Review the website of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) at www.icgn.org. a. What is the ICGN’s stated mission? b. How can this organization affect corporate governance in the business world? c. The ICGN offers “policy” guidance in several areas. Select one, and summarize how that guide contributes to the general discussion on corporate governance.
> What issues prompted the revision of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations in 2004?
> Although Johnson & Johnson took a massive short-term loss as a result of its actions, it was cushioned by the relative wealth of the company. Should it have acted the same way if the survival of the firm were at stake?
> “The FCPA has too many exceptions to be an effective deterrent to unethical business practices.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer.
> Which is the most effective piece of legislation for enforcing ethical business practices: FCPA, FSGO, SOX, or Dodd-Frank? Explain your answer.
> Based on the information in this chapter, can the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 prevent “too big to fail”? Explain your answer.
> What is the most ethical way to do business internationally?
> Which piece of legislation would apply to each transgression?
> What would be the penalties for each transgression?
> Identify the ethical transgressions in this case.
> If Universal could prove that it had a compliance program in place, how would that affect the penalties?
> Locate the website for Berlin-based Transparency International (TI). a. What is the stated mission of TI? b. Explain the Corruption Perception Index. c. Which are the least and most corrupt countries on the index? d. Explain the European National Integr
> Using Internet research, review the involvement of Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). a. What was Warren’s involvement in the government response to the collapse of the financial markets? b. How is
> Identify the ethical violations that occurred in this case.
> What could Rupert Murdoch have done differently here?
> What did SocGen do wrong?
> What did Kerviel do wrong?
> What is the right thing to do here?
> What else should Tesco do to restore investor confidence in their business ethics?
> Does PwC bear some responsibility here? Why or why not?
> Does the fact that Citron Research was proven right in its accusations about Valeant validate its short-selling tactics?
> Is the release of negative research information by a company that is actively shorting the shares of that company an unethical business practice? Why or why not?
> Critics have described the Valeant board of directors as weak. Is that a fair assessment? Why or why not?
> Why do you think Bill Ackman has remained so supportive of Valeant?
> Identify three examples of poor corporate governance in this case.
> What actions could SocGen have taken to prevent such large losses?
> Do you think that the closure of The News of The World represents an appropriate resolution of this scandal? Why or why not?
> Would the outcome have been different if Kerviel’s trades in European futures had worked out?
> What are her options here?
> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: You run your own graphic design company as a one-person show, doing primarily small business projects and subcontracting work for larger graphic design agencies. You hav
> Who are the stakeholders in this case?
> Lewis identified three immediate priorities in turning the Tesco situation around. What are they and will they be enough? Explain.
> Does the fact that the actions that led to the overstatement of profits had been going on for over a year make the lack of governance any worse? Why or why not?
> Were the actions taken by newly appointed chief executive Dave Lewis sufficient to address that lack of governance? Explain.
> In what way does this scandal demonstrate a lack of corporate governance on Tesco’s part?
> How can the newly staffed board of directors begin to restore investor confidence in Valeant?
> You serve on your organization’s compensation committee, and you are meeting to negotiate the retirement package for your CEO who is retiring after a very successful 40-year career with your organization—the last 20 as CEO, during which time the company’
> Divide into two teams. One team must prepare a presentation advocating for the separation of the roles of chairperson and CEO. The other team must prepare a presentation arguing for the continued practice of allowing one corporation executive to be both
> You sit on the board of directors of a major airline that just experienced a horrendous customer service event. A severe snowstorm stranded several of your planes and caused a ripple effect throughout your flight schedule, stranding thousands of passenge
> Why would Andy Coulson feel pressure to resign as head of the government’s media operations only eight months after being appointed to the position?
> Which stakeholders will be affected by Kathy’s decision?
> What is the value of adding “outside directors” to your board?
> Many experienced senior business executives serve on multiple corporate boards. Is this a good thing? Explain your answer.
> Which is more important to effective corporate governance: an audit committee or a compensation committee? Why?
> Why do corporations need a board of directors?
> Many of Enron’s “independent” directors were affiliated with organizations that benefited directly from Enron’s operations. How would you address this clear conflict of interest?
> Was it a good idea to fire them all at the same time with no detailed explanation?
> Give some examples of the kind of ethical misconduct that could have led to the termination of the entire senior leadership of GlobalMutual.
> Who would most likely have intervened to terminate the senior team over issues of conduct?
> How are the stakeholders of GlobalMutual likely to react to this news? Explain your answer.
> Why shouldn’t National just deliver the American version of CFS? If it works here, it should work there.
> If the alleged phone hacking and bribery took place as far back as 2003, how is it possible that the story was not made public until 2009?
> Food scientists argue that Mother nature has been genetically modifying plant species for thousands of years, and that technology now gives them the opportunity to do the same for the welfare of a global population. Explain the ethical position of this a
> Did Japan make the right decision when it banned all imports of U.S. soft wheat?
> Is it ethical to direct company donations to support “pet projects of senior managers or board members”? Why or why not?
> Is it ethical to direct company donations to “nonprofit groups closely aligned with the interests of the corporation’s employees, communities, and business objectives”? Why or why not?
> What is meant by the term sustainable capitalism?
> Was it ethical for Monsanto to settle the litigation with no admission of responsibility or commitment to change any internal practices? Why or why not?
> What should it have done differently?
> Did Monsanto violate any ethical standards in developing genetically modified wheat and planning to sell it as a companion product to Roundup?
> Does the fact that Target and General Mills donate five times more than the minimum 1 percent make them five times more socially responsible? Why or why not?
> Visit the website for the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) at www.globalethics.org. a. What is IGE’s stated purpose? b. Which five values does the IGE identify in building a code of ethics? c. How could a corporation benefit from the services of the Ins
> The authors of this article claim that “an effectively managed contribution program can deliver strong returns to a corporation.” What might those returns be?
> If you discovered that a colleague at work had lied on her résumé, what would you do?
> Why would budgeting a fixed percentage of pretax profits for corporate philanthropy be seen as a more convincing commitment to CSR than just funding a variety of projects?
> Why would companies choose to inflate the image of their corporate citizenship?
> How would you go about introducing sustainable capitalism in your company?
> What challenges do you foresee in the broader acceptance of sustainable capitalism around the world?
> Based on the information in this case and a review of GenerationIM’s manifesto document, is there any correlation of its proposal to the commonly accepted tenets of CSR?
> On what grounds could the CSR initiatives of a corporation be dismissed as “window-dressing”?
> Why is “people, planet, profits” a more media-friendly message than a triple bottom-line approach to CSR?
> Anti-GMO protesters warn of the creation of “frankenfoods” that have the potential to harm our bodies in ways that we do not yet understand. Explain the ethical position of this argument.
> Visit the website for Walmart’s Global Ethics at http://www.walmartethics.com/Landing.aspx# a. Why did Walmart create the Global Ethics Office? b. Summarize how Walmart employees can contact Global Ethics. c. Locate and download Walmart’s most recent “Gl
> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: You work in the marketing department of a large dairy products company. The company has launched a “revolutionary” yogurt product with ingredients that promote healthy d
> How well do you think a general credo works in guiding action? Would you prefer a typical mission statement or a clear set of policy outlines, for example? Do you see any way in which the Johnson & Johnson Credo could be improved or modified?
> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: Your company is managing to maintain a good profit margin on the computer parts you manufacture in a very tough economy. Recently, an opportunity has come along to move
> What steps should companies take during the hiring process to insure that such bad hires do not happen?
> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: Back in the mid-1970s heart pacemakers ran on transistors before advances in technology replaced them with the silicon computer chips we are all familiar with today. You
> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: You are the regional production manager for a tire company that has invested many millions of dollars in a new retreading process that will allow you to purchase used ti
> Divide into groups of three or four. Each group must select one of the organizational departments featured in this chapter (HR, R&D, marketing, sales, and finance) and document the potential areas for unethical behavior in that department. Prepare a pres
> Divide into two teams. One team must prepare a presentation advocating the use of the ambush marketing tactics described in the Review Exercise. The other team must prepare a presentation explaining the ethical dilemmas those tactics present.
> Consider the functional departments we have reviewed in this chapter. Which department do you think faces the greatest number of ethical challenges? Why?
> Would you leave your position with a company if you saw evidence of unethical business practices? Why or why not? What factors would you consider in making that decision?
> Based on the limited information in this article, do you think the HIPAA legislation achieves its objective of securing patient privacy?
> What are “creative bookkeeping techniques”? Provide three examples.
> Should the HR department be the ethics champion in the organization? Why or why not?
> Philip Kotler argues that professional marketers “should have the same ambivalence as nuclear scientists who help build nuclear bombs.” Is that a valid argument? Why or why not?
> Provide three examples of unethical behavior that you have observed at the company you work for (or a company you have worked for in the past). What were the outcomes of this behavior?
> Divide into three groups. Each group must select one of the following types of CSR: ethical CSR, altruistic CSR, or strategic CSR. Prepare a presentation arguing for the respective merits of each approach and offer examples of initiatives that your compa
> If the majority of consumers are already skeptical about most advertising they are exposed to, how do you think the general public would feel about such marketing campaigns?
> Critics argue that such campaigns “blur the lines between consumerism and con artistry.” Is that a fair assessment? Why or why not?
> Supporters of these campaigns argue that our economy is built on consumerism and that if you don’t find more effective ways to reach consumers, the entire economy will suffer. Does that make the practice OK? Should we just accept it as a nuisance and a n
> Is this unethical marketing? Explain why or why not.
> How would you feel if you were involved in such an ambush?
> Is the term privacy rule accurate in describing the HIPAA legislation? Why or why not?
> Locate the websites for the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). One has a “Professional Code of Conduct”, and the other has a “Statement of Ethics.” Does the terminology make a differen
> Has Pfizer simply replaced one conflict of interest with another? Why or why not?
> Where is the conflict of interest in this CME relationship?
> Cynics could argue that this is simply a public relations exercise for companies that have performed unethical business practices in the past. Optimists could argue that this is, at the very least, a step in the right direction of restoring the ethical r
> BELA is a U.S.-driven initiative at the moment. Do you think it will achieve a wider global acceptance over time? Why or why not?
> Divide into two teams. One team must prepare a presentation advocating for the instrumental approach model of corporate management. The other team must prepare a presentation arguing for the social contract model of corporate management.
