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APPENDIX B:
1983 BUSINESS LEADER
QUESTIONS |
| A. The individual and the Group | |||||||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | |||||
| 1. The individual is the most fundamental unit in our society. | |||||||||
| 2.
Work ethics such as hard work, diligence, thrift, respect for authority, etc. are the most important guidelines for conducting our lives. |
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| 3.
All institutions in our society should seek to protect and promote the interests of individuals. |
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| 4.
Individual freedom may have to be partly restricted in order for organizations to function effectively. |
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| B. Equality | |||||||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | |||||
| 1.
All individuals deserve an equal opportunity to enter the higher paying and more prestigious occupations. |
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| 2.
Government should intervene in education and in labor markets to assure equality of opportunity. |
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| 3.
Income and employment should be determined by an individual’s productivity. Those who work harder and/or have greater natural ability should earn higher incomes. |
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| 4.
The existing range of incomes in the United States is, in general, a fair distribution. |
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| C. Role of Government | |||||||||
| 1.
Government should redistribute income in order to assure a minimum standard of living for all citizens. |
Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
Government should not directly redistribute income. Instead it should try to make incomes more equal by promoting equality of opportunity and a healthy economy. |
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| 3.
Government currently restricts individual and organizational freedom to such an extent that efficiency is often sacrificed. |
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| 4.
In the future, government may have to restrict individual and organizational freedom even more in order to promote the common good and solve society’s major problems. |
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| 5.
Government should provide incentives for business to get involved in solving social problems. |
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| D. Role of Technology | |||||||||
| 1.
The quality of life can best be improved by the effective application
of technological innovations. |
StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
The quality of life can best be improved by the effective application
of the kinds of knowledge which colleges teach in humanities, philosophy and social science courses. |
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| II. YOUR VIEWS REGARDING THE SOURCES OF ETHICAL STANDARDS | |||||||||
| Many
factors can influence a businessperson’s ethical standards and ethical
practice. Which of the following factors influence the average business executive’s ethical standards? (Circle the number which best conveys your opinion). |
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| To What Extent are Ethical Standards Influenced by | |||||||||
| 1. Formal company policy and procedure | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2. Peer group pressure | |||||||||
| 3. Prevailing industry practice | |||||||||
| 4. Perceived preference of your boss | |||||||||
| 5. Family Experiences | |||||||||
| 6. Your church experiences | |||||||||
| 7. Your educational experiences | |||||||||
| 8. Your company’s ethical code or policy | |||||||||
| 9. Your professional ethical code | |||||||||
| 10. Society’s moral climate | |||||||||
| III. YOUR VIEWS REGARDING THE ROLE OF THE CORPORATION | |||||||||
| This
section asks for your opinions regarding the role of the business corporation in our society. ( Circle the number that best conveys your opinion) |
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| 1. A corporation’s primary responsibility is to its stockholders. | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
A corporation is equally responsible to its stockholders, employees, customers, and other interested parties. |
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| 3.
Corporations should take the lead in solving major social problems such
as pollution, discriminations and safety. |
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| 4.
Corporations should not become involved in solving social problems unless doing so becomes a cost of doing business or an opportunity to earn a profit. |
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| 5.
Most corporations get involved in social responsibility projects because
outside pressures make such involvement a cost of doing business. |
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| 6.
Most corporations get involved in social responsibility projects because
their managements believe it is the right action to take, regardless of the effect on the company’s profits. |
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| 7.
Most corporations get involved in social responsibility projects because
of the public relations value of such projects. |
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| IV. YOUR VIEWS REGARDING THE ETHICS OF BUSINESS PRACTICE | |||||||||
| A. General | |||||||||
| 1.
The typical business executive has two sets of ethical standards, one
which he/she applies to business activities and another which is applied to his/her private life. |
StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2. Ethical standards in business are lower than in government. | |||||||||
| 3. Ethical standards in business are lower than in government. | |||||||||
| 4. Ethical standards in business are lower than in the typical American family. | |||||||||
| 5.
The ethical standards I use in business are higher than the standards
of my supervisor. |
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| 6.
The ethical standards I use in business are higher than the standards
used by the people who work for me. |
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| 7.
The ethical standards I use in business are higher than the standards
of my counterparts in other companies. |
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| 8.
The ethical standards I use in business are as high as those I practice
with my family and friends. |
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| 9.
I occasionally make decision which are right for my business but which are inconsistent with my personal ethical principles. |
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| 10.
Most ethical decisions which I encounter involve conflict between the legitimate claims of two or more parties (e.g., stockholder vs. customer, employee vs. stockholder, etc.) |
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| B. Customer Relationships | |||||||||
| 1. Much advertising done by business is misleading to the consumer. | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2. Effective advertising may have to be somewhat misleading. | |||||||||
| 3. Some government regulation of labeling is needed to protect the consumer. | |||||||||
| 4. Government safety regulations are needed to protect the consumer. | |||||||||
| 5. Truth in lending regulations are needed to protect the customer. | |||||||||
| 6. Antitrust laws prohibiting price fixing benefit the customer. | |||||||||
| 7. It is in the long run self interest of business to protect the customer. | |||||||||
| 8.
The average customer is less ethical in dealing with business than the business is in dealing with that customer. |
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| C. Employee Relationships | |||||||||
| 1.
No employee should be required to engage in business practices which that employee considers unethical. |
StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
In accepting an employment offer each employee implicitly agrees to abide by the ethical standards of the employer, even if the company standards differ from those of the employee. |
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| 3. Lazy or incompetent employees should be fired. | |||||||||
| 4.
Management should not fire lazy or incompetent employees, rather they should be provided counseling in an effort to improve their performance. |
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| 5.
A company should have formal policies to guarantee that every employee has an equal opportunity for promotion, pay increases, and other rewards provided by the firm. |
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| 6. Wages and salaries should vary according to an employee’s productivity. | |||||||||
| 7.
Wages and salaries should vary according to both the employee’s productivity an years of service with the firm. |
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| 8.
Wages and salaries should vary primarily with the employee’s years of service with the firm. |
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| 9. Government supervised equal employment opportunity legislation is necessary. | |||||||||
| 10.
Labor unions serve a useful purpose by prodding a particular management into fulfilling its responsibilities to labor. |
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| D. Stockholder Relationships | |||||||||
| 1. The corporation should seek to maximize short run profits. | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
The corporation should seek to earn a satisfactory rate of return for
stockholders. |
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| 3. The corporation should seek to maximize long run profits. | |||||||||
| E. Relationships with Competitors | |||||||||
| 1. The ethical standards in competition are determined by the least ethical competitor. If one firm engages in unethical conduct the others will have to follow in order to survive. | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2. The antitrust laws promote a higher standard of ethics among competing firms. | |||||||||
| F. Relationship with the Community | |||||||||
| The corporation has a responsibility to: | |||||||||
| 1. Promote equal opportunity in hiring and promotion. | StronglyAgree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | StronglyDisagree | ||||
| 2.
Conserve natural resources, even if doing so means a reduction in corporate profits. |
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| 3.
Promote conservation of energy even if doing so means a reduction in profits. |
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| 4.
Clean up or avoid causing air, noise and water pollution even if doing so means a reduction in profits. |
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| 5.
Contribute money and management time to civic activities in communities where the firm has plants or offices. |
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