Questions and Answers of Business Ethics

Should banks that have become “too big to fail” (meaning their collapse would significantly damage the economy) be subject to stricter regulations than smaller banks? Why or why not?
Why did the analysts change their rating on this stock? Was it in response to something the company said or did? Is the company performing better or worse than its competitors? Do you think the
How did the rating change affect the company’s stock price?
How has the company’s stock been performing relative to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 indexes?
Report your findings in a brief post on your class blog or an email message to your instructor.
Write a brief letter that opens by thanking Mr. Winders for being a customer of the bank and for considering the bank for his home mortgage needs. Explain the reason his application was rejected and
List the four financial functions of money and define two key measures of the money supply.
Present your results using presentation slides, a wiki, or whatever media option your instructor indicates.
Explain the major functions of the Federal Reserve System, and identify other key federal financial institutions.
Should credit unions, even if they are not profit-driven, be given special consideration if they compete in the marketplace with banks that have to pay taxes? Explain your reasoning.
In a brief email message to your instructor, describe the benefits – and risks – of using this tool.
Compare your group’s goal, risk level, and investment possibilities with those of the other teams in your class and discuss the differences and similarities you see.
Distinguish between common and preferred stock, and explain the difference between market value and intrinsic value.
Describe the two options for equity financing, and explain how companies prepare an initial public offering.
Identify the major categories of long-term debt financing.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of debt and equity financing, and explain the two major considerations in choosing from financing alternatives.
Choose one product, and in a brief email message to your instructor, explain how this tool can help lenders make better decisions.
Draft a short memo to her, explaining why you think equity financing is a better option at this stage (make up any details you need).
Explain the purpose of ratio analysis, and list the four main categories of financial ratios.
Explain the impact of accounting standards such as GAAP and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on corporate accounting.
What is likely to happen to a company’s promotional efforts if it fails to define the core message for a new product before launching it?
Explore one GRC software solution. In a brief email message to your instructor, describe the benefits of using this particular software package.
Define sales promotion, and identify the major categories of consumer and trade promotions.
Highlight the major components of physical distribution and logistics.
If Costco can’t find enough land in a particular location to build its usual store format, should it leverage the Costco brand name anyway and build something smaller, such as conventional
Identify the major retailing formats, and summarize six trends shaping the future of retailing.
Identify nine common pricing methods.
Do you consider yourself an early adopter when it comes to trying out new products or new fashions, or do you tend to take a wait-and-see attitude? How does your attitude toward new products and new
Is it ethical for companies to split-test price points by offering different prices to different groups of customers? Why or why not?
Conduct research to find two or three challenges that retailers are facing as they expand mobile shopping opportunities for their customers.
Draft a short email message for the store managers, explaining why the training would be well worth their time. Make up any details you need to complete the message.
According to the article, how successful has the company been in understanding its customers?
How does the company communicate with and learn about its customers?
Describe the company’s market. What geographic, demographic, behavioral, or psychographic segments of the market is the company targeting?
Now think about your talents, interests, and goals. How do your strengths fit with the requirements, duties, and responsibilities of this job? Do you think you would find this field enjoyable and
Find two openings in the field you are researching. What educational background, work experience, and other qualifications are employers seeking in candidates for this position?
Think of a product you recently purchased and review your decision process. Why did you need or want that product? How did the product’s marketing influence your purchase decision? How did you
Ethical Considerations. Is it ethical to observe shoppers for the purposes of marketing research without their knowledge and permission?
In a brief email message to your instructor, describe the differences and similarities among the three search results. If you were researching a report on Apple’s financial prospects, which set of
Do you see any trends in the group’s collective answers? Do people learn anything about themselves when answering the group’s questions? Does anyone get defensive about his or her reasons for
What other products would benefit from examining weather forecasts? With your team, brainstorm to identify at least three types of products (in addition to lawn and garden items) for which Target
As a corporate financial manager, what steps could you take to protect your company from a liquidity crisis?
How do independent banks seek to differentiate themselves from large banking conglomerates?
Do the banks you studied serve consumers as well as small businesses? What types of services do they offer each sector?
What regulatory and political issues does the ICBA currently take interest in?
Have any major changes in the debt rating process been proposed or enacted, such as having a not-for-profit organization provide impartial ratings instead of or in addition to the commercial agencies?
Have any investors or other parties successfully sued a rating agency for providing misleading information?
Has Congress or any federal agency taken any steps to change the laws and regulations that affect the operation of credit rating agencies?
Assuming the interest rates are roughly the same, would you prefer to finance your new company by getting cash advances on your credit cards or by taking out a second mortgage on your house? Why?
What does the company intend to do with the arranged financing—purchase equipment or other assets, finance a construction project, finance growth and expansion, or do something else?
Who provided the financing for the company? Was this arrangement considered unusual, or was it routine?
What form of financing did the company choose? Did the article indicate why the company selected this form of financing?
You’re getting ready to expand your woodworking hobby into a full-time business of building custom kitchen cabinets. To create top-quality cabinets, you know you’ll need to upgrade from the
The company you co-founded last year is growing rapidly and has strong prospects for an IPO in the next year or two. The additional capital that an IPO could raise would let you hire the brightest
Ethical Considerations. Budget projections always involve a degree of judgment because managers can never predict the future with total accuracy. For instance, one manager with an optimistic view and
What reasons were given for the company’s improvement or decline in performance?
Did the company’s performance match industry analysts’ expectations, or was it a surprise? How did analysts or other experts respond to the firm’s actual quarterly or year-end results?
Obtain a copy of the company’s annual report from the previous year, and compare it with the current report to determine whether past projections were accurate.
Did the company report a profit or a loss for this accounting period? What other performance indicators were reported? Is the company’s performance improving or declining?
Examine the financial summaries for information about the fiscal condition of the company. Did the company show a profit?
Consider the statements made by the CEO regarding the past year: Did the company do well, or are changes in operations necessary for its future well-being? What are projections for future growth in
Visit the websites of Google and Microsoft and retrieve their annual reports. Using these financial reports, compute the working capital, current ratio, and quick ratio for each company. Does one
Ethical Considerations. In the process of closing the company books, you encounter a problematic transaction. One of the company’s customers was charged twice for the same project materials,
Ethical Considerations. Is your privacy being violated when a website you visit displays ads that are personalized in any way, even if it’s just geographically targeted to the local area (based on
Think about an advertisement (in any medium) that had either a strongly positive or strongly negative effect on your attitude toward the product being advertised or the advertiser itself. Why did the
Concept Integration. Should companies involve their marketing channels in the design of their customer communications programs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?
What are the daily activities of this professional? What tools and resources does this person use most often on the job? What does this professional like most and least about the job?
What talents and educational background does this professional bring to the job? How are the person’s skills and knowledge applied to handle the job’s daily activities?
What advice does the person you are interviewing have for newcomers entering this field? What can you do now to get yourself started on a career path toward this position?
Who is the company or trade association targeting?
What specific marketing objectives is the organization trying to accomplish?
What role does advertising play in the promotion strategy? What other promotion techniques does the article mention? Are any of them unusual or noteworthy? If so, why?
What are some key questions you might want to ask when interviewing for a job in marketing?
Does this article report on a development in a particular company, several companies, or an entire industry? Which companies or industries are specifically mentioned?
If you were a marketing manager in this industry, what concerns would you have as a result of reading the article? What questions do you think companies in this industry (or related ones) should be
In what ways do you think this industry, other industries, or the public might be affected by this trend or development in the next five years? Why?
Would it be wise for a brick-and-mortar retailer that wants to stop showrooming to use wireless-jamming technologies to prevent people from using smartphones inside their stores. Why or why not?
Ethical Considerations. Manufacturers that have been selling to wholesalers and other intermediaries occasionally decide to start selling directly to end customers, which of course puts them in
Compare the prices of three products offered at a retail outlet with the prices charged if you purchase those products by mail order (catalog or phone) or over the Internet. Be sure to include extra
Select a major retailer, such as a chain store in your area or a retailer on the Internet. Is this a specialty store, discount store, department store, or another type of retailer?
Visit the website of the retailer you selected. Does the site discuss the company’s hiring procedures? If so, what are they? What qualifications are required for a position with the company?
How difficult was it to find the product you wanted?
Research your chosen retailer using library sources or online resources. Is this retailer expanding? Is it profitable? Has it recently acquired or been acquired by another firm? What are the
How much information was available? Complete product details or just a few highlights? A static photo or a three-dimensional (3D) virtual experience that lets you explore the product from all angles?
Could you find the store’s privacy and return policies? Were they acceptable to you?
Go ahead and place your item in the shopping cart to simulate placing an order (don’t actually buy the product, of course!)
What are the potential consequences of inaccurately forecasting the demand for a particular product?
If you were a stockholder in this company, would you view these changes as positive or negative? What, if anything, might you do differently?
Could a company that just introduced an amazing audio product, say a tiny music player with audiophile-quality sound, hope to replicate the social media success that GoPro has enjoyed? Why or why
In a brief email message to your instructor, describe the technology, explain how it helps businesses reach customers more effectively, and identify any privacy concerns involved with the medium.
What changes in the company’s distribution structure or strategy have taken place? What additional changes, if any, are planned?
What were the reasons for the changes? What role, if any, did e-commerce play in the changes?
How easy was it to compare this product to similar products?
What forms of help were available in case you had questions or concerns?
Was the site optimized for mobile devices?
How long did it take to get from the site’s homepage to the point at which you could place an order for the specific product?
What social commerce and social elements did you encounter on the website? Were they helpful in your search?
Write a short message that could be posted on your blog, explaining why you consider it necessary to run ads and assuring your readers of your continued objectivity, even if that means criticizing
Describe the three major tasks in crafting a communication strategy, and identify four important legal aspects of marketing communication.
GoPro introduced its first camera in 2004, the same year that Facebook was launched. Given the role social media has played in GoPro’s success, was it a waste of time and energy for Woodman and his

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