CEA Decision-Making Frameworks & Integrity Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the Potter Box ethical decision-making model, what is the FIRST step a decision-maker should take?
- Select a loyalty
- Define the situation (Correct answer)
- Identify values
- Apply ethical principles
Correct answer: Define the situation
The Potter Box begins with defining the situation before moving to values, principles, and loyalties.
Question 2: A manager suspects a vendor is overbilling but has no hard proof. Under the 'Front Page Test,' what question should guide the manager's next action?
- Would my supervisor approve of this?
- Would I be comfortable if this decision appeared in tomorrow's news headline? (Correct answer)
- Does this maximize company profit?
- Is this action explicitly prohibited in our code of conduct?
Correct answer: Would I be comfortable if this decision appeared in tomorrow's news headline?
The Front Page Test asks whether you would be comfortable seeing your decision reported publicly in the media.
Question 3: Which ethical framework argues that the morality of an action is determined solely by its consequences and the greatest good for the greatest number?
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
- Utilitarianism (Correct answer)
- Social contract theory
Correct answer: Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, associated with Bentham and Mill, judges actions by their outcomes and overall benefit to the majority.
Question 4: An employee faces pressure from peers to falsify a safety report. Maintaining professional integrity in this context PRIMARILY means:
- Agreeing with the majority to preserve team cohesion
- Adhering to one's professional obligations despite social pressure (Correct answer)
- Escalating the issue only after the report is filed
- Seeking legal counsel before taking any action
Correct answer: Adhering to one's professional obligations despite social pressure
Integrity requires upholding professional standards and truthfulness even when peer pressure pushes toward misconduct.
Question 5: The PLUS ethical decision-making model uses four filters. Which filter asks whether a decision is consistent with organizational policies?
- U — Universal
- P — Policies (Correct answer)
- L — Legal
- S — Self
Correct answer: P — Policies
The P in PLUS stands for Policies and asks whether the decision aligns with the organization's written policies.
Question 6: When applying Rawls' 'Veil of Ignorance' to an organizational ethics decision, a decision-maker should:
- Consider only the interests of senior leadership
- Make decisions without knowing their own position or role in the outcome (Correct answer)
- Prioritize the most profitable option regardless of fairness
- Rely exclusively on majority vote among stakeholders
Correct answer: Make decisions without knowing their own position or role in the outcome
Rawls' veil of ignorance requires imagining you do not know your own status, ensuring fairness for all parties.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes 'moral disengagement' as a risk factor in organizational ethics?
- Employees choosing to report misconduct anonymously
- Psychological mechanisms that allow individuals to disengage ethical self-sanctions and conduct harmful acts (Correct answer)
- A formal process for suspending an employee under investigation
- Reduced compliance training budgets
Correct answer: Psychological mechanisms that allow individuals to disengage ethical self-sanctions and conduct harmful acts
Moral disengagement, described by Bandura, refers to cognitive mechanisms such as rationalization that allow people to bypass their own ethical standards.
CEA Decision-Making Frameworks & Integrity Standards 2
In the Potter Box ethical decision-making model, what is the FIRST step a decision-maker should take?