which of the following is an argument for social responsibility? A) It sidetracks managers from their primary objective. B) Being socially responsible gives businesses more power. C) Businesses may not have the necessary expertise. D) The government should bear the responsibility. E) Businesses have the financial resources to help society.

E) businesses have the financial resources to help society

It is the responsibility of _____ to create a work environment that helps the company achieve its objectives and fulfill its responsibilities. A) employees B) individuals C) the government D) owners E) managers

E) managers

Social responsibility is the obligation a business has to do which of the following? A) minimize its positive impact on society and maximize its negative impact B) make the highest possible return for investors C) develop total quality management D) be as competitive as possible E) none of the above

E) none of the above

T/F: A legal issue is an identifiable problem, situation, or opportunity that requires a person or organization to choose from among several actions that may be evaluated as ethical or

false

T/F: All actions deemed unethical by society are illegal.

false

T/F: An argument against social responsibility is that it provides equal opportunities for all employees.

false

T/F: Ethical conduct does not impact business relationships.

false

T/F: Ethics is related to the competitive environment in which a business operates.

false

T/F: Laws are formalized rules and standards that describe what the company expects of its employees.

false

T/F: Managers and owners must make profits their first concern.

false

T/F: One argument for social responsibility is that social problems should be the responsibility of accountable government agencies and officials.

false

T/F: Open discussion of ethical issues eliminates ethical problems.

false

T/F: Social responsibility refers to principles and standards that define acceptable conduct in the world of business.

false

T/F: The behavior of businesspersons toward customers, suppliers, and others in the workplace does not generate ethical concerns.

false

T/F: Without a code of ethics or formal policy on ethics, employees are likely to base their decisions on their personal moral philosophies.

false

T/F: A business whose sole objective is to maximize profit is probably not overly concerned with its social responsibility.

true

T/F: Codes of ethics foster ethical behavior because they reduce the opportunity to behave unethically.

true

T/F: Consumers vote against companies they deem socially irresponsible by not buying their products.

true

T/F: Enforcement of ethics policies is a common way of dealing with ethical problems.

true

T/F: Ethics and social responsibility are not the same thing.

true

T/F: Managers consider social responsibility on a daily basis.

true

T/F: One argument against social responsibility is that participation in social programs gives businesses more power.

true

T/F: One aspect of fairness relates to competition.

true

T/F: The best way to judge the ethics of a decision is to look at it from a customer's or competitor's point of view.

true