Ethical IQ Test

1.You are a newly hired junior executive in a large manufacturing firm. The

business conference you have been attending on behalf of your firm for the last

two days in over. You had planned to fly home, but a couple of friends you’ve

made at the conference are driving back by car and have invited you to ride

with them. It would be a five-hour drive instead of a two-hour flight, but they

would drop you at your doorstep. It would be stimulating to ride back with your

new friends and it might benefit the company. You reason that the additional

travel time would be out of your pocket, so to speak, not the firm’s. You decide

to drive back with you new colleagues. You toss Rs. 100 into the refueling kitty

during the midpoint pit stop.

Q. Would you cash in the return flight ticket and keep the money? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

2.

You have a strict code of ethics in your office regarding employee

appropriation of office supplies. The most competent and longest-

tenured secretary is caught by you, the secretary’s boss, taking

typewriter ribbons and erasure tapes home in a briefcase. There is

a rule against this as well as a clearly established procedure for

providing employees with supplies if they do company’s work at

home. The code requires you to fire the secretary on the spot

Q. Would you make an exception for this loyal worker? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

3.

A friend at work asks whether you’d like a take-home

copy of an expensive computer software program. You

know it is protected by copyright.

Q. Would you let your friend make a copy for you? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

4.

You are the senior vice president for public relations in a

large multinational corporation. One of your long-time

friends in the marketing department confides to you that

the boss is subtly suggesting that sales representatives

give misleading information to prospective clients about a

particular product. Your friend is very upset about it and

wants your advice.

Q. Would you encourage your friend to follow the boss’s suggestion? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

5. You are a marketing professional in a medium – sized midwestern

city. Three months ago you set up your own company. Your first big

client wants to promote throughout your region a passive exercise

machine. The home office in Texas claims the device is

“scientifically proven to take off pounds easily and quickly”. The

manufacturing firm does not have a national reputation and despite

your repeated requests, has been unable to provide you with any

scientific proof of its claims.

Q. Would you continue serving this firm as a client without the scientific proof?

NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

6. You are the Director of research and development in your firm. The

Personnel Officer has found two candidates for a vacant position in

new product testing in your department. The better qualified

candidate with more potential for promotion and future contribution

to the organization appears to be rather cold and aloof and will

likely clash with your personality. The less qualified candidate is

your personal choice,even though the company will not be as well

served.

Q. Would you choose the less qualified candidate? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

7.

You are the Product Manager for one of your firm’s largest

dollar volume brands. You know that your product will soon

be challenged by an improved version from a strong, well-

financed competitor. One of your vendors offer to provide you

with a confidential copy of the competitors strategic

marketing plan. No price for the copy is mentioned.

Q. Would you utilize this vital information to help your brand? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

8. You have recently accepted the top marketing position at a new

company. One of your first assignments is to approve an all expenses-

paid trip for the senior purchasing officer of one of your largest client

firms. The four-day seminar in the Caribbean, sponsored solely by your

company, would include first-class airline tickets for client and spouse,

a three-day cruise following the seminar, plus a $ 500 honorarium. You

know that this particular company does not have a written conflict-of-

interest policy. You also know that your new boss is very eager to have

this purchasing officer of the seminar.

Q. Would you authorize the expenditure for this client? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

9.

You serve as an outside member on the audit committee of the board

of directors of a major pharmaceutical company that markets new

drugs through practicing physicians. You have secretly learnt that your

research department has developed an abortion pill that appears to be

100 percent safe and effective. However, it has been repeatedly

rumored that your Chief Executive Officer will not let this product be

brought to market because of deep religious convictions. Millions of

dollars of potential revenue and profits will be lost.

Q. Would you let this secret decision of your CEO go unchallenged? NO Depends YES

Ethical IQ Test

10.

You happen to overhear a couple of engineers in your company

discussing a radically new product that your colleagues in upper

management are anxious to see hit the market on schedule. You

accidentally learn that the engineers are also quite concerned

about some design flaws that could be harmful to product users,

although the probabilities are very remote.

Q. Since you are not directly responsible for his product, would you completely ignore their comments?

NO Depends YES

This is your ethical IQ

Total up the number of times you circled each No. Depends, or yes in the space provided. Take the highest number in only one of the three categories, multiply it by 100, and then divide by 5.

Average is 100 perfect score is 200.

What the categories mean:

Purist A high number in No-

-Confidence in your intrinsic sense of -what is good and true

Kind of a person who always acts ethically

You are first to cry out against You are first to cry out against unfairness or injusticeunfairness or injustice

You would not authorize the You would not authorize the lavish Expenses for Caribbean lavish Expenses for Caribbean SeminarSeminar

You would ‘ blow the whistle” on You would ‘ blow the whistle” on the ethically timed engineers the ethically timed engineers

You would not let the secret decision You would not let the secret decision of the CEO go unchallenged regarding of the CEO go unchallenged regarding the abortion pillthe abortion pill

As a purist, you bring ethical As a purist, you bring ethical stability and high standards to the stability and high standards to the groups of which you are an integral groups of which you are an integral part.part.

Expedient:

A high number in the Yes-Willing to breakrules if they seem silly -You believe you are doing right and your right is short term consequences -Some may call you as ‘self centered’.-Purists will call you ‘greedy’ ambitions

You may ignore the rules in You may ignore the rules in respect of Q2 respect of Q2

the secretarythe secretary- code of ethics are - code of ethics are for others for others

As an expedient manager you may As an expedient manager you may in reply to Q7. ask a copy of in reply to Q7. ask a copy of software software

As an expedient person your response As an expedient person your response will reflect your age, your ambition, the will reflect your age, your ambition, the competitive intensity. You ethical competitive intensity. You ethical contribution to groups and organisations contribution to groups and organisations is excitement and enthusiasmis excitement and enthusiasm

You tend to be a lonerYou tend to be a loner You are economically motivated, You are economically motivated,

probably rich but lonelyprobably rich but lonely You are capable of risky ethical decision You are capable of risky ethical decision

some of which could be disastrous.some of which could be disastrous.

Pragmatist

-A high number of ‘depends’-- likely to feel conscience ridden frequently-You may appear to the ethically insecure since people judge by actions and you are passive

In Q4 you would take a long time to In Q4 you would take a long time to answer as senior VP PR about answer as senior VP PR about misleading clientsmisleading clients

You may answer Q6 on hiring the You may answer Q6 on hiring the person on think thoughperson on think though

You response to Q3 regarding You response to Q3 regarding software think through on a no of software think through on a no of factors factors

As a ‘depends’ person in the group As a ‘depends’ person in the group thoughtfully reasoned temperate thoughtfully reasoned temperate ethical leadership ethical leadership

You can bring extremes to center- You can bring extremes to center- you are less vocal –serve as ethical you are less vocal –serve as ethical CATALYSTCATALYST