Questions
1. Must a company be incorporated as a benefit corporation in order to legally consider actions other than those in pursuit of profit?
2. If Lynn Stout is correct, that the drive for shareholder value is a myth, why do so many companies continue to use it as a goal?
3. What is the role of a board of directors from an ethical governance standpoint?
4. Explain why corporations are legally responsible to shareholders but are strategically responsible to other stakeholders as well.
5. What should an employee consider when considering whether to give or receive a gift?
6. When should an employee satisfy his or her self-interest rather than the interest of his or her employer?
7. Can an apparent conflict of interest where there are adequate safeguards to prevent harm be as important to an executive or a company as one where safeguards are not adequate?
8. How can a company control and manage conflicts of interest?
9. What is the role of an ethical culture, and who is responsible for it?
10. What is the most important contribution of a corporate code of conduct?
11. Are one or more of the fundamental principles found in codes of conduct more important than the rest? Why?
12. Why should codes focus on principles rather than specific detailed rules?
13. How could you monitor compliance with a code of conduct in a corporation?
14. How can a corporation integrate ethical behavior into its reward and remuneration schemes?
15. Other than a code of conduct, what aspects of a corporate culture are most important and why?
16. Is the SOX-driven effort being made to check on the effectiveness of internal control systems worth the cost? Why and why not?
17. Why should an effective whistleblower mechanism be considered a "failsafe mecha¬nism" in SOX Section 404 compliance programs?
18. If you were asked to evaluate the quality of an organization's ethical leadership, what would the five most important aspects be that you would wish to evaluate, and how would you do so?
19. Why is it suspected that corporate psychopaths gravitate to certain industries, and what should corporations within those industries do about it?
20. Descriptive commentary about corporate social performance is sometimes included in annual reports. Is this indicative of good performance, or is it just window dressing? How can the credibility of such commentary be enhanced?
21. Should professional accountants push for the development of a comprehensive frame¬work for the reporting of corporate social performance? Why?
22. Do professional accountants have the expertise to audit corporate social performance reports?