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BEC610S - BUSINESS ETHICS - 1ST OPP - JUNE 2024 |
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nAm I BIA unlVERSITY
OF SCIEnCE TECHnOLOGY
FACULTYOF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCEAND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
QUALIFICATION: DIPLOMA IN TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
MANAGEMENT
QUALIFICATION CODE: 0GDTVM
LEVEL: 6
COURSE CODE: BEC610S
COURSE NAME: BUSINESS ETHICS
SESSION: JUNE 2024
DURATION: 3 HOURS
PAPER: 1
MARKS: 100
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER
EXAMINER(S) DR O.A. ALOOVI
MODERATOR: MRS B.E. CLOETE
INSTRUCTIONS
1. This paper consists of two sections (section A and B).
2. Answer ALL the sections.
3. Read all the questions carefully before answering.
4. Number your answers clearly
THIS QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 12 PAGES (Including this front page)
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SECTION A
This section consists of 20 multiple choice questions. For each question, there are four possible
answers A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct. Write the question number and the letter
of your choice. E.g., 1. D.
QUESTION 1
[20]
1. _______
and _____
in simple words mean principles or codes of conduct that
governs transactions, in this case business transaction.
[1]
A. Values and morals
B. Values and ethics
C. Standards and ethics
D. Morals and ethics
2. Being fair, honest, and ethical is one of the basic human needs. Every employee's desire is to
be such himself and to work for an organisation that is fair and ethical in its practices. This
relates to:
[1]
A. Uniting People and Leadership
B. Creating Credibility
C. Satisfying Basic Human Needs
D. Improving Decision Making
3. When we trace the origin of business ethics, we start with a period where
________
was seen as the only purpose of existence for a business.
[1]
A. Ethics
B. Morals
C. Standards
D. Profit maximisation
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4.
is a wider term that includes many other sub ethics that are relevant to
the respective field.
[1]
A. Business ethics
B. Standard ethics
C. King report standards
D. Policies
5. ________
are meant to analyse problems that come up in the day-to-day course
of business operations.
[1]
A. Morals
B. Standards
C. Ethics
D. Procedure
6. An organisation that is believed to be driven by moral values is respected in the society even
by those who may have no information about the working and the businesses or an
organisation. This relates to
[1]
A. Satisfying Basic Human Needs
B. Creating Credibility
C. Uniting People and Leadership
D. Improving Decision Making
7. Identify the option that says individual's moral judgements are about right and wrong. [1]
A. Rules
B. Mores
C. Morals
D. Ethics
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8. Refraining from using confidential information for unethical or illegal advantage. This relates
to
[1]
A. Accountability
B. Confidentiality
C. Disclosure
D. Auditing
9. _____________
is the overall estimation in which an organisation is held
by its internal and external stakeholders based on its past actions and probability of its future
behaviour.
[1]
A. Corporate ethics
B. Corporate standards
C. Corporate reputation
D. Corporate regulations
10. __________
is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a company
is directed and controlled.
[1]
A. Ethics
B. Constitution
C. Corporate governance
D. King report
11. A ____
exists when a person chooses to advance his or her own personal interests. [1]
A. Fairness and honesty issue
B. Conflict of values
C. Business relationship problem
D. Conflict of interest
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12. The Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packages about the health implications of smoking is
an example of which of the following ethical issues?
[1]
A. Communications
B. Relationships within a business
C. Conflict of interest
D. Honesty
13. Business ethics relates to ------
[1]
A. Society's decisions
B. An individual's or work group's decisions
C. The standards for morally right and wrong conduct in business
D. Government decisions
14. Today, most companies view social responsibility as _____
_
[1]
A. An unnecessary burden
B. A way to improve their brand
C. A waste of time
D. Too costly to implement
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15. A supplier of pesticides has offered the farm manager a free two-week cruise if his firm gets a very
large order from the store. The most ethical course of action for the store manager to take would be
to.
[1]
A. Call the police
B. Accept the offer
C. Politely turn it down and discusses it with his supervisor
D. Accept it if the pesticide in question meets quality standards
16. A successful fast food restaurant has been ignoring customers' concerns about the small war toys
and toy guns included in their Kiddies meals. What should managers begin to focus on to improve the
firms?
[1]
A. Social responsibility
B. Moral standards
C. Moral responsibility
D. Ethical relativism
17. If the owner of a shoe store seeking a price reduction gives the manager of an athletic shoe
manufacturing company a new personal computer. Which approach is the shoe store owner using to
influence the manufacturer's decision making?
[1]
A. Tipping
B. Bribery
C. Computer impacting
D. Discounting
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18. Actions society deems unethical are _____
_
[1]
A. Always illegal
B. Socially responsible
C. Illegal but socially responsible
D. Not necessarily illegal
19. The most important step in understanding business ethics is _____
_
[1]
A. Establishing codes of ethics
B. Learning to recognize ethical issues
C. Having efficient operations
D. Implementing a strategic plan
20. Which of the following is an argument against social responsibility?
[1]
A. Businesses created many of the problems, so they should participate in finding solutions.
B. Businesses may lose their focus on profit-making.
C. As members of society businesses should do their fair share.
D. The survival of a healthy economy depends on businesses being socially responsible.
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SECTION B
This section consists of nine (9) structured questions. Answer ALL the questions.
QUESTION 2
[8]
Define the following terms associated with Business Ethics.
2.1 Corporate governance
[2]
2.2 Social responsibility
[2]
2.3 Bribery
[2]
2.4 Discrimination
[2]
QUESTION 3
[14)
Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The Head of Department was leaving for a consultation meeting in the morning, he asked John, a
trainer to supervise the cleaning of the automotive workshop by trainees during the day. I already
have plans to play tennis with my colleagues this afternoon, responds John. Around noon, John and
his two colleagues made plans that required them to borrow the institution's car the next day. John
decided to skip playing tennis and supervise the cleaning of the automotive workshop by trainees.
3.1 At what stage of moral development do you think John's decision was made? Justify your answer.
[2]
3.2 Explain any three stages of moral development.
[6]
3.3 What are the distinctions between traditional utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism and why did
theorists create rule utilitarianism?
[6]
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QUESTION 4
[9]
4.1 Distinguish between ethics and business ethics.
[4]
4.2 In your view, why is business ethics important in any business/company?
[2]
4.3 State any three business ethical principles that you have learned in this course.[3]
QUESTION 5
[6]
Normative ethics involves supplying and justifying moral systems. Eventhough business ethics covers
a variety of topics, there are three basic types of issues it focuses on.
Explain the three basic types of issues as outlined by Velasquez.
[6]
QUESTION 6
[5]
Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Due to the economic downfall in Namibia, John was retrenched from his work as an artisan for five
years in a local company. After retrenchment, John used his retrenchment benefits and his savings to
start up an accommodation business. He uses the profit from his business to feed his family as well
as to pay his children's school fees.
John as a landlord, and his tenant, a lady with two children both under the age of four years,
havefailed to pay rent for the past five months. John took legal action against her; an eviction order
was granted. When John arrived, of course, accompanied by the police, it was cold and raining.
What would John do? Would he keep her until the weather improves after six months thereby letting
his family starve and his children be kicked out of school due to unpaid school fees as well as turning
his business into a charity- or would he evict her? Motivate your answer.
[S]
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QUESTION 7
Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
[14]
The Case of the Collapsed Mine
In a town in West Zambia, miners were digging coal in a tunnel thousands of feet below the surface.
Some gas build-ups had been detected during the two preceding days, and the director of safety had
reported it to the mine manager. The build-up was sufficiently serious to have temporally stopped
operations until it was cleared. The manager of the mine decided that the build-up was only
marginally dangerous, that he had coal orders to fill, that he could not afford to close the mine, and
that he would take the chance that the gas would dissipate before it exploded. He told the director of
safety not to say a anything about the danger. Two days later, the gas exploded. One section of the
tunnel collapsed, killing three miners, and trapping eight others in a pocket. The rest managed to
escape.
The explosion was one of great force, and the extent of the tunnel's collapse was considerable. The
cost of reaching the men in time to save their lives would amount to several million dollars. The
problem facing the manager was whether the expenditure of such a large sum was worth it. What,
after all, was a human life worth? Who should make the decision, and how should it be made? Did
the manager owe more to the stakeholders of the corporation or to the trapped workers? Should he
use the slower, safer, cheaper way of reaching them and save a large sum of money, or the faster,
more dangerous, more expensive way, and possibly save their lives.
He decided on the latter way and asked for volunteers. Twelve dozen of men volunteered. After three
days, the operation proved to be more difficult than anyone had anticipated. There had been two
more explosions, and three of those involved in the rescue operation had already been killed. In the
meantime, telephone contact had been made with the trapped men, who had been fortunate enough
to find a telephone line that was still functioning. They were starving. Having previously read about a
similar case, they decided that the only way for them to survive long enough for any one of them to
be saved was to draw lots. Correctively they agreed to kill and eat the one who drew the shortest
straw. They felt it was their duty that at least some of them be found alive; otherwise, the three who
had died rescuing them would have died in vain.
After 20 days, seven men were finally rescued, alive; they had fed their fellow miners. The director of
safety, who had detected the gas before the explosion, informed the newspaper of his report. The
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manager was charged with criminal negligence, but before giving up his position, he fired the director
of safety. The mine eventually resumed operation.
7.1 Discuss the ethical course of action that all parties in the case should have considered with a
specific focus on steps that would have constituted ethical behaviour.
[S]
7.2 In your view, what action should the director of safety take to make it morally justifiable?
[S]
7.3 Explain two ethical principles that the mine manager neglected that led to the collapsing of the
mine.
(4]
QUESTION 8
[8]
Imagine the following scenario.
An elderly man who is hardly known in the community is looking for space for his child at the local
vocational centre. At the same time a prominent businessman who provides financial assistance to
the local TVETcentres is also in need of space for his child at the same vocational centre. They both
submitted their children's applications for admission at the local vocational centre. As a centre
manager upon receiving the two applications, you realized that there is only one space available.
8.1 Using the rule of utilitarianism, explain what the centre manager should do.
[2]
8.2 Suppose the centre manager decided to admit the businessman's child based on the support the
centre received from his father; what implication does that action have on the TVETcentre. [2]
8.3 Explain the two parts of the theory of rule utilitarianism.
(4]
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QUESTION 9
[12]
Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Peter is a centre manager of a TVETtraining provider. As part of his duties, he supervises six middle
managers; five of these managers are men. Only one of the managers is a black man, and one is a
white female.
Peter is replacing one ofthe white male managers. He has advertised the position both internally and
externally as required by his company's policies. After reviewing all the applications, he believes that
Steve, a black employee of the company for 12 years, is the most qualified applicant. However, in the
pool of applicants, there are three qualified white females and two qualified white men.
9.1 Morally, what should Peter do? Justify your answer.
[3]
9.2 What are the three basic elements of discrimination in employment?
[3]
9.3 According to the utilitarian view, why is discrimination in the workplace unethical?
[2]
9.4 What kind of employment practices are clearly discriminatory?
[2]
9.5 In your view, what does the concept preferential treatment entails?
[2]
QUESTION 10
[4]
A lady who works as a cleaner at the local restaurant noticed that the restaurant's chef typically
reheats three- or four-day-old food and serves it as fresh. When she informed the manager, she was
told to forget it.
10.1 According to ethical principles, what is the lady required to do? Motivate your answer.
[2]
10.2 What is the difference between a whistle blower and whistle blowing?
[2]
TOTAL MARKS: 100
END OF EXAMINATION PAPER
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