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The Importance of Business Ethics

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CHAPTER 1 – THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS

1. -------------------------------------------------
What are the potential ethical issues faced by Acme Corporation?
By Frank giving gifts to Otis to entice him into purchasing more inventory, the ethical issue of bribery arises. If consumers or potential customers learn about Frank giving gifts to get sales, it could cost Acme Corporation fines and declined consumer trust. Outsiders could perceive Acme’s misconduct as a bribe or the impression that the company has to give bribes because their products are inferior. In addition, the fact that Frank is concerned about management finding out about the gift giving to Thermocare; despite Amber’s approval of his actions, means Acme may not approve of the gift giving, or the misappropriation of corporate funds.

2. -------------------------------------------------
What should Acme do if there is a desire to make ethics a part of its core organizational values?
An ethics program should be created and an ethics officer assigned to oversee it. The program should include the values, beliefs, and established and enforced patterns of conduct that employees will need to have in place to identify and respond to ethical issues. The company may also want to include a section in the ethics protocol that bans gift giving to attract sales.

3. -------------------------------------------------
Identify the ethical issues of which Frank needs to be aware.
The ethical issues Frank needs to be aware of is, perceived bribery for giving gifts to Otis, misappropriation of company funds for the Cubs tickets and the trip to Cancun, and the possibility of the loss of consumer trust if Acme is exposed for bribery. In addition, Frank should have went with his ‘gut feeling’ when he was questioning himself on whether he should pay for Otis’ trip to the adult entertainment

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