Ethics Final Exam

1. Question: Anticipating the possibility that their soldiers may one day be captured by the enemy, some modern armies include in their basic training exposure to simulated yet intimidating torture techniques.  That is, they subject their own troops to mild forms of simulated torture in order that they may learn how to resist torture and not divulge the plans and classified information that they know.  Some other armies actually train through experience of torture.
   Is this practice justifiable ethically?  If you believe it is justifiable only under certain conditions, specify the conditions. Explain and defend your position, and then explain how your ethical philosophy helped you come to this conclusion.
2. Question: Analyze the following ethical situation using YOUR ethical philosophy. Read the situation and then in your answer, explain why this is an ethical situation, what the "issues" are, and how an "ethical" person would resolve them.  Explain how YOUR ethical philosophy statement has helped you read a conclusion about how to resolve or analyze this situation. 
   Construction companies must usually engage in competitive bidding for their contracts.  This practice demands that they anticipate every material and labor cost months and even years ahead and commit themselves to complete a project for a specified amount of money.  A mistake in calculating or a failure to anticipate a significant increase in prices can bankrupt a company. 
   Consider the situation of the combination of the unexpected increase in lumber prices due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan with multiple hurricanes in the United States in the past few years. 

1. Would it be ethical for a company who had won a bid for a construction job before the increase in lumber prices, to use substandard materials in order to offset the increase in lumber prices after the fact?
2. Would it be ethical for a customer to hold the contractor to the original bid after unplanned and unprecedented lumber price increases occur, knowing it will cause the contractor to go bankrupt, or do the job at a huge loss?
3. How would your answer to #2 change if your customer was Donald Trump or a community pantry feeding program for the homeless. Explain.

3. Question: How do you feel St. Thomas Aquinas would have solved the above ethical situation differently or the same as you did using your philosophy? Please explain the reasons for the similarities or differences.
4. Question: Regina is chairperson of her city's United Fund campaign.  In her annual preparations meeting with her staff of canvassers, she gives this advice:  "Hit the business places first. Don't approach anyone who is walking alone in a hall or working alone in a closed office.  Look for two or more people standing together or working side by side.  Try to make them compete with each other in generous giving.  Capitalize on their desire to show off and outdo the next person."   She then states that the canvasser who raises the most money of all will be awarded with a 5% cut of the total amount that canvasser raises. Her approach pays off and the United Fund raises the most money ever.
   Tell what ethical philosophy Regina is using, if any. 
   Now, use your ethical philosophy to analyze the situation.  Explain how, using your philosophy, you would have solved this situation either the same way as the character in the situation did, or differently. Why?
5. Question: You work for a grocery store and a new manager is hired to oversee your department. He comes into your department (the butcher shop) and explains to you that for the past 6 months, your department has been losing money for the store because of the waste and spoilage going on from having to discard unsold meat and poultry. He tells you that from now on, he wants you to package ground meat in smaller, more compact packages, with older meat on the bottom of the package (so it is not visible to the customer) and the fresher meat on the top, where it is visible to the customers.  In this way, you can move more of the older meat and still receive the top dollar for it. As he leaves the department where you were having the discussion, he turns and says, "And by the way, one more month of losses like we had last month from this department, and you can kiss your job goodbye." 
   Will you repackage the meat in the way he requested?
   Why or why not? Explain what ethical analysis you used to come to this conclusion.
6. Question: Analyzing your answer  using at least 3 questions from the Laura Nash ethical dilemma resolution model.