Question: Would it be easier to just follow

> You live in a small Midwestern town and have just lost your job at the local bookstore. The best-paying job you can find is at the local meatpacking plant, but you are a vegetarian and feel strongly that killing animals for food is unjust. What do you do

> Has Müller’s commitment to “maximum transparency” helped or hindered the situation? Explain your answer.

> Visit the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (CSEP) at the Illinois Institute of Technology: http://ethics.iit.edu. a. What is the stated mission of CSEP? b. Identify and briefly summarize a current CSEP research project. c. Explain the pu

> Consider the company you currently work for (or one you have worked for in the past). What initiatives could they start to be more socially responsible? How would you propose such changes?

> Has BP been successful in its move “Beyond Petroleum”?

> If Wakefield had disclosed the source of the funding of his study and his interest in the experimental vaccine, would that have added credibility to his campaign against MMR? Why or why not?

> Why did Wakefield lose his license to practice medicine?

> What were the perceived conflicts of interest in Wakefield’s research activities?

> How can BP begin to restore its reputation going forward?

> BP chief executive Tony Hayward argued that “changing the culture of a 100,000 person company couldn’t happen overnight.” He had been in charge for three years before the Deepwater Horizon spill. Were critics right to expect more change than they saw?

> Both sides claimed in media interviews that they had won their case. Was there victory here? Explain why or why not.

> How could senior executives have approached this situation differently?

> Was Instagram’s response to the PR crisis over the change in the TOS appropriate? Why or why not?

> Was DPS considering the interests of all stakeholders in this battle? Explain why or why not?

> When you consider Milton Friedman’s position on corporate responsibility in Chapter 4, is it possible to defend DPS’s demand for lower hourly wages?

> How could Quezon City officials ensure that there is a more equitable distribution of wealth?

> The GMC found that Wakefield brought his profession into disrepute with his conduct. What could he have done differently to share his concerns about MMR?

> Do you think you could be an ethics officer? Why or why not?

> Does the role of an ethics officer bring real value to an organization, or is it just “window dressing” to make the company look good?

> Your company wrote its code of ethics in 1986. You have been assigned to a team that has been tasked with updating the code to make it more representative of current business ethics issues like the Internet and modern business technology. What are your r

> You have been asked to join a team as a representative of your department. The team has been tasked with the development of an ethics training program to support the company’s new code of ethics. What would your recommendations be?

> Would organizational integrity make a difference in your loyalty to a company? Why or why not?

> When Brad took his complaint to the local media, a spokesperson for the city finance office pointed out that the city’s property taxes were paying for the emergency services that were currently working overtime to help everyone impacted by the storm. Is

> What prompted Instagram to change the terms of service (TOS) agreement?

> Which ethical theories could be applied here?

> Review the commitment of the Charity Commission (the regulator for charities in England and Wales) at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission/about. a. What are the stated priorities of the commission? b. What guidance does the com

> Does TOMS buy-one-give-one-away model make it a more ethical company than a traditional manufacturer donating money to a charity? Why?

> The PGEP/Payatas project is being promoted as a win-win project for all parties involved. Is that an accurate assessment? Why or why not?

> Do you think the board of directors of Bausch & Lomb made the right decision in choosing not to fire Zarrella? Why or why not?

> Would you describe Foxconn’s response as an example of proactive or reactive ethics? Why?

> If the company has operated on “wafer-thin margins,” will the Indian and Japanese deals make it a more ethical company? Why or why not?

> Was Foxconn’s response sufficient to stop any future suicide attempts? Why or why not?

> Is the Warby Parker model more or less effective than the TOMS model? Explain your answer.

> Mycoskie designed the TOMS model from the ground up. Could an established company improve its ethical standards by launching a model like TOMS? How?

> Is it ethical for covered entities to be excused from getting patient permission to use their private information for routine purposes? Why or why not?

> Why would customers pay such a high price for a simple linen shoe or pair of sunglasses?

> If patients lack the language skills or education to understand the significance of informed consent or the use of a placebo, is it ethical to allow them to participate in the drug trial? Why or why not?

> What regulations are in place to oversee the professional and ethical management of these trials?

> Identify three factors that are driving pharmaceutical companies to host clinical drug trials overseas.

> If Apple is committed to addressing working conditions at Foxconn factories, should “no worse than any other factory in China” be an acceptable benchmark? Why or why not?

> Review the CSR policies of a Fortune 100 company of your choice. Would you classify its policies as ethical, altruistic, strategic, or a combination of all three? Provide examples to support your answer.

> What proposals would you offer to make the offshoring of clinical drug trials a more ethical process for all the stakeholders involved?

> Divide into two teams. One team must prepare a presentation advocating for the development of a standardized global code of conduct. The other team must prepare a presentation arguing for the development of a more flexible local code of conduct that take

> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: You have been sent to investigate a fraud claim made against your company by the Customs [department] in one of the countries where you do business. On arrival, an offic

> Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the following behavior: Your American company operates manufacturing plants throughout Asia, with a combined staff of 20,000 employees. In 2003, after Asia was hit with the severe acute respira

> Divide into two teams. One team must defend the employer position on employee monitoring. The other team must defend the employee position. Draw on the policies and experiences you have gathered from your own jobs.

> Divide into groups of three or four. Each group must map out its proposal for restoring the ethical reputation of a multinational corporation that has been fined for one of the following transgressions: bribery, pollution, operating sweatshops, or employ

> Do you think global businesses would be willing to subscribe to a global code of conduct? Explain your answer.

> How would the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that we reviewed in Chapter 6 come into play here?

> Which offers greater guidance to international businesses, the UN Global Compact or the OECD guidelines? Explain your answer.

> Are there more stakeholders for an international or global company than a domestic one? Explain your answer.

> Does the SEC bear any responsibility in the event of the Madoff Scheme? In what way?

> Charles Ponzi was a working-class Italian immigrant who was eager to find success in America. Bernard Madoff was already a multimillionaire before he started his scheme. Does that make one more unethical than the other? Why or why not?

> How could this apparently endemic problem be approached differently?

> Your company is a major fruit processor that maintains long-term contracts with plantation owners in Central America to guarantee supplies of high quality produce. Many of those plantations are in politically unstable areas and your U.S.-based teams trav

> Review the annual report of a Fortune 100 company of your choice. What evidence can you find of triple bottom-line reporting in the report? Provide examples to support your answer.

> Divide into two teams. One team must defend the introduction of Sarbanes-Oxley as a federal deterrent to corporate malfeasance. The other team must criticize the legislation as being ineffective and an administrative burden.

> You are a midlevel manager for the government of a small African nation that relies heavily on oil revenues to run the country’s budget. The recent increase in the price of oil has improved your country’s budget significantly and, as a result, many new i

> Divide into groups of three or four. Distribute the 11 sections of SOX reviewed in this chapter. Each group must prepare a brief presentation outlining the relative importance of its section to the overall impact of SOX and the prohibition of unethical b

> Do you think the requirement that CEOs and CFOs sign off on their company accounts will increase investor confidence in those accounts? Why or why not?

> Why may the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 be regarded as one of the most controversial pieces of corporate legislation in recent history?

> 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?