Q&A Hero

Q: How did Coke managers react when an employee brought the Boys and Girls Club issue to their attention? a. It went to Burger King and apologized b. It fired the employee c. It asked the employee to conduct a complete investigation d. None of the above

Q: Who is Matthew Whitley? a. The account manager for Burger King b. The Coke retail vice president c. A Coke employee who questioned the invoices from the marketing consultant d. CEO of Coke

Q: How did Coke get better numbers in the test market? a. It seasonalized the numbers b. It altered the numbers c. A marketing consultant used the Boys and Girls Clubs to get customers into Burger King to buy Frozen Coke value meals d. Its own employees bought Frozen Coke value meals

Q: What area was picked for the test market? a. Richmond, Virginia b. Tallahassee, Florida c. Atlanta, Georgia d. Orlando, Florida

Q: Why did Burger King want a test market? a. The product was new b. Its marketing campaigns recently had been disasters c. It did not trust Coke d. Both a and b e. a, b and c

Q: What was Coke's strategy for expanding fountain sales? a. Sign up new fast-food franchises b. Move Frozen Coke into fast-food franchises c. Eliminate Frozen Coke from convenience stores d. None of the above

Q: Jack-in-the-Box, Inc. cooked its hamburgers according to the temperature required by law. Other chains cooked their hamburgers at a higher temperature and for longer. Jack-in-the-Box: a. Made a decision that resulted in liability and the moral responsibility for deaths and injuries of its customers. b. Was in compliance with the law and ethical in its conduct. c. Has no liability because it was in compliance with the law. d. Both b and c e. None of the above

Q: The sale of a product with a known defect or with knowledge of its potentially harmful impact on users: a. Is illegal. b. Is unethical. c. Exposes the manufacturer to strict and negligent product liability. d. Both b and c

Q: What changes did Jack-in-the-Box make after the E-Coli poisonings? a. Changed meat suppliers b. Increased cooking temperature c. Added extra meat inspections d. a and b only e. a, b, and c

Q: How much did Jack-in-the-Box have to have set aside for payments in the suits filed against it? a. $20 million b. $50 million c. $100 million d. $200 million

Q: How many Jack-in-the-Box customers were affected by the E-Coli poisonings? a. 100 b. 150 c. 300 d. 600

Q: What was the impact of the E-Coli poisonings on Jack-in-the-Box sales? a. Sales remained the same, unaffected b. Sales dropped 10% c. Sales dropped 20% d. Jack-in-the-Box was closed so there were no sales

Q: Why was Jack-in-the-Box cooking at a different temperature from other fast food chains?a. Jack-in-the-Box had higher safety standardsb. Costc. Jack-in-the-Box lost the memod. Both a and be. Both b and cf. a, b, and c

Q: What temperature were most fast-food chains using at the time of the Jack-in-the-Box E-Coli illnesses and deaths? a. 140 degrees b. 150 degrees c. 155 degrees d. 160 degrees e. 165 degrees

Q: What was the required legal temperature for cooking burgers at the time of the E-Coli illnesses and deaths? a. 140 degrees b. 150 degrees c. 155 degrees d. 160 degrees e. 165 degrees

Q: What temperature was Jack-in-the-Box cooking its burgers at when the E-Coli illnesses and deaths occurred? a. 140 degrees b. 150 degrees c. 155 degrees d. 160 degrees e. 165 degrees

Q: What was the original verdict against GM in the LA Malibu case? a. $1.2 billion b. $2 billion c. $4.9 billion d. $5.0 billion

Q: What memo did GM have that was different from the Ford Pinto situation? a. There was no GM memo b. A memo from a lawyer advising against releasing any internal company analysis of the Malibu design c. A memo that fired engineers who worked on the Malibu d. None of the above

Q: What did the GM internal memo estimate the cost of the exploding gas tanks would be to GM? a. $2.40 per car b. The memo did not do that analysis because it did not put a value on human life c. GM had learned from the Ford Pinto case and did not have such a memo d. $200,000 per car

Q: List all who were affected by the Kodak employee's deal on the valuation of Kodak's property.

Q: An engineer for the Shaw Group managed a project that Shaw was doing for the U.S. government. Under the terms of the contract, Shaw stood to earn a $2.2 million bonus on the contract if it kept the reportable injuries and lost-work days below certain levels during the course of the project. The project engineer, who received a bonus if the company met the federal bonus goals, misclassified injuries, failed to report others, and made those who were injured wait to seek medical treatment so that he could meet quarterly injury goals. Discuss the engineer's behavior in light of what you learned in Unit 4 on culture.

Q: Althea Caldwell is the director of Arizona's Department of Health Services (DHS). DHS is charged the administration of the state's behavioral health system and is responsible for contracting with private providers for millions of dollars of mental health care each year for eligible patients. Ms. Caldwell accepted a $20,000 per year director position for a hospital group corporation. One of the hospitals in the group was one to which state contracts for mental health treatment had been awarded. One month after accepting the position, Ms. Caldwell asked the state's attorney general for an opinion as to whether she had a conflict of interest. Does Ms. Caldwell have a conflict of interest?

Q: Discuss the impact when researchers do not disclose their financial ties to companies whose products they are researching.

Q: Discuss the ethics of the pension accounting processes companies used prior to the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

Q: Discuss the similarities between a teen's decision to text-message whilst driving and an executive's decision to not perform routine maintenance in the interest of saving on costs at a plant.

Q: An environmentalist stated, following the BP Prudhoe Bay pipe problems, "These companies simply cannot behave responsibly," and went on to voice objection to opening up ANWR for drilling. Discuss the long-term implications of BP's decision to keep maintenance costs low.

Q: Explain the findings of the government and private reports on BP operations at its Texas refinery.

Q: List those at BP who were aware of maintenance and inspection issues with respect to the Prudhoe Bay pipeline.

Q: Company A's executives are members of the board of a charity. Company A may even itself be a major donor to the charity. The charity may even benefit many of the company's customers. The charity holds a golf tournament to raise money. The executives participate in the tournament. In some cases, Company A even pays the executives' participation fees (good for company image). Company B is a supplier to Company A or a vendor that would like to be a supplier. Enter the desire for face time. In some tournaments, Company A executives turns to every Company B executive in the supply chain and asks for participation. And participate they do. They pay their entry fees because Company A executives ask. But sometimes Company B folks want and get more. Company B antes up the dough for primo participation in the tournament. Ifa VP of Company A is playing a round with a celebrity, Company B pays enough to get its VP in the same foursome. Discuss the ethical issues.

Q: Kyphon employees sold, sold, sold Kyphon's products for spinal fracture repairs. One rep took his territory's sales from $16,000 a month to $200,000 per month in less than a year. Incentive programs do produce miracles. Kyphon, now Medtronics Spine, faced Medicare fraud allegations when two former employees brought suit under the False Claims Act. Medtronics acquired Kyphon in 2007 while the former employee suits for Medicare fraud were pending. According to documents in the case, Kyphon sales reps didn"t just tout the benefits of Kyphon products, and indeed there are many. The sales reps offered the doctors and hospitals a way to keep patients overnight. Helping docs and hospitals bill Medicare for an overnight stay on what was only a one-hour, walk-away outpatient procedure was a boon. Kyphon created a mutually beneficial triangle: more sales for Kyphon, more commissions and bonuses for reps, and more revenue for docs and hospitals. Discuss the ethical issues in this scenario. Was it a violation of the law in terms of Medicare reimbursement?

Q: Discuss the similarities between the Westland/Hallmark case and the Cintas and OSHA case.

Q: Alan S. Noonan was fired from his job as a salesman at Staples, Inc. for allegedly padding expense reports. A Staples executive then sent a mass e-mail to about 1,500 employees informing them that Noonan had been fired for violating the company's travel and expense policy. Staples also denied Noonan his severance benefits and refused to allow him to exercise his stock options, claiming that, under the terms of the agreements setting forth the right to these benefits, Noonan was ineligible because he had been fired "for cause." Discuss the ethical issues of both the employer and the employee.

Q: What factors contribute to the failure in necessary confrontation?

Q: Discuss the risks of avoiding confrontation of a problem employee.

Q: Where did Ms. Druyun first cross an ethical line in her relationship with Boeing? a. When she mentioned she was retiring b. When her daughter was hired at Boeing c. When her daughter mentioned to Mr. Sears that her mother was retiring d. None of the above

Q: Why was Ms. Druyun's sentenced increased from six- to nine-months? a. The judge had not applied the sentencing law correctly b. Because Mr. Sears was sentenced to nine months c. Because she had lied to federal investigators d. Both a and c

Q: In the Darlene Druyun/Boeing case, what laws were violated? a. Federal procurement statutes b. Antitrust laws c. Federal securities laws d. Both a and b

Q: The Kodak employee had an arrangement with: a. An appraiser. b. An assessor. c. Both a and b d. None of the above

Q: What was Medtronic's involvement in the research on its Infuse bone product? a. It was paying the physicians involved in the research b. It was involved in drafting the articles on the research for publication in medical journals c. It released all the data from the research for further study d. All of the above

Q: What did hospital administrators report to the editors of Bone and Joint Surgery that resulted in the withdrawal of a previously published article? a. That the researcher who conducted the studies was not really a physician b. That the researcher who conducted the studies was paid by a competitor of Medtronics, the maker of the bone product, Infuse c. That the researcher had psychological problems d. That the researcher had falsified the data on patients

Q: What was the problem with the research and resulting publication on aspirin resistance? a. The researchers had falsified the data b. The researchers had received funding from pharmaceutical companies that sold drugs to aspirin resistant patients c. The researchers owned stock in the pharmaceutical companies that sold drugs to aspirin resistant patients d. The researchers owned stock in the companies that produced aspirin

Q: Which of the following activities by Taser resulted in newspaper reports about company practices? a. Taser was hiding safety data about the problems with Taser products b. Taser was paying police officer consultants with stock options c. Taser had established a foundation for fallen police officers and their families d. Taser was bribing city council members in order to have cities adopt the use of Tasers by police officers

Q: What motivated Sandy Weill's offer to do a favor for Jack Grubman? a. He wanted to be on the board at WorldCom b. He wanted Grubman to issue a positive report on WorldCom c. He wanted to oust his co-CEO d. He wanted to oust C. Michael Armstrong

Q: What company did Jack Grubman of Citi write a positive evaluation of in order to obtain a favor from Sandy Weill? a. Citi b. WorldCom c. Walmart d. AT&T

Q: Jack Grubman was involved in which of the following activities at Citi? a. Embezzlement b. IPO allocations to clients c. Negative analysis of WorldCom stock and performance d. All of the above

Q: Why did the SEC require Peter Lynch of Fidelity to pay a fine? a. He was involved in a bachelor party that got out of control b. He was not registered to be on the trading desk c. He obtained show and concert tickets through the trading desk d. He accepted gifts from traders at the trading desk

Q: What did Hughie Elbert Stover do at the Upper Big Branch mine that resulted in criminal charges against him and Massey Coal? a. He took federal mine inspectors on tours that avoided certain areas b. He instructed others to destroy mine document records c. He trained security guards to provide warnings over the radio about the presence of federal mine inspectors d. All of the above

Q: Which of the following influenced the behaviors of Cintas employees? a. Per-piece goals b. That managers ignored safety policies c. That other plants ignored safety policies d. All of the above

Q: Which of the following is a correct statement about employer liability for sleepy employees who fall asleep on the way home and cause accidents? a. Employers have no liability for these accidents b. Employers have been held liable for such accidents c. Employers are liable only if they pay the employees during their travel time to and from work d. Employers are not liable if employees volunteer for extra work hours

Q: Which of the following has been documented as an employer practice in order to meet safety numbers on injuries? a. Refusing medical treatment for an employee b. Wheeling an employee with a broken leg onto a construction site to avoid a lost work-day report c. Asking OSHA for a change in definitions d. All of the above

Q: The perks furnished by pharmaceutical companies to physicians: a. Are simply direct advertising methods. b. Are conflicts of interest. c. Do not influence the doctors decisions and are ethical. d. None of the above

Q: Jack Grubman, a financial analyst, committed which ethical breach(es) in order to earn a slot for his children in a preschool? a. Allowing a false impression b. Conflicts of interest c. Taking unfair advantage d. All of the above

Q: What is at issue when government officials take gifts from those they regulate? a. Conflicts of interest b. Corruption c. Public trust d. All of the above

Q: The Oil Spill Act: a. Requires oil companies to obtain environmental clearance from the federal government and the city before entering a city's port. b. Requires double-hulled boats. c. Imposes generic liability tax for oil tankers. d. Existed before the Exxon Valdez spill. e. None of the above

Q: What issue affected Grubman's relationship with Bernie Ebbers? a. His desire to get his children into a preschool b. IPO allocations c. His negative analysis of WorldCom d. None of the above

Q: How was the Grubman/Weill deal discovered? a. Grubman confessed b. Weill confessed c. E-mails from Grubman were discovered in other investigations d. None of the above

Q: Jack Grubman made his deal with Sandy Weill on his stock analysis: a. In order to obtain funding for WorldCom. b. In order to obtain funding for Citigroup. c. In order to gain a promotion at Salomon. d. None of the above

Q: Jack Grubman made a deal with Sandy Weill that affected his analysis of what company? a. Citigroup b. Salomon c. AT & T d. None of the above

Q: Evaluate the following statement from a doctor, "I always do what's best for my patients, and these gifts and dinners do not influence me." a. The doctor has established that there is no conflict of interest b. The doctor has established that there is a conflict of interest c. The doctor has eliminated the conflict of interest with this disclosure d. None of the above

Q: What was Captain Hazelwood's condition when the Valdez ran into a reef? a. He was asleep b. He had been drinking c. He had been working excessive hours d. a and b only e. All of the above

Q: Which of the following did Malden Mills not do in 2004? a. Partner with a Chinese factory b. Expand its military contracts c. Sell on QVC d. Both a and b e. Malden did all of the above

Q: What was the total cost to Malden Mills of paying Malden employees for six months while the factory was down? a. $10 million b. $25 million c. $300 million d. $430 million

Q: One newspaper headline, following Prudhoe Bay and the refinery explosion read, "BP = Big Problems for Oil Giant." Who of the following would feel a connection with the headline test? a. Peter Drucker b. Warren Buffett c. Albert Carr d. Robert Halfon

Q: What industry practice had BP failed to follow for its Prudhoe Bay pipeline maintenance? a. Smart-pigging b. Pipe flow tests c. Pipe inspections d. BP did all of the above

Q: Who named BP the world's most admired company? a. Fortune b. Business Ethics c. Business Week d. Forbes

Q: What accident at BP was a precursor to the Deepwater Horizon explosion?a. The Texas City refineryb. Prudhoe Bay pipelinec. The Atlantis rigd. There were no other deepwater wells that BP had that gave it experience and insight

Q: Which of the following employers is likely to have an English-only policy upheld? a. Hospital with surgery and trauma units b. An emergency call center c. The control room of a nuclear power plant d. All of the above

Q: After reading about the events in the Randi W case, which of the following would be the best advice you could give a supervisor who is looking for guidance on writing reference letters for employees who have been fired for cause, but who would like to avoid litigation against the company? a. Decline to write the letter or simply confirm employment b. Give the full story of the employee's termination from your perspective c. Write a positive letter to avoid defamation issues d. Turn over the information from the internal investigation on the former employee

Q: Dr. Joseph Biederman and Dr. Timothy Wilens are members of the psychiatry department at Harvard Medical School. The two scholars reported, in hindsight, $1.6 million they received from drug makers between 2000 and 2007. The two are known for their advocacy of the use of antipsychotic medicines in children and the paymentsto the two camefrom pharmaceutical firms that producesuch drugs. Consulting arrangements with the pharmas were already a topic of concern because the good docs advocated unapproved uses of the drugs. Dr. Biederman responded to the disclosure of the fees and his belated compliance with university policy on reporting consulting arrangements, "My interests are solely in the advancement of medical treatment through rigorous and objective study." Which of the following best describes what happened with Dr. Biederman? a. He eliminated the question of conflicts through his disclosure statement b. He is correct; he never had a conflict c. Either a or b d. None of the above

Q: You are at lunch when you notice one of your firm's delivery drivers sitting at the bar in the restaurant. The driver is having shots of tequila over the course of the lunch hour. He then returns to his truck in the parking lot and resumes deliveries. You: a. Should stop the driver. b. Should report the driver. c. Should take the keys to the truck. d. Should do all of the above.

Q: You are a sales associate with a large department store chain. You have noticed that a fellow sales associate has been taking high-ticket items home with her. You have checked the sales records and she has not been paying for the items. You should: a. Ignore the conduct because it is not your business. b. Ignore the conduct because she will be caught eventually. c. Confront her with your knowledge. d. Report her conduct to the police.

Q: You have witnessed one of your co-workers engaged in behavior that constitutes sexual harassment of one of the department secretaries. The secretary has spoken with you about the behavior and her concerns. She has also said, "Let me handle it." It seems that she is not able to handle it because the behavior has continued. You should: a. Talk with her again. b. Report the behavior. c. Talk with your co-worker. d. Any of the above

Q: Why are former employers reluctant to furnish negative information to prospective employers of their former employees? a. Most states prohibit such disclosures by law b. Invasion of privacy c. Slander or libel d. None of the above

Q: How did the information about Gadams's employment and letters of recommendation become known? a. The guardian of a Livingston student filed suit against the school b. Parents disclosed the information c. The issues with Gadams were on file with his teaching certification d. None of the above

Q: How many positive letters of recommendation did Gadams receive from administrators at the schools? a. Three b. Two c. Four d. None of the above

Q: How many schools was Gadams employed at prior to Livingston? a. Three b. Two c. Four d. None of the above

Q: What conduct was Gadams involved in while at Golden Plains School? a. Led a panty raid b. Made sexual overtures to students c. Made sexual remarks to students d. b and c only e. All of the above

Q: Who said he would "recommend him (Gadams) for almost any administrative position he wishes to pursue"? a. Gilbert Rossette b. Richard Cole c. Gary Rice d. David Malcolm

Q: What type of letter of recommendation did Gadams's receive from his first employer? a. The employer disclosed that Gadams had molested children b. The employer gave a glowing recommendation of Gadams and his ability c. The employer refused to give any information except to disclose that Gaddams had worked there d. None of the above

Q: Who is Gilbert Rossette? a. A teacher accused of molesting junior high students b. Head of California State Board of Education c. A professor at Fresno Pacific College d. An official at Mendota Unified School District