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Chapter 5: The Impact of Culture and Time on Business Ethics

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Chapter 5: The Impact of Culture and Time on Business Ethics

17 problems · 0 figures

5-1 §5.1 source ↗

The fact that a McDonald's in Indonesia might provide sambal chili sauce to its customers rather than ketchup is as an example of ________.
  1. a.
    acculturation
  2. b.
    consumerism
  3. c.
    enculturation
  4. d.
    globalization

Answer

A. acculturation

5-2 §5.1 source ↗

What is the major difference between enculturation and acculturation?

Answer

Enculturation is the process by which humans learn the characteristics, values, and rules to participate in a society more generally, whereas acculturation is the introduction of the values, worldview, philosophy, or practice of one culture into another.

5-3 §5.1 source ↗

How might consumerism be at odds with the growing concern for business ethics?

Answer

As an extreme preoccupation with buying and owning, consumerism runs counter to the new sensitivity to ethics and human flourishing in business, because it defines people not by their humanity but by their purchasing power.

5-4 §5.1 source ↗

Globalization is evidence that business is culturally neutral.
  1. a.
    True
  2. b.
    False

Answer

B. False

5-5 §5.2 source ↗

Protecting owners' interests was a common feature of ________.
  1. a.
    the Industrial Revolution
  2. b.
    the Information Age
  3. c.
    the Dodd-Frank Act
  4. d.
    muckraking

Answer

A. the Industrial Revolution

5-6 §5.2 source ↗

All ethical standards are relative and should be treated as such.
  1. a.
    True
  2. b.
    False

Answer

B. False

5-7 §5.2 source ↗

The United Nations Global Compact is a set of standards that is binding worldwide.
  1. a.
    True
  2. b.
    False

Answer

B. False

5-8 §5.2 source ↗

What did the decision in Shlensky v. Wrigley (1968) establish in ethical terms? How does it compare to the decision in Dodge v. Ford Motor Company (1919)?

Answer

Shlensky v. Wrigley gave boards of directors and management more latitude in determining how to balance the interests of stakeholders. This was in contrast to Dodge v. Ford Motor Company, which validated the rule of shareholder primacy.

5-9 §5.3 source ↗

Values of Protestant Christianity were often used to justify ________.
  1. a.
    mercantilism
  2. b.
    Standard Oil's overseas investments
  3. c.
    business success during the Industrial Revolution
  4. d.
    secular humanism

Answer

C. business success during the Industrial Revolution

5-10 §5.3 source ↗

Religion continues to be a forceful influence on ethical systems.
  1. a.
    True
  2. b.
    False

Answer

A. True

5-11 §5.3 source ↗

Define localization and name at least three items that might be included as part of a localization effort.

Answer

Localization is the process of adapting a product for use or sale in other nations and cultures. This might include language translation, adapting content to the tastes and consumption habits of the local market, and converting measurements.

5-12 §5.3 source ↗

How would you reconcile cultural differences between so-called contact and noncontact cultures in the context of business negotiations?

Answer

This can be a matter of managing expectations. Managers must do the work required for any business deal but deliver it in a way that is culturally sensitive, even if that means negotiating details like project deadlines and the conduct of meetings and agreeing to have different expectations of those in a different cultural context.

5-13 §5.4 source ↗

Businesses today are concerned with balancing profitability with responsibility. Therefore, they should ________.
  1. a.
    pay attention to culture
  2. b.
    go beyond compliance
  3. c.
    hire moral people
  4. d.
    hire outside consultants to monitor their supply chain

Answer

A. pay attention to culture

5-14 §5.4 source ↗

What are the levels upon which business ethics exists?
  1. a.
    compliance and governance
  2. b.
    federal, state, and local
  3. c.
    normative and descriptive
  4. d.
    individual, organizational, and societal

Answer

D. individual, organizational, and societal

5-15 §5.4 source ↗

Why is conscience the locus or center of ethical behavior in business?

Answer

Conscience is the locus of ethical behavior in business because individuals acting in free association make up the business or organization. They are motivated by their inner voice to act responsibly toward each other and their stakeholders—or not.

5-16 §5.4 source ↗

Describe the challenge of identifying a universal set of ethics.

Answer

Although many agree on the importance of goals like acting with honesty and fairness and treating people as ends rather than means, their implementation is extremely complex, because people have different understandings of what is honest, fair, or an end in itself. The result may be a series of diverse rules rather than one set.

5-17 §5.4 source ↗

How does humanities in ethics differ from a humanistic business model?

Answer

A humanistic business model focuses on leadership development and the data of social science about how to motivate people. Humanities in ethics looks to case methods, novels, short stories, and plays to gain insight into human behavior.

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Problems and answers are adapted from Business Ethics by Stephen M. Byars and Kurt Stanberry, OpenStax, and are used under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/business-ethics/pages/1-introduction. Illustrations: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This adaptation is released under the same licence, is non-commercial, and is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by OpenStax or Rice University.