Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
Test Bank
Chapter 9: Building an Ethical Organization
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following organizational traits is characterized by being cheerful,
pleasant, open, and straightforward?
a. empathy
b. integrity
c. warmth
d. conscientiousness
2. Which of the following organizational traits is characterized by being imaginative,
spirited, exciting, and innovative?
a. zeal
b. integrity
c. courage
d. conscientiousness
3. At Carol’s company, employees routinely talk about the ethical consequences of their
decisions. This suggests that Carol is working for a(n) ______ organization.
a. ethically decoupled
b. ethically transformed
c. missional
d. insular
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
4. Which of the following organizational traits is characterized by being reliable, secure,
hardworking, and proud?
a. courage
b. zeal
c. warmth
d. conscientiousness
5. As it relates to organizational virtues, ______ are cultural elements that encourage
employees to act morally and refuse to act immorally.
a. traits
b. enablers
c. amplifiers
d. buffers
6. Which best describes a mission statement’s purpose?
a. communicates the central identity and purpose of an organization
b. communicates core values to inform organizational decision-making
c. reflects the ideals of its members
d. all of these
7. Tim knew his office culture well. The phrase “Customers first” was frequently used in
conversations and people were described as “partners.” Which informal element of
ethics is described above?
a. language
b. norms
c. rituals
d. stories
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
8. Which statement best describes “socialization”?
a. a person trying to talk with all of their colleagues
b. the process of becoming a group member
c. the process of finding your way to get hired for an ethical organization
d. the process an unethical person goes through to become ethical
9. We form impressions about possible careers during which stage of the socialization
process?
a. encounter
b. organizational anticipatory socialization
c. vocational anticipatory socialization
d. metamorphosis
10. ______ describes how employees gradually move up the ladder of corruption during
the socialization process.
a. Co-option
b. Incrementalism
c. Compromise
d. Escalation
11. An organization’s core ideology is made up of ______.
a. the business plan and marketing strategy
b. core values and long-range objectives
c. core values and purpose/mission
d. code of ethics and code of conduct
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
12. Which of the following terms refers to the sense of normlessness and unease that
results when rules lose their force?
a. powerlessness
b. drifting
c. anomie
d. despair
13. Which type of ritual has manifest (obvious) ethical functions?
a. rites of passage
b. rites of renewal
c. rites of conflict reduction
d. rites of integration
14. Erika knows the right thing to do by watching her leader Ellen. Ellen is shaping the
organization’s ethical culture through ______.
a. rites of passage
b. selection
c. role modeling
d. attention
15. Followers pick up on ethical priorities through what leaders measure and control.
This is which cultural change mechanism?
a. reactions to critical incidents
b. role modeling
c. selection
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
d. attention
16. The rite of ______is designed to strengthen and improve the current system.
a. enhancement
b. renewal
c. conflict resolution
d. degradation
17. According to the Ethical Climate Questionnaire, which type of climate is MOST likely
to encourage immoral behavior?
a. rules
b. law and code
c. independence
d. instrumental
18. Which of the following is a true statement about codes of ethics?
a. guarantee moral improvement
b. have no relationship with an organization’s ethical performance
c. should be part of every organization’s ethical culture
d. all of these
19. A strong culture in which norms and values are very different from the rest of society
is referred to as a ______.
a. social womb
b. deviant subculture
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
c. social cocoon
d. none of these
20. ______ outline an organization’s reason for being.
a. Core values
b. Mission statements
c. Codes of ethics
d. Corporate policies
21. As it relates to virtuousness, ______ describes how individual virtuousness
generates positive consequences that escalate over time.
a. amplyfying
b. magnifying
c. buffering
d. absorbing
22. Which of the following accounts for the poor performance of many corporate
boards?
a. Members serve on too many boards.
b. CEOs serve on each other’s boards.
c. Members who disagree are pressured by other board members.
d. all of these
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
23. Sometimes codes of ethics are used to force members to comply with organizational
rules. This reflects the metaphor of codes as ______.
a. rule book
b. magnifying glass
c. club
d. shield
24. The ongoing process of reclassifying new information instead of putting it into
previous categories is called ______.
a. ethics training
b. mindful learning
c. socialization
d. engaged learning
25. A benefit of mindful learning is that members ______.
a. are able to see through their normal routines
b. learn to perform their individual role within the organization
c. learn how to identify the current ethical condition of the organization
d. are able to ask questions about ethical processes
26. To be effective, ethics officers must ______.
a. focus exclusively on their ethics duties
b. function independently
c. have high power and status
d. all of these
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
27. Rodrico tells his subordinates to make their quarterly financial goals by any means
possible. His followers are likely to feel a sense of ______.
a. excitement
b. anomie
c. resistance to authority
d. failure
28. The “ladder of corruption” operates in which immoral socialization process?
a. co-optation
b. compromise
c. incrementalism
d. collaboration
29. When it comes to ethics, a problem with many organizational reward systems is that
they ______.
a. are too complicated
b. reward the wrong (unethical behaviors)
c. are too expensive
d. focus too much on processes and not enough on results
30. The ideal ethics communication systems ______.
a. send frequent ethics messages
b. use a variety of communication channels
c. allow for reflection and feedback
d. all of these
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
31. The ethics officer who reports to the CEO violates the principle that the ethics officer
must ______.
a. have power and status
b. devote themselves solely to ethics duties
c. function independently
d. be sensitive to the needs of employees
32. The resignation speech of a state governor convicted of violating the law is an
example of a rite of ______.
a. passage
b. degradation
c. conflict reduction
d. integration
33. Marta gives orders but doesn’t want to know how they are carried out, lest she be
blamed for any illegal activities. She is using which strategy?
a. plausible deniability
b. blurring lines of authority
c. division of labor
d. compartmentalization
34. Budgeting is a form of which type of organizational change mechanism?
a. attention
b. rewards
c. resource allocation
d. reactions to critical incidents
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
35. Which ethical driver lays the foundation for any ethical change effort?
a. ethical diagnosis
b. engaged leadership
c. ethics training
d. targeted socialization processes
36. Climate analysis is an example of which ethical driver?
a. target socialization processes
b. ethics training
c. ethical diagnosis
d. engaged leadership
37. When faced with ethical choices, members of the Main Street law firm look for
guidance to state statutes as well as guidelines set forth by the state bar association.
Main Street has which type of ethical climate?
a. caring
b. law and code
c. rules
d. independence
38. Corporate board members must make a diligent effort when making decisions. This
is called the duty of ______.
a. loyalty
b. independence
c. care
Student Resource
Johnson, Organizational Ethics, 5e
Sage Publishing, 2022
d. commitment
39. Which cultural element gives you the best idea of how an organization “really
works”?
a. codes of ethics
b. mission statement
c. organizational histories
d. none of these
40. Which is the MOST effective mission statement?
a. “To become the most profitable bank in the world.”
b. “To grow profits by 2% each quarter.”
c. “To serve local families.”
d. “To put our competition out of business.”
41. Mark’s company was always proactive to anticipate changes with their ethical
environment. This suggests that Mark is working for which kind of organization?
a. ethically decoupled
b. ethically transformed
c. missional
d. insular