Collins, Business Ethics 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Test Bank
CHAPTER 4: HIRING ETHICAL PEOPLE
Multiple Choice
1.According to the text, what is the most important factor for developing and reinforcing
a high-integrity work culture?
a. hiring ethical job applicants
b. engaging in workforce-wide ethics training
c. establishing a written code of ethics
d. setting examples through the behavior of the CEO and upper management
2. What is the first step in managing ethical work behaviors?
a. the official employee review
b. the employee-manager relationship
c. employee orientation
d. the hiring process
3. An employer is hiring for a new position in their company. She has a candidate she
likes and offers the candidate the position, then has the candidate undergo a drug
screening process. What very specific potential problem is she protecting herself
against by taking this step?
a. the need to pay out a severance package
b. a degrading of company work-hour productivity
c. a loss of company reputation
d. a negligent hiring lawsuit
4. What is the goal of the first step in hiring ethical employees?
a. Make your business one that ethical people will want to work for.
b. Design an interview process that can identify ethical applicants.
c. Weed out unethical applicants from the ethical applicants.
d. Attract ethical candidates and discourage unethical people from applying.
5. Which of the following would be an example of the last step in Benjamin Schneider’s
attraction-selection-attrition cycle?
a. An employee of three years feels the company is no longer environmentally friendly
and decides to resign.
b. An employee of three years feels the company is an acceptable place to work and
signs a new two-year contract.
c. An employee decides to accept a job at a company because it seems to fit his model
organization.
d. The loss of a valued employee decreases the productivity of others in that
department.
6. Which of the following components are necessary when designing a job description
to achieve a “good fit”?
a. mention of expectation of loyalty and expectation of ethical behavior
b. realistic description and mention of expectation of ethical behavior
c. warning about punishments and mention of expectation of good work ethic
d. mention of salary and bonuses and promise of a friendly work culture
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
7. What can an employer expect by mentioning use of an ethics screen in a job
announcement?
a. more applications from individuals already within the company
b. lawsuits regarding discrimination
c. fewer applicants with low moral standards
d. complaints about invasion of privacy
8. How does an employer prevent an ethics screen from becoming an invasion of
privacy?
a. Make clear that the ethics screen is a condition of acceptance.
b. Have the candidate sign a waiver.
c. Have the candidate sign a nondisclosure agreement.
d. Ensure that the ethics screen deals only with activities related to work.
9. What are the three components of Ben & Jerry’s corporate mission?
a. profit and growth, high-quality product, improving life of stakeholders
b. employee satisfaction, high-quality product, improving life of shareholders
c. profit and growth, environmental sustainability, employee satisfaction
d. employee satisfaction, stakeholder satisfaction, harmony with environment
10. As late as the 1950s, how did employers typically screen job applicants?
a. They primarily examined experience and education.
b. They had to honor diversity quotas but there was no formal oversight.
c. They could evaluate candidates using almost any criteria they liked.
d. They carefully assessed a candidate’s ethical character.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
11. Which of the following statements about the current nature of discrimination by
companies is accurate (dated to 2015 research)?
a. Employers are largely allowed to gather whatever information they want from
candidates without government interference.
b. Evidence of discrimination based on race or religion has largely disappeared from
modern hiring practices.
c. Companies are almost never held to account for unfair hiring practices.
d. The average company has more than a 12 percent chance of being sued for hiring
discrimination.
12. How can hiring teams protect against their own unconscious bias based on race or
ethnicity in the hiring process?
a. Advertising open positions in community organizations that serve diverse
populations.
b. Concealing disability disclosures so the team is unaware of a candidates’ disabilities.
c. Encouraging people of color to apply in a job listing.
d. Viewing résumés without the candidates’ names visible first.
13. Which of the following statements about the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) is accurate?
a. Newly hired employees are vulnerable to citations.
b. It can take direct legal action against employers.
c. It prefers litigation to negotiated solutions.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
d. It can prosecute a manager who refuses to hire someone with whom they have a
poor personal relationship.
14. In which of the following situations might an employer be able to discriminate
against a protected class but remain exempt from prosecution by the EEOC?
a. The CEO of a Fortune 500 company is hiring a personal executive assistant to work
for him and him alone.
b. A new moving company, which is run and staffed by three college grads, hires a
fourth person to help them out part time.
c. A major chain restaurant is hiring new staff to work in the kitchen of a new branch in a
small town.
d. A law firm that represents a wide variety of religious organizations of all faiths is hiring
a new candidate for junior partner.
15. How does the text define the concept of disparate impact?
a. Members of a protected class rarely make it through all the job-screening filters of an
organization.
b. Those who are members of multiple protected classes are more likely to be
negatively impacted than members of a single protected class.
c. The activities of a company consistently harm a protected class in a specific
geographic region.
d. A company’s hiring practices may be discriminatory with respect to a protected class
but too minor to violate the Civil Rights Act.
16. What should an organization’s gender, racial, and ethnic employee profile reflect?
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
a. the organization’s management preferences
b. the gender, racial, and ethnic employee profile of the region that provides employees
to the company
c. the gender, racial, and ethnic profile of the country
d. the gender, racial, and ethnic employee profile suggested as “ideal” by the Civil
Rights Act
17. Which of the following is most likely to result in front-end disparate impact job
discrimination?
a. A company puts a notice into a job announcement that the job is very physically
demanding and those without very good physical health should not apply.
b. A company decides to weed out many of the applications it has by eliminating those
under and over a certain age.
c. A company decides to fill a new position by asking current employees to make
personal referrals.
d. A religious institution decides not to consider applicants who do not have a professed
commitment to that specific religion.
18. In which of the following ways does back-end disparate discrimination differ from
front-end disparate discrimination?
a. Front-end disparate discrimination is intentional; back-end disparate discrimination is
not intentional.
b. Front-end disparate discrimination is usually legal; back-end disparate discrimination
is typically illegal.
c. Front-end disparate discrimination does not happen to any specific candidates; back-
end disparate discrimination acts on actual applicants.
d. Front-end disparate discrimination is typically prosecuted more harshly than back-end
disparate discrimination.
Collins, Business Ethics 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
19. The four-fifths rule would say that no disparate discrimination has happened if which
of the following has occurred for a given hiring period?
a. The application for the job position explicitly stated that no discrimination based on
protected characteristics would be tolerated in the hiring process.
b. Twenty unprotected candidates and twenty protected class applicants applied to a
position.
c. Ten unprotected employees were hired and eight protected class employees were
hired.
d. Ten protected class applicants for a position made it to the final stages of the
interview process, and five were hired.
20. What is the major legal requirement that pertains to job applicants when applying to
a position?
a. They must not seek to bribe hiring officials at the company.
b. They must not seek to sabotage the applications of other candidates.
c. They must not use their privileged status to get the job.
d. They must respond truthfully to all job-related questions.
21. What class of organization is actually legally required to have an affirmative action
plan?
a. public universities
b. religious institutions
c. federal contractors and subcontractors
d. the federal judiciary
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22. What does the text recommend a company should do before implementing an
affirmative action plan?
a. Make sure it satisfies the four-fifths rule.
b. Have it balance out requirements across all protected groups.
c. Submit it for approval by the Justice Department.
d. Have it vetted by a lawyer.
23. A judge is asked to rule on a reverse discrimination case involving an affirmative
action plan at a local business. Under which of the following conditions is the judge
most likely to rule against the affirmative action plan?
a. The plan works against the profitability of the company.
b. The plan benefits one protected group more than another protected group.
c. There was a strong remedial need for the plan.
d. The plan harms the majority group among potential applicants.
24. For which of the following reasons does the text argue against instituting a protected
class quota system?
a. The results can reinforce negative stereotypes about the protected group.
b. It makes a company more susceptible to litigation.
c. It causes undue harm to the majority group.
d. It is unethical to seek artificially high numbers for any protected group.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
25. When can employers legally screen applicants for drunk driving arrests?
a. When the applicant admits to being an alcoholic.
b. When driving is job-related.
c. Anytime they like, since it is not a protected behavior.
d. When an applicant’s manner and appearance seem to indicate drinking problems.
26. Why is it illegal for an employer to ask about alcoholism?
a. Alcoholism cannot affect job performance in a significant way.
b. Alcoholics should be giving preferred treatment under affirmative action programs.
c. Alcoholism is legally defined as a disability.
d. Alcoholics are a unique protected class.
27. Roughly how many people were living illegally in the United States in 2017?
a. 2 million
b. 5 million
c. 8 million
d. 11 million
28. Which of the following statements about illegal immigration and employment is
accurate?
a. Asking only Latino applicants about their immigration status is a form of
discrimination and must be avoided.
b. Hiring an illegal immigrant often violates state and local laws but not federal law.
c. Verifying employees’ immigration status is a costly proposition for employers.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
d. To avoid discrimination, the federal government recommends not including
information or warnings about legal employment status on applications.
29. Which of the following is a good source for behavior information about a candidate
that can be acquired by a potential employer?
a. testing with hypothetical dilemmas
b. résumés
c. private psychological profiles
d. attitudinal survey results
30. What advantage does a reference check have over a résumé in terms of gathering a
candidate’s behavioral information?
a. It is more likely to reveal a candidate’s weaknesses with respect to job performance.
b. It is a better way to assess a candidate’s past accomplishments.
c. It offers a more comprehensive view of a candidate’s extracurricular activities.
d. It will give a more accurate view of a candidate’s goals.
31. What do job applicants lie about most often on résumés?
a. ethical standards
b. employment dates
c. academic degrees
d. skill sets
32. A manager has narrowed applicants for a new position down to a single preferred
candidate. Interviews go well, and she is about to hire the candidate when she notices
that the candidate’s résumé has a problem—the end date for one position extends for
one year into the beginning date for the subsequent position. What should the manager
do?
a. Terminate the candidate’s application process.
b. Contact the candidate’s previous employers and let them know about the issue.
c. Ask the candidate about the issue and forgive it if it was an innocent mistake.
d. Ask the candidate about the issue and then let the candidate know the hiring process
cannot continue.
33. How should reference checking for a managerial position differ from a
nonmanagerial position?
a. It should include the candidate’s former subordinates.
b. It is not necessary for managerial positions.
c. It should include in-person interviews.
d. It should not be limited to a candidate’s listed references on their résumé.
34. Which of the following references is most likely to offer positive information about a
candidate?
a. a former manager chosen from the candidate’s résumé
b. a reference listed on the candidate’s application
c. a former professor chosen from among the candidate’s academic listings
d. a former subordinate chosen from a former workplace
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
35. For which major reason will some employers refuse to answer details about the
quality of a former employee when asked?
a. too little memory of the employee
b. not wanting to help a rival business
c. fear of violating the candidate’s privacy
d. fear of a defamation lawsuit
36. You are trying to do a reference check for a potential new hire, but when you
contact the candidate’s most recent supervisor by phone, he will only offer the
candidate’s dates of employment with that company. What should you do?
a. Thank the manager and end the phone call.
b. Ask if the manager would be willing to do an in-person interview.
c. Quickly ask the manager if he would hire that candidate again.
d. Send a formal inquiry as to whether the candidate was ever disciplined.
37. In which of the following ways does a background check differ from a reference
check in terms of gathering behavioral information?
a. It is more valuable to the hiring authority.
b. It reveals more about character.
c. It is more objective.
d. It is legally required for most positions.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
38. Which of the following is a likely result of informing potential applicants that a
background check will be part of the hiring process in the actual job announcement?
a. The company will have to resort to an internal hiring process to fill the position.
b. The hiring authority will be subject to unfair discrimination lawsuits.
c. Candidates will be less forthcoming about potential issues during interviews.
d. Fewer candidates with problems in their background or behavior will apply.
39. What problem do diploma mills contribute to?
a. reduced attendance at actual universities
b. false contact information on résumés
c. good degrees but from unaccredited institutions
d. listing completed degree achieved without any actual coursework
40. What problem is faced when doing a credit check on candidates that is not present
when using résumés or reference checks?
a. lost time in the hiring process
b. greater financial cost to the hiring authority or company
c. discriminatory disparate impacts based on gender
d. discriminatory disparate impacts based on race
41. Which of the following statements about the requirements imposed by the Fair
Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is accurate?
a. A potential employer must obtain the candidate’s permission to pull a credit report.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
b. A potential employer cannot refuse employment based on the results of a credit
report.
c. Applicants can protest use of a credit report but cannot challenge the accuracy of the
report.
d. If wanting to challenge a company’s interpretation of a credit report, the candidate
must request the government provide one for their study.
42. How difficult is it for a company to find out if an applicant has a criminal record?
a. Quite difficult; this information is protected for privacy reasons.
b. Not difficult at all; the information is easily accessible on the Internet.
c. Somewhat difficult; a company must pay substantial fees for a background check,
which can be a burden on the hiring process.
d. Quite difficult; those with a criminal history are considered a protected class.
43. If a manager is implementing a hiring process and distributing applications in a state
that has passed “Ban the Box” legislation, the manager likely cannot ask about what
until after the interview process?
a. ethical standards
b. criminal record
c. race or age
d. family status
44. According to the EEOC, which of the following MUST be true of a candidate’s past
criminal activity for it to be used as a reason for exclusion?
a. The criminal pattern must be ongoing.
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b. The crime must be job-related.
c. The candidate must have served jail or prison time.
d. The crime must be self-disclosed.
45. According to the text, which of the following is a best practice for socially
responsible use of online background checks?
a. Do not use outdated information.
b. Allow unrestricted access to the information for in-house employees only.
c. Do not apply Title VII protected class information to social media discoveries.
d. Do not give candidate prior warning to an online background check; this will result in
edited information.
46. Marian has made it through the interview process and has been given an offer of
employment conditional to her passage of an integrity test. When she takes the test and
begins to answer, what form will her answers most likely take?
a. a range between “strongly disagree” and “strongly agree”
b. short essay responses giving personal opinions
c. “yes” or “no”
d. verbal responses that include emotional reactions
47. Why did integrity tests become more popular after 1988?
a. The Likert Scale was introduced.
b. The Office of Technology Assessment validated the benefit of these tests.
c. Computerized assessments became more viable.
d. The use of the polygraph was highly restricted.
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SAGE Publishing, 2021
48. Which of the following statements best characterizes the value or status of integrity
tests in the workplace today?
a. Some research has shown dramatic accuracy and effect for integrity tests, but some
studies still question their validity.
b. Most research has shown little correlation between the results of integrity tests and
actual job performance.
c. Integrity tests have been largely invalidated and are rarely used.
d. Only integrity tests backed by polygraph results have shown real-world accuracy.
49. In what way do integrity tests differ from background checks?
a. They are more complicated to administer.
b. They risk needlessly excluding members of protected classes.
c. They are a more reliable guide to past and future candidate behavior.
d. It is much easier for a dishonest candidate to hide that dishonesty.
50. How do personality tests differ from integrity tests?
a. They make greater use of hypothetical situations.
b. They are more likely to use a Likert Scale for grading.
c. They give a broader understanding of the candidate.
d. They deal less with ethics and more with wants and goals.