Questions from Business Ethics

Q: Should organizations that have a risk-taking culture, such as

Should organizations that have a risk-taking culture, such as the one developed by Stan O’Neil at Merrill Lynch, enjoy the gains and suffer the losses, without recourse to government bailouts?

Q: 1. Are professionals bound to meet a higher standard of ethical

1. Are professionals bound to meet a higher standard of ethical behavior than nonprofessionals? If so, why? 2. In what respects were the actions of the lawyers involved in the Lang Michener affair not...

Q: 1. Do you think that British Airways is being hypocritical?

1. Do you think that British Airways is being hypocritical? 2. British Airways is attempting to reduce its carbon footprint by flying more fuel efficient airplanes, such as the A318. The carbon footpr...

Q: 1. Where were Wal-Mart’s questionable payments made, and

1. Where were Wal-Mart’s questionable payments made, and where did this result in serious damage to the company and its executives? Why? 2. The ‘gestores’ payments were made to third parties, who the...

Q: 1. The Strip2Clothe campaign may have been in questionable taste,

1. The Strip2Clothe campaign may have been in questionable taste, but it did raise tens of thousands of pieces of clothing for the homeless. Does the end justify the means? 2. Virgin Mobile has a hist...

Q: 1. If Wanda Liczyk did not benefit financially, did she

1. If Wanda Liczyk did not benefit financially, did she really have a conflict of interest? Should she have been disciplined by the ICAO [now CPAO]? Why or why not? 2. Should the accounting profession...

Q: 1. Was J&J’s decision to not inform its customers

1. Was J&J’s decision to not inform its customers of the potential risks of extended use of talcum powder products acceptable? 2. If J&J knew about the potential risks of talcum powder products in 198...

Q: 1. How would you answer the assistant controller? 2

1. How would you answer the assistant controller? 2. What advice would you give to the controller? 3. What aspects of the organization’s governance process and/or internal controls were flawed? 4. Sho...

Q: 1. Who was really to blame for the lax procedures found

1. Who was really to blame for the lax procedures found? 2. How should this situation be remedied? 3. How could the job done by the FDA be improved? 4. J & J had lived under a positive halo due to the...

Q: 1. Describe the mechanisms that WorldCom’s management used to transfer profit

1. Describe the mechanisms that WorldCom’s management used to transfer profit from other time periods to inflate the current period. 2. Why did Arthur Andersen go along with each of these mechanisms?...