Philosophy 305 - Business Ethics » Fall 2022 » Chapter 10 Moral Issues Facing Employees

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Question #1
A whistle-blower
A.   doesn't have to be a past or present member of the organization.
B.   is any employee who spreads gossip for personal gain.
C.   doesn't have to report activity that is illegal, immoral, or harmful.
D.   far from being disloyal, may be acting in the best interest of the organization.
Question #2
According to the Supreme Court
A.   insider trading violates the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution.
B.   anyone buying/selling stock based on nonpublic information is guilty of inside trading.
C.   even if you are not an insider, you can be guilty of insider trading if you misappropriate sensitive information.
Question #3
As a general rule, if the contents of the work agreement that exists between the employee and the employer are legal and if the employee freely consents to them, then the employee is under an obligation to fulfill the terms of the agreement.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #4
The Supreme Court has rejected the idea that inside trading involves "misappropriating" confidential information.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #5
Prudential reasons are reasons that refer to the interests of others and the demands of morality.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #6
A bribe is remuneration for the performance of an act that's inconsistent with the work contract or the nature of the work one has been hired to perform.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #7
The use of one’s official position for what always raises moral concerns and questions?
A.   personal gain
B.   stepping stones to success
C.   power trips
D.   egos
Question #8
In determining the morality of giving and receiving gifts in a business situation, which of the following factors is MOST relevant?
A.   amount of cash given as a gift.
B.   the size of the business giving the gift.
C.   the purpose of the gift and whether the gift might influence the recipient's judgment.
D.   whether the company receiving the gift is privately held or publicly held.
Question #9
When an employee’s interests are likely to interfere with the employee’s ability to exercise proper judgment on behalf of the organization, what exists?
A.   a conflict of interest
B.   a golden opportunity
C.   a balance of power
D.   a disaster
Question #10
U.S. companies had a history of paying off foreign officials for business favors. Such acts were declared illegal by
A.   the U.S. Customs department.
B.   the United Nations.
C.   the Vice President.
D.   the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977.
Question #11
According to Norman Bowie's definition, whistle-blowing by definition is restricted to reporting on activities that are harmful to third parties, violations of human rights, or contrary to the public purpose and legitimate goals of the organization.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #12
A "trade secret"
A.   is a narrow, precise concept that the law defines in great detail.
B.   is legally equivalent to a patent or copyright.
C.   need not be treated confidentially by the company in order to be protected.
D.   can be almost any information not generally known if it is valuable to its possessor and treated confidentially.
Question #13
The Donald Wohlgemuth case shows that
A.   trade secrets can be patented.
B.   trade secrets often become an integral part of an employee's total job skills and capabilities.
C.   employees need to divest themselves of any skill acquired while handling trade secrets.
D.   "noncompete" or "nondisclosure" contracts are always legally valid.
Question #14
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 forbids companies to pay kickbacks in the United States, but permits them to pay kickbacks to companies outside the United States.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #15
Which act provided sweeping new legal protection for employees who reported possible securities fraud, making it unlawful for companies to “discharge, demote, suspend, threaten, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against” them?
A.   Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
B.   U.S. vs. O’Hagan
C.   Foreign Corruption Act
D.   Economic Espionage Act
Question #16
According to Professor Norman Bowie, which of the following factors is primarily relevant to the motivation of whistle-blowers?
A.   their whistle-blowing has some chance of success.
B.   belief that internal channels have been exhausted.
C.   the whistle-blower's feelings of duty to obey the law.
D.   public interest morally outweighs loyalty to the organization.
Question #17
In discussing the case of the truck stop cashier who is asked to write up phony receipts, the authors of your textbook argue that in at least one scenario
A.   it may be appropriate for her prudential concerns take precedence over moral ones on a temporary basis.
B.   she should resign immediately.
C.   there is nothing wrong with writing up the receipts.
D.   she should never whistle-blow and report the misconduct.
Question #18
Companies have a right to prevent employees in technical fields from quitting and working for another company.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #19
Insider trading is the buying or selling of stocks by business "insiders" on the basis of information that has not yet been made public and is likely to affect the price of the stock.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #20
The law precisely defines the concept of a trade secret, just as it does patents and copyrights.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #21
An employee can have a conflict of interest even if he or she is not acting to the detriment of the organization.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #22
The authors of your textbook make the case that the FCPA illegitimately imposes parochial American standards on foreign countries.
A.   False
B.   True
Question #23
By definition, whistle-blowing can only be done by a past or present member of the organization.
A.   True
B.   False
Question #24
According to the traditional law of agency, which statement is true?
A.   employees are under a legal obligation to act loyally and in good faith and to carry out lawful instructions.
B.   The law of agency is not a legal concept but a moral standard of loyalty that employees today seldom follow.
C.   no moral value is more important than loyalty, whether to a person or an organization.
D.   an employee's work contract is irrelevant to his or her moral obligations for legal reasons.
Question #25
According to Norman Bowie, whistle-blowing can never be justified because it involves violating one's duties to the organization.
A.   False
B.   True

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