Questions and Answers of Business Ethics

You are a young, recently graduated attorney working part-time as part of the re-election campaign team for your midsized city’s mayor. Several citizens have taken to writing strongly worded
Do you think that the installation of stalker software on suspects’ cell phones should be authorized for law enforcement agencies? If so, under what circumstances should such use be permitted? If
Do you think that law enforcement agencies should be able to use advanced surveillance cameras and data from vehicle data recorders in a court of law? Why or why not?
Why do employers monitor workers? Do you think they should be able to do so? Why or why not?
Do you feel that information systems to fight terrorism should be developed and used even if they infringe on privacy rights or violate the Privacy Act and other such statutes?
You work as part of the online marketing group for a midsized manufacturing company that has sales of more than $250 million per year and almost $50 million from online sales. You have been
Summarize the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Does it apply to the actions of a publicly held company toward its employees?
Your company is rolling out a training program to ensure that everyone is familiar with the company’s IT usage policy. As a member of the Human Resources Department, you have been asked to develop
What is a pen register? What is required in order for a law enforcement agency to gain approve for a pen register?
Do research to find out the current status of “Do Not Track,” and write a two- to three paragraph paper summarizing your findings.
You have been asked to review how well your company is prepared for a major data breach of your firm’s customer database containing some 15 million records with names, addresses, passwords, credit
Briefly summarize the key facts in Katz v. United States. Do you agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case? Why did this case set such an important precedent?
Your friend is considering using an online service to identify people with compatible personalities and attractive physical features who would be interesting to date. Your friend must first submit
The use of National Security Letters by the FBI is highly controversial and has been challenged in court several times. These lawsuits are in various stages of hearings and appeals. Why do you think
You are a member of a privacy advocacy group. You have been assigned to speak to the board of directors at a major Web advertising firm to help persuade them to support the “Do Not Track”
Are surveillance cameras worth the cost in terms of resources and loss of privacy, given the role that they play in deterring or solving crimes?
1. Cite another example of information technology companies pushing the boundaries of privacy issues; apologizing, and then pushing again once the scandal dies down. As long as the controversy fades,
1. Do you think that Facebook or careless, uninformed users should be held responsible for privacy issues related to using Facebook? Explain.2. What additional measures should Facebook take to
Prepare a set of arguments that would support the contention that the USA PATRIOT Act was overreaching in both its scope and its approach. Then prepare a set of arguments that support the USA PATRIOT
1. As a result of the risk and uncertainty raised by the doctrine of extraterritorial jurisdiction,some industry experts believe that the use of multinational cloud computing service companies poses
Do you think The Journal News was justified in publishing the names and addresses of registered gun owners? An FOIA exemption prevents disclosure of records if it would invade someone’s personal
How would you distinguish between a hacktivist and a cyberterrorist? Should the use of hacktivists by a country against enemy organizations be considered an act of war? Why or why not? How about the
What is the difference between industrial spying and the gathering of competitive intelligence? Is the use of competitive intelligence ethical or unethical? Why?
You are a member of the application development organization for a small but rapidly growing software company that produces patient billing applications for doctors’ offices. During work on the
Draft a legitimate-looking phishing email that would strongly tempt its recipients to click on a link to a Web site or open an email attachment.
How should a nonprofit charity handle the loss of personal data about its donors? Should law enforcement be involved? Should donors be informed?
Your computer science instructor has assigned a semester-long project to develop a zero-day exploit for the Windows 8 operating system. Do you think this is an appropriate class project? Why or why
You have been assigned to be a computer security trainer for your firm’s 2,000 employees and contract workers. What are the key topics you would cover in your initial one-hour basic training
1. What role did computer forensics play in the high-profile cases of the New York subway bomber and the San Francisco Bay oil spill?2. Why might computer forensics be more effective at preventing
You are a member of the Human Resources Department of a three-year-old software manufacturer that has several products and annual revenue in excess of $500 million. You’ve just received a request
Provide a real example or describe a hypothetical situation where a legitimate organization used spam in an effective and non-intrusive manner to promote a product or service.
Would you rather be known as a person of modest means with an impeccable ethical character or as an unscrupulous person of wealth? Why?
1. In the end, Success Factors investors were not hurt by this alleged improper accounting because SAP paid such a high premium to acquire the firm, which helped SAP jump-start its cloud computing
How do you distinguish between misrepresentation and embellishment of one’s professional accomplishments on a résumé? Provide an example of an embellishment that would not be considered
You work part-time evenings and weekends as a real estate salesperson. You also work full-time for an IT consulting group. When ordering business cards for your real estate business, you decided to
1. Experienced observers point out that the development of a state social services system is always exceedingly difficult. Multi agency interaction and interdependence often leads to delays and
Do laws provide a complete guide to ethical behavior? Can an activity be legal but not ethical?
Your old roommate from college was recently let go from his firm during a wave of employee terminations to reduce costs. You two have kept in touch over the six years since school, and he has asked
1. How can organizations and vendors change their certification programs to test for skills as well as core knowledge? What issues might this introduce?2. What are the primary arguments against
In filling an open position in a U.S.-based IT organization, do you think that preference should be shown for qualified candidates from the United States over qualified candidates from foreign
The daughter of the firm’s CEO is scheduled to participate in a job interview for an entry-level position in the IT organization next week. You are a second-year employee in your firm’s IT
Should all IT workers be either licensed or certified? Why or why not?
You are a new human resources manager assigned to your firm’s IT organization. One of your responsibilities is to screen résumés for job openings in the organization. You are in the process of
Go to two or more of the Web sites identified in Table 2-3, and read the code of ethics found there. What commonalities do you find among the IT professional codes of ethics that you read? What
You are caught in the middle of a dilemma. You have been subpoenaed to be a witness in a work-related sexual harassment case involving your boss and a coworker. On many occasions, you heard your boss
Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, under what conditions is a bribe not unlawful? Explain, and provide an example.
Develop a strong argument against the adoption of a bring your own device (BYOD) policy for a large financial services organization. Now develop a strong argument in favor of the adoption of such a
1. Outline a quantitative approach for justifying the use of a DDoS mitigation service to protect an e-commerce company such as Spa Finder. Can you identify any non financial reasons to subscribe to
You are the CFO of a sporting goods manufacturer and distributor. Your firm has annual sales exceeding $500 million, with roughly 25 percent of your sales coming from online purchases. Today, your
1. If you had an opportunity to join Anonymous, would you? Why, or why not?2. Would you say that Anonymous’ actions in support of WikiLeaks were legal? Were these actions ethical? What about their
1. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Belle Meade strategy and implementation of its nonprofit winery.2. Given the success of the current Belle Meade Winery, how can Belle Meade effectively
1. Are information-gathering techniques like Rajaratnam’s common on Wall Street? If so, what could regulators, investors, and executives do to reduce the practice?2. What are the implications of
1. Does Zappos effectively focus on stakeholder happiness, and how does this approach affect the ethical culture?2. Has Zappos developed long-term relationships with customers and employees that
1. Has Google implemented a strategy that serves all stakeholders?2. How can Google respect privacy and still maintain its profitability?3. How will increasing global regulation of privacy affect
1. What environmental issues does the New Belgium Brewing Company work to address? How has NBB taken a strategic approach to addressing these issues? Why do you think the company has taken such a
1. How does PepsiCo balance those stakeholders such as consumers and shareholders interested in good tasting products and financial performance with special interest groups and regulators that are
1. Assess how Walmart is managing ethics and social responsibility as one of the largest corporations in the world. 2. Evaluate various ethical issues Walmart has faced and how the company
1. How does managing ethical risk in the oil and gas industry relate to reducing accidents?2. How can ethical leadership help the oil and gas industry to manage risk?Despite the many controversies
1. How does the NCAA encourage collegiate football programs to develop a culture of ethics and compliance?2. Is it a valid criticism that the NCAA is based more on compliance than ethical values?3.
1. How has Lululemon handled various ethical issues that it has faced over the last few years?2. How has the ethical culture of Lululemon impacted its relationship with customers and employees?3. To
1. How do Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes differ? How are they similar?2. Why are successful white-collar criminals such as Madoff able to carry out their schemes for so long when similar types of
1. How has a commitment to corporate values contributed to Whole Foods’s success?2. Describe how Whole Foods’s adoption of a stakeholder orientation has influenced the way it operates.3.
1. Explain how Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted how it handles ethical decisions.2. Why is Apple’s industry so competitive and how could this affect the ethical risks
1. How has David Pinder embraced ethical leadership to create an ethical culture at Cardinal IG?2. How has Cardinal’s principles and values shaped the ethical behavior of employees?3. How has
1. What are the differences between the provisions of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the United Kingdom Bribery Act?2. Check for more recent situations where companies have been
1. Why has Herbalife’s multilevel compensation model been accused of being a pyramid scheme?2. Describe the differences between a legitimate business model and a pyramid scheme.3. How has Herbalife
1. How has CVS handled its ethical challenges?2. Evaluate CVS’s decision to no longer sell tobacco products.3. What is the future of CVS in positioning itself as a health care company based on its
What are the motivations of student organizations when they get involved in the anti- sweatshop movement? Why is their activism on some campuses but not on others?Do you think Nike owes
Does socially responsible, sustainable, or ethical investing seem to you to be a legitimate way in which the averge citizen might demonstrate her or his concern for CSR? Discuss.
Drawing on the notions of moral, amoral, and immoral management introduced in Chapter 7, categorize your impressions of (a) Nestle, the infant formula controversy; (b) Union Carbide, in the
Who are the stakeholders in this case, and what are their stakes? How would you deal with the stakeholders whose interests conflict, such as people born after 2000 who want to smoke and people who
What are the social and ethical issues in this case? Who are the affected stakeholders and what are their stakes?Target’s practice of predicting a woman’s pregnancy and then exploiting it
Is Felony Franks just a clever gimmick that will be a passing fad, or a worthy social entrepreneurship venture with lasting potential?In dealing with ex-cons, is Andrews just deluding himself about
Who are cloud computing’s stakeholders, and what are their stakes?This case paints two very different pictures of cloud computing’s environmental impact. Which one do you think is closer to the
What is your reaction to the PhRMA problem? What would you do if you were the CEO of a pharmaceutical company? Would you still belong to PhRMA? Would your membership have any conditions attached?What
What should I do in this situation?Should I confront my roommate? What should I say?Should I go to management and tell them what happened? If I do nothing, I will be paid for an hour that I did not
Identify and explain the major factors in the social environment that create an atmosphere in which business criticism takes place and prospers. Provide examples. How are the factors related to one
Identify and discuss briefly what you think are the major trade-offs that firms face as they think about offshoring and reshoring. When substantial layoffs are involved, what are firms’
Conduct research for purposes of updating, the latest rankings of Transparency International and the activities of the OECD, UNCAC, and individual country initiatives. How could countries such as
As an MNC seeks to balance and honor the ethical standards of both the home and host countries, conflicts inevitably will arise. What criteria do you think managers should consider as they try to
What are the major issues in the Liebeck case and in the following incidents? Was the lawsuit “frivolous” as some people thought, or serious business?What are the implications of these cases
What are the ethical issues in this case? Does eating the candy make me responsible for the problem? Should I step forward and tell the manager what happened?Should I just keep quiet and
Based on your study of the building collapse in Bangladesh, which party or parties do you think are responsible and why? What role does the government of Bangladesh assume in this building
Do you think the employee should have been allowed to install the software on her personal computer?If you were the supervisor, would you have handled this situation differently? What other
Do a cost/benefit analysis, and then determine whether to raise prices or lower costs (a standard business response). However, he felt that might conflict with the foundation’s mission.Sell the
Do you agree with the EEOC or the WSJ? Are blanket exclusions of people with criminal backgrounds discriminatory or should business be given the discretion to make the employment decision when a
With whom do you agree in this dispute? Should Russ have honored Clyde’s request to leave, or should Clyde have allowed Russ and Ellie into his store?Who are the stakeholders and what are the
Where do you draw the line on A&F’s hiring practices? Are there acceptable ways in which they could pursue “the look” in employment? If so, how do you determine what is acceptable and what
Who bears the most responsibility for the problems that have resulted from fast fashion?What solutions do you propose to mitigate fast fashion’s negative effects?How effective do you think the
Toward the end of the case, it appears that GE is still not committed to the Hudson River cleanup. Does its draft report sound like it may be contending that the dredging is hurting more than helping?
What are the most important issues throughout Dole’s DBCP history? Did Dole appropriately balance economic and ethical considerations in its decision-making? Who are the principal stakeholders
Does the lawsuit by the former Northrop Grumman employees have merit? What does this lawsuit tell you about the long-term implications of questionable dealings while doing business abroad?In the
What would you advise management to do about this situation?Do April’s extremely difficult working conditions factor into your decision?How should management respond to the coworkers?Is it possible
Often an issue has two or more groups whose interests are opposed, and still a decision must be made. How should a firm determine which direction to take? Some firms have been able to achieve
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring ex-cons to speak to college students on the subject of business ethics? Is it appropriate for colleges and universities to pay felons to be guest
1. Did I do the right thing even though I lost money in the process? 2. Is it fair of me to judge similar firms more harshly when they submit proposals?3. Apply the Venn Model to the billing
Has the concept of diversity supplanted the concept of affirmative action in leading companies today? Why or why not?
Do you agree with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)? Do companies have a right to know and use genetic information about employees? Why or why not?
How has the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) evolved since its inception?
What is sustainability? How does sustainability relate to environmentalism?

Showing 900 - 1000 of 1017