VOA021 - Fall 2011 Page 1 of 4

NORWEGIAN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Examination fall semester 2011

Code: VOA021

Course title: Frontiers of Business Ethics: Moral Issues in Business Practice

Handed out:

November 11th at 14.00 (2:00 p.m.) (Info Center and Its Learning) November 17th before 14.00 (2:00 p.m.) (Info Center) in 3 copies

Hand in:

Please remember to write your candidate number on the front page. Your candidate number can be found in the StudentWeb. The code for this exam is VOA021. You may respond in English or Norwegian. Your exam paper should not exceed 15 pages, not including references, table of contents and title page. Use the Times New Roman-font, size 12 and 1.5 line spacing.

Questions regarding the assignments: telephone 97 11 51 08.

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PART 1 You should answer two (2) of the three assignments in part 1

Assignment 1.1 What determines (un)ethical behavior?

According to Zsolnais Moral Economic Man model, (un)ethical behavior is co-determined by the individuals moral character and the relative cost of ethical action. Give a concrete example from your own experience that illustrates this model, and discuss how the two factors of the model interact in order to produce ethical or unethical behavior in the case.

Assignment 1.2 In search of the ethically relevant

Discuss how we may use the concept ethically relevant factors in order to analyze an ethical problem in practice. Give concrete examples of how you would distinguish between ethically relevant and ethically irrelevant factors, and what this implies for your judgment in the particular case(s).

Assignment 1.3 Beyond economics

In the case Fair Trade, we discussed in class that Fair Trade aims to empower workers (particularly women), build communities and promote sustainability. Give an account of how different values are at stake in the case of Fair Trade, and discuss the limits of thinking in purely economic terms about such a complex problem.

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PART 2 You should answer two (2) of the three assignments in part 2

Assignment 2.1 Corruption

Corruption is an important topic in business ethics. However, different cultures have different regulatory systems and different perceptions of what constitutes corruption.

Present two or three authentic or fictional cases of corruption or bribery and discuss how they differ in degree of harmfulness (to important stakeholders) and blameworthiness (of the decision maker). What are the most important ethically relevant factors?

Discuss the cases with respect to these questions: 1. What is the essence of the problem? 2. Who are the relevant stakeholders? 3. Which values are at stake? 4. Who has responsibility? 5. What are the relevant action alternatives?

If you want, you can use the case The bribe (about fish export to Russia), which we have discussed in class, as one of the two or three cases. You may use frameworks from the course to support your discussion.

Assignment 2.2 Responsibility

Present an ethical dilemma you have encountered in your own life (as a student, as an employee, as a friend, etc.), and where it was difficult for you to evaluate what was your responsibility.

Give an account of the problem, its ethically relevant factors and the values at stake. Discuss the problem from an ethical point of view and judge what you should do/should have done and why.

Use relevant concepts and/or frameworks from the course to structure your discussion.

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Assignment 2.3 Happiness: less is more?

a) Briefly discuss the relevance of the statement: Less is more as a basis for individual and collective happiness. Also, compare it to one or more rival concepts of happiness. Use relevant concepts and/or frameworks from the course to support your argument. b) Empirical studies reveal that people gain more pleasure from giving when they do not get anything in return. Discuss why this may be the case. Also, discuss the limits of narrow self-interest in a happiness perspective. Use concrete examples, and support your argument by using concepts or frameworks from the course.