Questions and Answers of Moral Issues In Business

The doctrine of comparable worth holds that men and women should be paid the same wage for doing jobs of equal skill, effort. and responsibility. Were Marianne Stanley and George Raveling doing work
Was Stanley treated unfairty or in some way discriminated against? Should USC have offered to pay her more?
Why do sports played by men tend to be more popular and generate more revenue than sports played by women? Are female athletes-and their coachesdisadvantaged?Are they discriminated against? If so,
Should universities like use base their coaching salaries entirely on market considerations? Or should they pay the coaches of men's and women's sports comparable salaries based on experience, skill,
Respond to the argument that because men are free to coach women's teams and women to coach men's teams.there is nothing discriminatory in the fact that one job pays more than the other.
Was Sharrona Alexander's pregnancy likely to have adversely affected her coaching performance? ff so. was Marianne Stanley wrong to ask her to resign? How should Stanley have handled lhe situation?
If you were a board member. how would you vote? Why?
What moral principles are Involved in tills case?
Oo you think Phyllis Warren was unfair in taking advantage of the bOard's implied admission of salary dlscrimlnation on the basis of sex? Why or why not?
Oo you think Phyllis was wrong in giving the bOard the impression tllat her proposal enjoyed broad support? Why or why not?
If the board rejects the committee's request, do you think the committee ought to sue? Give reasons.
According to her own testimony, Vinson acquiesced to Taylor's sexual demands. In this sense her behavior was "voluntary.• Does the voluntariness of her behavior mean that she had •consented" to
In your opinion, under what circumstances would acquiescence be a defense to charges of sexual harassment?When would it not be a defense? can you formulate a general rule tor deciding such cases?
Assuming the truth of Vinson's version of the case, do you think her employer, Capital City Federal Savings and Loan, shoold be held liable for sexual harassment It was not aware of? Shoo Id the
What steps do you lllink Vinson should have taken when Taylor first pressed her for sex? Should she be blamed for having given in to him? Assuming that there was sexual harassment despite her
In court, Vinson's allegations were countered by Taylor's version of the facts. Will there always be a •your word against mine" problem in sexual harassment cases? What could Vinson have done to
How frequently are people discriminated against on the basis of their looks? Is it a serious problem in job situations? What about the fact that students give higher instructional rankings lo
Assess the argument that there is nothing wrong with"facial disclimination'-lhat tt simply reflects the fact that human beings are naturally attracted to, or repelled by, other human beings on the
Under what circumstances is physical attractiveness a job-related employment criterion? Is H relevant to being a salesperson, a flight attendant, or a receptionist?
What arguments can be given for and against a law preventing job discrimination on the basis of immutable aspects of one's appearance?
Assess the argument that because fat, ugly, or strange·looking people have it tougher throughout their lives than do attractive people, we should give them preferential treatment whenever we can-for
Are businesses morally obligated to try to prevent or reduce appearance discrimination in the workplace? What steps can they take?
Do you agree with Wasserstrom that there is nothing inconsistent about programs of preferential treatment?Are there important, morally relevant differences between the discrimination that African
How does Wasserstrom respood to the argument that such programs are to be rejected because they Ignore an individual's qualificatioos? What about the relaled argument that the most able candidates
Are there any important arguments against preferential treatment programs that Wasserstrom has neglected?
What goals do such programs seek to achieve, and how effective are they in achieving them? Do preferential treatment programs have any negative consequences?
Assuming that Wasserstrom Is right that preferential treatment programs are not unjust. should we adopt such programs? Does Justice require it? Would It be light?Would tt be socially beneficial?
Wllat is tile sexual desire-dominance paradigm, and why does Schultz lllink it is inadequate?
What does she mean by Ille •competence-undermining function" of hostlle· worl\-envlrooment harassment? Give examples.
According 10 Schultz, In whal ways clo managemenl interests coincide with current inlerpretations of sexual·harassment law?
Do you agree that corporate sexual harassment poll·cies go IOO far in b'ying to eliminate sexuality from lhe WO!t
ShOuld Ille workplal:e be an asexual environment, or Is Schultz right that sexuality has a potentially posWve role to play inside the organization?
What sort of formal policies, ~ any, shootd companies have regarding sexual hatassment and sexual oond\Jct by employees? Should companies dlscoorage dating and office romances?
Are coqJOratioos gem.inely concerned about sexual harassment? Is it a moral issue for them, or are llley only trying to reduce their legal liability? Is Schultz righl that corporations tend to focus
Have you or anyone you've kllown ever experienced discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation? In your view, how widespread is such discrimination? What do you think explains it?
What are the two senses of discrimination that Corvino distinguishes between? Do you agree with him that the justice of discrimination depends on whether the characteristic in question is job
On what grounds do Colin Powell and others reject the analogy between racial discrimination and sexualorientatioo discrimination? Oo you agree with Corvino's response to this objection?
Some people argue that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality because homosexuals are "born that way.·Others argue that homosexuality is merely a "lifestyle clloice• and therefore unnatural and
How does Corvino respond to the argument that hOmosexuality is unnatural because it violates the function of the genitals, which is to produce babies?
Critically assess Corvino's response to the contention that homosexuality is wrong because is harmful.What about the argument that it contradicts religion?Ate there moral arguments against
Following Richard Mohr, Corvino argues that job discrimination against gays undermines four important values.Explain what these values are and whether yuu agree or disagree with Corvino'S argument.
Corvino writes that reasonable people might disagree about the appropriateness of laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. What might be said in favor of such laws? What
Do companies have a moral obligation to discourage antigay sentiment among their employees? If so, hOw might they do so?
What does the concept of company loyalty mean to you? Does it still make sense today?
Have you ever experienced a conflict of interest or been tempted to do something that you thought went against your job respon·slbilities? Describe an employment- or business-related situation where
When. tt ever, ls an employee fustified In blowing the Whlstie? What do ycu see as the most important factots that he Of she needs to consider in deciding whether to b!Ow the whistle?
What shOuld Cynthia do?What ideals, obligatiOOs, and effects shOuld she take into account when making her detision?
Would it be unprofessional of Cynthia to drop everything and move to Crytex? Would it show a lack of integrity?Could moving abruptly to Crytex have negative career consequences for her?
Is it morally wrong, morally permissible, or morally required for Cynthia to take the new job? Examine Cynthia's choice from a utilitarian point of view. How would Kant and Ross IOOk at her situation?
What does loyatty to the company mean, and how important is it, mOlally? Under what circumstances, if any, do employees owe loyatty to their employers? When, if ever, do they owe loyalty to their
Based on the definition given earlier in the chapter, does Richard Parsons have a conflict of interest? If so. explain what it is. tf not, explain why not
If Citibank's board permits Parsons to work for Providence Equity Partriers. does this mean that he has honofe(! his fiduciary responsibilities to Citibank's shareholders? If you were a stockholder
Are disclosure and recusal sufficient to deal with the situation?Are there any other steps that Citibank might take?
Joe Noel clearly had a financial interest in KeyOn's doing well. But did he have a conflict of interest? If so, what exactly was the conflict? If not, was there anything morally objectionable about
Should people who discuss or recommend specific stocks online, on television, or in print diSciose their own inVllstments in those companies? Is It sufficient for them lo do so only "if people ask"?
Did Griffiths and Steffes violate any legal or moral duties toward lheir employer? Did tlley act unfairty in some way?
Were they "insiders'? ff so, explain why. If not, does tllat imply tllat tlley cannot be guilty of insider trading or tllat what they did was morally permissible?
Should lhe law prohibit employees acting as Griffiths and Steffes did? Explain wily or why not. If actions like theirs are tolerated, will tt diminish peopte's faith in the fairness of the stock mal1
Putting legal technicalities aside, did Griffiths and Steffes act unethically? Explain the facts and IOOfal principles that support your answer.
In your view, is insider trading a serious moral problem?Explain wily or why noL ShOIJld we legalize insider trading, as some argue, and simply let different companies decide how they want to deal
Suppose Griffiths and Steffes were not employees of Florida East Coast Railways, but merely lived across the street and guessed what was going on. Could they still be guilty of inslde< tracflng?
Assuming that insider trading should remain outlawed, does prosecuting Griffiths and Steffes represent a wise use of the SEC's resources, or Should it ignore cases like this?
Did Wilson Mulambara act wrongly'? Explain why or why not. Assess each of the arguments he gives in his own defense. What other courses of action were open to him?What would you have done in his
Was Oale Gannan right to confirm the information he had received and to report the matter? Was it morally required of him to do so?
What should Barbara Weston and NewCom do? Sllould Wilson be ordered to move out of Old Town alld Into more appropriate housing? Should he be terminated for having falsified his h0usi119 receipts? ff
Is NewCom unfairty imposing its own ethnocentric values on Wiison Mutambara? Is the company's hOusing policy fair and reasonable? Is it culturally biased?
Review each item on Brenda's list and assess tile conduct in question. Do you find It morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or somewhere in between? Explain.
Examine Brenda's list from both the utilitarian and tile Kantian perspectives. What arguments can be given for and against the conduct on her list? Is the rightness or wrongness of some items a
Somoone might argue that some of the things listed as ethically dubious are really employee entitlements. Assess this contention.
How would you reSPQnd to the argument that tt the company doesn't do anything to stop the conduct on Brenda's list, then it has only itself to blame? What about the argument that none of the things
What obllgatioos do employees have to their employers?Oo companies have moral rights that employees can violate? What moral difference, H any, is there between taking something that belongs to an
What, if anything, can we learn about an employee's character based on whether he or she does or does not do the things on Brenda's list? Would you admire someone who scrupulously avoids doing any of
What should Brenda do when slle finds a fellow employee engaging in what she considers ethically dubious conduct?
What are the key features of Elegido's definition of employee loyatty? According to him, not being loyal is not the same thing as being disloyal. can you give examples of the difference?
Do you agree that loyal employees have more motivation?That llley are more trustworthy? What about the idea that a persoo who is loyal at wOlt< is more likely 1o display loyalty in othe< spheres,
Which of the author's arguments for employee loyalty are the strongest? Whith are me weakest?
Is loyalty intrinsically valuable? How important a value is loyalty? Who or what are you loyal to? How does loyalty to one·s employer compare to other kinds of loyalty?
It is easy to see that an organization benefits from employee loyalty. But are employees also benefitted?Explain Wily or Wily not
When, if ever, would It be ap(Jfopriate to be loyal to a large, publicly traded corporation? What are the risks of being a loyal employee?
When considering Job and career options, how important is it to yoo to find an employer you can be loyal to?
Explain the executive-compensation argument, the efficiency argument, and the rights-based argument for Insider trading. What do you see as ttie strong and weak points of each argument?
Explain the level-playing-field argument, the fairness a1gument, the fraud argument, the fiduciary-duty argument, and the misappropriation a1gument against Insider trading. Which of Ulese arguments
Some critics of insider trading believe that it harms ordinary investors or argue that permitting insider trading would cause them to lose confidence in the market.Assess Ulese arguments.
In discussing insider trading, which moral perspective is more useful or relevant-utilitarianism or rights theory?Are there ethical considerations that you Ulink a1e imporlant but lhat are overlooked
Do you believe that insider trading is always wrong, sometimes wrong, or never wrong? Explain why. Should it remain illegal?
Explain the three reasons for foreign bribeiy that Fadiman discusses. Do most Americans look at bribeiy from a culturally biased perspective, or is Fadiman too tolerant of foreign corruption?
Fadlman lists several reasons why tt may be in the commercial interest of Americans to play tile brlbeiy game.Should they do it? Does playing the bribery game make good business sense? Is tt morally
Explain the tllree rules Fadiman proposes for dealing with brlbeiy. Do they resolve the business and ethical dilemmas that U.S. businesspeople may lace overseas?
CriUcs of the FCPA Claim that it puts Amelican companies at a competilive disadvantage by forbidding them to bribe foreign officiaJs. Do you agree or disagree? Is tile FCPA a good law? Should tt be
Americans view bribery as immoral. But if bribery is an accepted practice in a foreign country, is it still immoral?Explain your answer. Why do we consider bribery wrong in the first place?
What mal
According to the standard theory, when is whistleblowing morally permissible and when is it morally required? Do you see any problems with conditions Sl through SS?
Explain the three paradoxes that Davis claims the standard theory gives rise to. If you were a defender of the standard theory, how might you reS1J011d to Davis's arguments?
Explain Davls's complicity theory. What are the most important differences between it and the standard theory? Is Davis's theory of justified whistte·blowing an improvement over the standard theory?
Does the example of Roger Boisjoly fit the complicity theory better than it does the standard theory? If it does, is that a good argument for lhe complicity theory? Can you think of any examples of
Are there any aspects of whistle-blowing lhat Davis's theory neglects or fails to do full Justice to?
What was the Richmond City Cooncil trying to accomplish wilh its Minority Business Utilizatioo Plan? If you had been a member of the cooncil, would you have voted for the plan?
What are the pros and cons of a minority set-aside plan like Richmond's? Wiii it have good consequences? Does it infringe on anyone's rights? What conflicting moral principles, ideals, and values are
Oo yoo believe that there was sufficient evidence of racial discrimination to Justify the cily's plan? Who Is right about this-Justice O'Connor or Justice Marshall?
Justice O'Connor and the majority of the Court seem to believe that there must be some specific, identifiable individuals who have been discriminated against before race-conscious measures can be

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