Case Study : Chapter 1

Questions to Consider

1. Which issue is more disconcerting- the fact that a board member leaked confidential information about the firm or the tactics used to investigate the leak? defend your position.

In my opinion the most disconcerting is the fact that a board member leaked confidential information about the firm. Because even thou they are a board member they still leaked an information that is against the rules of the Company.

2. Can the use of pretexting to gain information ever be justified? is it consider legal under any circumstances.

For me Pretexting is illegal. Because you are doing things that are not assigned to you to gain information in a particular company that you are working in.


Discussion Questions

1. There are many ethical issues about which people hold very strong opinions-abortions, gun control and the death penalty, to name a few. if you were a team member on a project with someone whom you knew held an opinion different from yours on one of these issues, would it affect your ability to work with this person? why or why not?

Base on my opinion as part of a team member project it will not affect my abilities to work with them. Because as a team we should help each other and share ideas about the issues .

2. What do you think are the most important factors that helped you define your own personal code of ethics?

For me the most important factors that will helped me define my own personal code of ethics is being open minded and listed to the advices and experience of the people .

3. Do you think that ethics in business is improving or getting worse ? defend your position.

As the generation goes by, I think the ethics in business is improving because of the new technologies that is presented to us the help us a lot in terms of business and make our work fast.

4. The ethics resource center identified five characteristics of a successful ethics program suggest a sixth characteristic, and  defend your choice.

I would suggest the characteristic of being “Respectful”. Because without Respect to each other there will be no unity in the work .

5. Which incident has a higher negative impact on an organization-an unethical act performed by an hourly worker or the same act performed by a senior manager of the organization? explain your answer fully. should the hourly worker be treated differently than the senior manager who committed the unethical act? why or why not?

In my opinion they both have the higher impact on an organization. Because they both work in their field and  they should be treated fairly because the both work in the same company that every worker should be treated equally.

6. It is a common and acceptable practice for managers to hold people accountable to meet "stretch" goals, quotas, and budgets. How can this be done in a way that does not encourage unethical behavior on the part of employees.

  
For me it is important, because in this way the salary per hour will be computed based on the hours they worked. As observed now a day the company gives Orientation to the workers for able to them to understand more how the company hold them accountable meet.

7. Is every action that is legal also ethical? can you describe an action that is legal but ethically wrong? is every ethical action also legal? is the law, not ethics, the only guide that business managers need to consider? explain.
 
For me It depends on how the employee done the work given to him. Example of this is when an employee given a task to make a research paper and it’s been approved by the manager and you also give it to other companies for you also to benefit extra money in that way its ethically wrong.

 
8. do you think it is easier to establish an ethical work environment in a nonprofit organization? why or why not?
   
In my opinion and based on my observation now a day it is hard to establish a organization that is nonprofit, because now a day people need money in order for them to sustain their needs .

 
9. This chapter discusses the four approaches to dealing with moral issues. identify and briefly summarize each one. do you believe one perspective is better than others? if so, which one and why?

Beneficence -To do what is in the patient’s best interests

Nonmaleficence Not to cause harm and, indeed, to seek to prevent it

Autonomy (‘self-rule’) To respect the right of the individual to make choices about his or her own life in the context of equal respect for everyone else involved

Justice -To treat all patients fairly and without unfair discrimination

For me the better perspective than other is Justice because as said on the definition all should be treated fairly and without unfair discrimination.


Discussion Questions

1. CA executives involved the accounting scandal were not accused of reporting bogus contracts or hiding major problems in business. The contracts that were backdated were real sales agreements. Was this really a crime? Should the individuals have been punished so harshly?

In my opinion it is a crime, because the employee or the individuals hide the major problem in the company and the contracts that was backdated was also hidden by the people behind the scandal.

2. In December 2004, CA appointed Patrick J. Gnazzo as a senior chief compliance officer to demonstrate to the government and shareholders that the firm would take measures to operate ethically, Gnazzo served in this role at United Technologies for 10 years and had been a member of the board directors of the ethics Offices Association .Gnazzo reported to a  new executive vice president and a general counsel at CA as well as the board's Compliance committee. Outline some of the Actions Gnazzo might have been taken in his first six months on the job


3. John Swainson, a 26-year veteran of IBM, joined CA in November 2004 as CEO and President his first few months with the firm were rough- major customers threatened to dumb the firm some products were behind schedule and were of poor quality; executives had to be fired for breaking company  rules; accountants continued to find past mistakes; and many newly hired executives had to be brought on board. what sort leadership could he have demonstrated to show that he was determined to avoid future scandals at CA?


4. CA has been hit with numerous scandals since the late 1990's. these scandals raise questions about how successful the firm might have been if not for the amount of time its executives had to spend on this distractions. compare the revenue growth and stock price of CA to that of some of its competitors over the period 2004-2008 (be sure to use CA's corrected figures!) can you detect any impact of these scandals on CA's performance? what else might explain the difference in performance?

Discussion Question

1. Identify at least two other companies that mange their suppliers in a manner similar to Dell computers. Do these companies have anything in common with Dell?


2. Can you identify any disadvantages for dell in taking the approach to managing suppliers?


3. Do you think that this approach to managing suppliers is unethical, or is it acceptable and ethical? Explain your reasoning.


4. Would you recommend any changes to the way Dell manages suppliers? Defend your position.


Discussion Question

1. Discuss how a CIO might handle Schrage's Scenarios using the suggested process for ethical decision making presented in this chapter.

In my opinion the CIO should orient the process of formal and ethical process , because if it is not oriented they will have different thought about the company

2. Discuss the possible short-term losses and long-term gains in implementing ethical solutions for each of Schrage's scenarios.

Base on my understanding short term losses that are business losses some of their amount of quantity and long term losses is they have the current need to put up a project or business.


3. Must businesses choose between good ethics and financial benefits? explain your answer using Schrage's scenarios as example. 

Base on what I have understand if the company choose the financial benefits but in a wrong process of making financial benefits the ethics is not apply because it is illegally wrong , but if the business choose good ethics and with the correct process that’s the way that company will be successful.