BUSINESS ETHICS CASE STUDY - Cengage



Name Class Date

business ethics

DIRECTIONS: WORK WITH A PARTNER AND READ EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS. THEN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW EACH SCENARIO TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INDIVIDUALS ACTED ETHICALLY.

Scenario 1

Henry owns a large tract of land in the northern part of the state. For several years, there has been informal talk among lawmakers and developers about developing a new Interstate highway that would run right through Henry’s land. However, Henry has heard nothing about this. The land has been in his family for over 50 years. He plans to retire there in three years and build a new home for him and his wife.

Jamie, a major developer in the state, is aware of the possibility of the new Interstate highway. He knows that Henry’s land could be very important to the project if it moves forward. The land owner could make a substantial profit.

Jamie decides that he will meet with Henry and offer to buy his land. He plans to offer Henry about half of what the land will sell for if the Interstate project develops. He does not plan to tell Henry about the possibility of the proposed Interstate project.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the major ethical issues involved in this case?

2. Is Jamie acting ethically? Explain your answer.

3. Does Henry have a right to know about the possibility of the Interstate project? Explain your answer.

4. What would you do if you were a land developer who was interested in purchasing Henry’s land?

Scenario 2

As unit manager, you are responsible for monitoring the e-mail and Internet usage of the four people you supervise. If you find anything that violates the company’s acceptable use policy, you are to report it to the departmental manager.

Mary is not only your coworker, but she is also a good friend outside of work. Recently you found that Mary has been spending a large part of her workday researching health care and visiting the websites of assisted living centers. You know that Mary’s father has been having some health problems. Mary is very concerned about her father and how best to handle his health care issues. But as Mary’s supervisor you are concerned because much of her work day is being spent on personal issues. Her work is beginning to suffer.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the major ethical issues involved in this situation?

2. Would you talk to Mary as a friend? Why or why not?

3. Would you talk to Mary as her supervisor? Why or why not?

4. Would you report Mary’s inappropriate use of company time to the department manager? Why or why not?

5. Would you ignore this and hope Mary corrects her work habits? Why or why not?

6. What do you think is the best approach to take to handle this situation?

Name Class Date

time log

DIRECTIONS: CHOOSE A TIME PERIOD (ONE DAY, ONE WEEK, ONE MONTH) AND KEEP A LOG OF YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES. AT THE END OF THE TIME PERIOD, REVIEW HOW YOU SPENT YOUR TIME. IDENTIFY TIME WASTERS AND THINGS THAT YOU CAN ELIMINATE FROM YOUR ROUTINE IN ORDER TO MAKE MORE PRODUCTIVE USE OF YOUR TIME. DETERMINE WHETHER MOST OF YOUR ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED IN ADVANCE OR ARE LAST-MINUTE ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH YOU HAD NOT PLANNED. MANY UNPLANNED ACTIVITIES CAN RESULT IN INEFFICIENT USE OF YOUR TIME. AFTER KEEPING YOUR TIME LOG, WRITE A SHORT REPORT DESCRIBING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT HOW YOU USE YOUR TIME. EXPLAIN WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO MAKE ANY CHANGES IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.

| | | | |Value of Activity | |

| | | |Was This Activity |to You (high, | |

| | |Finish Time |Planned? |medium, low) | |

|Activity |Start Time | | | |Notes |

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Name Class Date

Business plan template

DIRECTIONS: AS YOU ASSEMBLE YOUR FINAL BUSINESS PLAN, BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE INCLUDED ALL OF THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE ITEMS, REFER TO CHAPTER 3 FOR A DETAILED EXPLANATION.

Business Plan

I. Introductory Elements

A. Cover Letter

B. Title Page

C. Table of Contents

D. Statement of Purpose

E. Executive Summary

II. Introduction

A. Detailed Description

B. Ownership and Legal Structure

C. Skills and Experience

D. Advantages over Competitors

III. Marketing

A. Products/Services

B. Market

C. Industry

D. Location

IV. Financial Management

A. Identification of Risks

B. Financial Statements

C. Funding Request and Return on Investment

V. Operations

A. Explanation of Management Procedures

B. Hiring and Personnel Plans

C. Production Equipment

D. Production Process

E. Harvest Strategy

VI. Concluding Statement

Summary of business goals and objectives

VII. Appendix

Supporting documents such as personal financial statement, resume, tax returns, lease or purchase agreements, copies of licenses, letters of recommendation, and sales contracts

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