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Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
3-41
GROUP EXERCISE
SOLVING AN ETHICAL DILEMMA
Objective
• To further students’ understanding regarding the four approaches to deciding ethical
dilemmas.
Introduction
Our personal values impact the determination of what is ethical. Researchers have identified four
approaches to deciding ethical dilemmas that are grounded in values. They are: the utilitarian
approach, the individual approach, the moral rights approach, and the justice approach. This
exercise provides students the opportunity to solve an ethical dilemma from the vantage point of
each of these four approaches to deciding ethical dilemmas.
Instructions
1. Students should remain at their desks and read the scenario below.
2. You are a struggling writer. Several of your short stories are published thanks to winning
entries in various writing contests. You are majoring in creative writing and English; your
peers are also writers. Recently, you entered a university sponsored writing contest and
placed third, another person in your class took home the grand prize. At first you were
not upset, but a friend called you last week and told you she read the winning entry and it
was remarkably similar to a story you published on the Internet a few months ago. You
obtain a copy and sure enough, the plot is the same, the major characters are pretty much
the same (though their names are different), and the only real difference you find is that
the story takes place in a different city than yours. Although your original words were not
used, you feel your classmate plagiarized your story. Tomorrow is the banquet honoring
the winners of the contest, and your classmate will of course be there. What are you
going to do?
3. Have each student decide what he or she would do based on each of the four approaches
5. Have students openly discuss what they would do for each approach, and then derive
consensus recommendations.
Questions for Discussion
1. To what extent did the group develop different recommendations for each approach?
2. Was it difficult for the group to reach a consensus on how to handle the situation based
on each approach? Explain.
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3. To what extent did individuals’ values impact the selection of solutions?
4. What is your takeaway from this exercise?
Tips for online classes:
Online classes: The scenario can be posted on a discussion board for students to review. Each
student can respond to the scenario with their four approaches. Students can then be placed into
ONLINE
CLASS
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
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CAREER CORNER GROUP EXERCISES
CAREER CORNER GROUP EXERCISE 1: ENHANCING YOUR PROFESSIONALISM/WORK ETHIC
COMPETENCY
Learning Objectives
• Students will enhance their understanding of the career competency of
Introduction
The goal of this exercise is to help students improve their focus on the greater good and to be
more socially responsible in their actions. This activity has two steps. The first step asks
students to consider what it means to have integrity, to be ethical, and to demonstrate social
responsibility. The second focuses on developing a list of specific actions that students can
exhibit to reinforce these patterns of behavior.
Instructions
The primary purpose of this exercise is to encourage students to make focusing on the greater
good an everyday occurrence. This is done through the establishment of routine activities that
facilitate these behaviors.
I. Start the activity with a class discussion on the importance of integrity, ethical
behavior and socially responsibility. If there is time, show your students the
following TEDtalk: “The social responsibility of business by Alex Edmans part of
TEDX.”
II. Put students into groups of four or five. Ask each group to discuss what they do to
demonstrate integrity, ethical behavior and concern for the greater good. Engage their
critical thinking skills by presenting them with the eight goals outlined below: (You
may want to assign the eight goals across the groups to ensure that all of them are
considered.)
1. Reduce their carbon footprint.
3. Spend time in nature.
5. Increase the time spent exercising.
CAREER
READINESS
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7. Fulfill promises and keep appointments
8. Avoid people who lack integrity.
1. Have each group prepare a 5- to 10-minute presentation that provides a
blueprint for incorporating these actions into their daily activities
IV. Select two or three groups to present to the class.
V. Facilitate a class discussion on professionalism/work ethic using the following
questions:
1. How did critically thinking about the greater good improve your awareness of
how you can improve professionalism/work ethic?
2. How did you generate the activities to reinforce your chosen goals?
3. How will you incorporate these activities into your daily routine?
4. What are the obstacles of incorporating these activities into your daily lives,
and how can you overcome them?
VI. Wrap-up the discussion by suggesting each group should track their progress in these
areas by periodically conducting a social audit.
CAREER CORNER GROUP EXERCISE 2: BOOSTING POSITIVE EMOTIONS
Learning Objectives
• Students will explore techniques for boosting positive emotions.
• Students will gain a better understanding of how the generation of positive emotions
makes them feel.
Introduction
Positive emotions build an individual’s long-lasting psychological, intellectual, physical and
social resources (Fredrickson, 2001)i. Fredrickson’s broaden and build theory of positive
CAREER
READINESS
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
3-45
Instructions
The primary purpose of this exercise is to encourage students to make positivity a habit. This
activity has three steps. The first is self-reflection. The second step entails sharing this
experience with a partner. The third step is a short debrief focusing on the benefits of
recognizing and celebrating positive emotions.
1. Start the activity by having the students watch “Getting Stuck in the Negatives (and how
3. Put the students in pairs. Have the students take turns in describing their experiences to
their partner for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Facilitate a class discussion using the following questions:
• Have the students raise their hand if they are a glass is half-full person. Ask, “How
easy was it to come up with multiple instances where you experienced a positive
emotion?”
• Ask the students who did not raise their hand the same question. Prompt the students
to realize that half-full/half-empty is an issue of framing.
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
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UBER CONTINUING CASE
Chapter 3: Work Environment and Ethical Responsibilities
This part of the Uber continuing case focuses on Chapter 3 and discusses the company work
environment and ethical responsibilities. This continuing case’s real-world application of
management knowledge and skills is designed to help students develop critical-thinking ability
and realize the practical power of sound managerial skills for solving problems.
The case includes five multiple-choice questions and two essay-based questions. The essay-
based questions can also be used in-class to spur discussion:
1. Utilize the triple bottom line to measure Uber’s performance. Make sure to incorporate
examples from the case in your response.
Students should identify the three measurements involved with the triple bottom line—
people (social), planet (environmental) and profit (financial performance). The case
specifies examples of issues Uber is facing in these areas:
2. Assume you are Uber’s new CEO. How can you promote ethics at the organization?
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
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MANAGER’S HOT SEAT
ETHICS: LET’S MAKE A FOURTH QUARTER DEAL
Students may complete the “Ethics: Let’s Make a Fourth Quarter Deal” Manager’s Hot Seat
exercises in Connect® for this chapter.
Introduction
This scenario provides a depiction of the ethical dilemmas that may arise when two
legitimate organizational goals are in conflict: generating revenue and legal business
Learning Objectives
2. To evaluate influence techniques and communication styles
3. To apply principles of ethical decision making
Scenario Description:
Overview
A Wall Street trading company, Smith/Blackwell, is coming to the end of their fourth
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
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• Jason Powell, Director of New Accounts, manages a team of 25 people. He has
held the position for four years, but in the past two years, investments have fallen
by over 50 percent departmentwide.
Discussion Questions
Learning Objective #1: To analyze the causes of ethical dilemmas
What is the source of this conflict, and what role has the organization played to contribute
to this dilemma?
The account representative is very motivated to make this deal go through because the
organization has tied her bonuses and salary increases to the dollar amount of
Which of the “Concepts in Ethical Behavior” are relevant to this scenario? Why?
While most would be considered in this scenario, students’ answers will vary. Certainly,
professional ethics would be a driving factor in this case because there are rules and
Learning Objective #2: To evaluate influence techniques and communication styles
Describe Gina’s initial approach with Jason. What influence tactic does she use initially?
Was it successful?
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
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Copyright © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Gina gets flustered and does not use a rational case to argue her point. She begins to get
defensive and uses a “bulldozer” approach to influencing Jason rather than a thoughtful,
rational one. This causes Jason to become even more skeptical of the deal, and he
becomes increasingly reluctant. He does effectively stay calm and does not raise his
voice.
Learning Objective #3: To apply principles of ethical decision making
Consider each of the principles to guide ethical conduct. Analyze this situation from both
Gina’s and Jason’s perspectives using these principles. Which model did Gina rely on
most heavily?
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 3 The Manager's Changing Work Environment and Ethical
Responsibilities: Doing the Right Thing
APPLICATION-BASED ACTIVITY
MANAGERIAL ETHICS: A HAZARDOUS DEBATE
I. Introduction
As part of their manufacturing process, the Total Paper Company uses a chemical which is safe
for the environment. However, their management team is proposing a switch to a new chemical in
order to maximize shareholder value. This new chemical would save the organization a lot of
money, but it may be harmful for the environment. As the plant manager, students will decide
whether or not to make the switch to this new chemical.
II. Learning Objective
1. Evaluate an ethical dilemma utilizing the ethical decision-making tree.
III. Scoring Dimensions
The following theoretical concepts from the chapter are covered and scored in the simulation:
Theoretical Concepts
Percentage of Simulation
Legal
34%
Maximize Shareholder Value
33%
Ethics
33%
IV. Follow-up Activity
Students can be assembled into groups of 4 to 5 in order to create a Total Paper Company
Code of Ethics document that will contain its approach to ethical dilemmas and its values.
