We are faced with ethics decisions involving money almost every day. For example, we all probably have seen money in the form of coin or currency lying on the ground or floor somewhere. We also may have at some time discovered a lost wallet. Should it matter if the amount of money is small or large? Should it matter if no one else is around and/or there is no evidence of who lost the money? Sometimes we hear the finders-keepers argument being used to rationalize an individual’s decision. How would you react to the following scenarios?
a. You are walking down a street and find a dollar bill lying on the ground. No one else is close by. You consider picking up the dollar, acknowledging your good luck, and putting it in your pocket. What would you do?
b. While you are shopping in a grocery store you see a wallet lying on the floor. You don’t know who dropped the wallet. You consider holding on to the wallet until you get home and then search for the owner’s identification so that you might contact the owner with information that you have the wallet. Alternatively, you could just give the wallet to the store manager. What would you do?