Philosophy 305 - Business Ethics » Fall 2022 » Chapter 5 Corporations

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Question #1
The invisible-hand argument against broadening corporate responsibility says that business's appetite for profit should be controlled by the hand of the government.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #2
A common point of contention among philosophers and business theorists with regard to corporations is
A.   whether corporations are moral agents.
B.   whether modern corporations no longer utilize a CID structure.
C.   whether if corporations are moral agents, then they have a right to do whatever is in their self-interest.
Question #3
The first corporations
A.   emerged in the 19th century.
B.   were government owned.
C.   were towns, universities, and ecclesiastic orders.
D.   were profit-making associations.
Question #4
Corporations are limited-liability companies which means that
A.   corporations must be "publicly held" and thus traded on the stock market.
B.   corporations are always for-profit; that profit can be limited but often is not in reality.
C.   corporate shareholders are liable for corporate debts only up to the extent of their investments.
D.   corporate shareholders are immediately entitled to any profits or the company is liable.
Question #5
In the corporate world, the board of directors will frequently
A.   rubber stamp the policies and recommendations of the management.
B.   hire and fire people for key management positions.
C.   write the policies and procedures.
D.   be there just for show.
Question #6
The courts and the general public typically find the idea of corporate responsibility
A.   a waste of time.
B.   ambiguous and useless.
C.   useful and intelligible.
D.   contradicting.
Question #7
Legally a corporation is a thing that can endure beyond the natural lives of its members and that has incorporators who may sue and be sued as a unit and who are able to consign part of their property to the corporation for ventures of limited liability.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #8
Milton Friedman’s perspective is that the only responsibility of a business is to
A.   make money for its owners.
B.   provide social benefit for the messes.
C.   give jobs to the hard workers.
D.   pay taxes to keep the government operating.
Question #9
Recent studies have shown that neither corporate moral codes nor corporate culture affect whether individuals inside the corporation behave morally or immorally.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #10
Externalities are the unintended consequences (whether negative or positive) that an economic transaction between two parties can have on some third party.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #11
Which of the following contributed to the more relaxed incorporation procedures of modern times?
A.   The idea that incorporation is a gift from the state.
B.   The thought that laissez-faire is a losing proposition..
C.   The move from mercantilist thinking to a belief in Benjamin Franklin's invisible hand.
D.   The idea that incorporation is a by-product of the people's right to associate, not a gift from the state.
Question #12
According to Keith Davis, in addition to considering potential profitability, a business must weigh the long-range social costs of its activities as well. Only if the overall benefit to society is positive should business act.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #13
Those with a broader view concerning business obligations believe that with great power comes
A.   more money.
B.   too many limits.
C.   more power.
D.   great social responsibility.
Question #14
Which of the following is one of the three arguments in favor of narrow corporate social responsibility discussed in this chapter?
A.   business-can-handle-it
B.   visible-hand
C.   let-government-do-it
D.   society-lacks-the-expertise
Question #15
In his essay "Social Responsibility and Economic Efficiency," Kenneth Arrow has argued that ethical behavior in the business world comes only at the expense of economic efficiency.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #16
Adam Smith proposed that in our pursuit of economic interests we are led by
A.   the trends of the economy.
B.   the moral compass within each of us.
C.   an invisible hand to promote general good.
D.   our gut instincts.
Question #17
Melvin Anshen suggests that there is an relationship between business and society which he termed as
A.   “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
B.   “share the wealth.”
C.   “one for all and all for one.”
D.   “social contract.”
Question #18
Momentum for the corporate organization of business in the United States really gained momentum after which war?
A.   Revolutionary War
B.   Civil War
C.   French and Indian War
D.   World War I
Question #19
According to law professor Christopher D. Stone, the relationship between corporate management and its shareholders is identical with the relationship between you and an investment advisor.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #20
"Limited liability" means that members of a corporation are financially liable for corporate debts only up to the extent of their investments.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #21
Corporations differ from partnerships and other forms of business association in two ways. One of these is that
A.   they are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.
B.   they are formed simply by an agreement entered into among their members.
C.   their shareholders are entitled to their share of the company's profits as soon as they are ascertained or determined.
D.   they must be publicly registered or in some way officially acknowledged by the law.
Question #22
Which of the following do proponents of the broader view of corporate social responsibility believe?
A.   Moral responsibility arises from social power.
B.   The modern corporation is not a social institution.
C.   Businesses have other obligations besides making a profit.
D.   Corporations should not internalize their externalities.
Question #23
Adherents of the broad view of corporate responsibility claim that modern business is intimately integrated with the rest of society and that, as a result, although society expects businesses to pursue their economic interests, businesses have other responsibilities as well.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #24
The case of First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti sharpened the legal distinction between corporations and individuals.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #25
Most business observers agree with Berle and Means that, because stock ownership in large corporations is so dispersed, actual control of the corporation has passed to management.
A.   True
B.   False

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