Business Ethics Final

Question 1

Just Cause

Answer 1

Firing can only be done for reasons judged to be legitimate (theft, absenteeism, intoxication, substandard performance, downturn in business)

Question 2

Just cause problems

Answer 2

Economic inefficiency, managerial inefficiency, unnecessary

Question 3

National Labor Relations Act

Answer 3

(NLRA) prohibits employers form creating unions

Question 4

Employment at Will (EAW)

Answer 4

EAW denies due process, rationality and fairness

Question 5

EEOC (equal employment opportunity commission)

Answer 5

EEOC says employers can impose appearance policies and dress codes on all employees, as long as its not religious or ethnic discrimination

Question 6

Pay equity for women

Answer 6

Equal pay act of 1963 prohibits pay discrimination based on gender

Question 7

Sexual harassment

Answer 7

behavior is what constitutes harassment. When one is seeking sexual ends without concern for person, typically produces unwanted/unpleasant response

Question 8

Interface carpet

Answer 8

From product sales to whole-product-life servicing. Is attempting to revolutionize the industry by taking responsibility for production-to-end-of-use loop in its entirety

Question 9

Interface carpet steps

Answer 9

1. eliminate waste 2. benign emissions 3. renewable energy 4. closing the loop 5. resource efficient transportation 6. sensitivity hookup (help people become aware) 7. redesign commerce to transform the industry

Question 10

Sustainability

Answer 10

not using more resources than we can replace. critics say our resourcefullness will allow us to pursue other means if we run out

Question 11

intrinsic

Answer 11

having value in itself, we value it for its own sake

Question 12

negative externalities

Answer 12

cost imposed on a third party without their knowledge or consent

Question 13

Arguments against free market view

Answer 13

1.externality of pollution often not accounted for 2. lack of markets for such goods as endangered species and scenic vistas 3. lack of tradable property rights for clean water, oceans, atmosphere 4. inability of future generations to represent their own interest in todays markets

Question 14

Cost benefit analysis critique

Answer 14

1.certain decisions might be right even though its benefits do not outweigh cost 2. there are good reasons to oppose efforts to put dollar values on non-marketed benefits and costs 3. since there are many situations where you would not use CB, and many things should not be commodified, its best not to use it

Question 15

Triple bottom line accounting

Answer 15

taking into account 3 lines: social, economical, envrionmental

Question 16

absolute valuation

Answer 16

value is not dependent on any benefit, economic or otherwise. Its value is based on something unchanging- the honor of those who died for our country, intrinsic value of not eliminating a species

Question 17

Existence values

Answer 17

the value of something’s existing (Mona Lisa)

Question 18

Willingness to pay (WTP)

Answer 18

the value of the environment depends on what people now and in the future are willing to pay for it

Question 19

Contingent valuation

Answer 19

method economists use to determine how much individuals are willing to pay for policies consistent with their disinterested moral beliefs

Question 20

persuasive advertising

Answer 20

violates the autonomy of consumers and is wrong

Question 21

Associative advertising

Answer 21

to get a consumer to buy a product advertisers identify a deep-seated non-market good in their product even though that may have little direct relationship to product. harms advertisers character and bad for consumers because they buy more and enjoy it less

Question 22

Autonomy of action

Answer 22

i chose to do what i did (i was not forced)

Question 23

autonomy of desire

Answer 23

i chose to desire what i desire (does advertising affect desires?)

Question 24

Dependence effect (galbraith)

Answer 24

grows out of the process of production. the demand for a product wouldn’t exist if it werent contrived. production only fills a void itself created. advertising causes frustration, advertising creates desires, consumer’s autonomy is undermined

Question 25

dependence effect (hayek)

Answer 25

if desires are not important because they’re not innate, doesn’t mean there not important. not a desire for literature until literature was created

Question 26

colonial style practices

Answer 26

companies convert land form food crops to cash-crops

Question 27

conflicts of development

Answer 27

arise because countries being compared are at different levels of economic development

Question 28

conflicts of cultural tradition

Answer 28

happen at any level of economic development, reflect deeply held religious and cultural tradition

Question 29

convergence points

Answer 29

1. respect for human dignity, 2. respect for basic rights, 3. good citizenship

Question 30

Guiding principles to distinguish between right and wrong

Answer 30

respect for core human values which give moral threshold for all business activity; respect for local traditions; belief context matters in deciding what is wrong and wrong