Title: Corporate Social Responsibility
Course: Question Banks

Q: Our overall system of ethics is, in part, derived from:
- society, law, and morals (Incorrect. Laws and morals are actually a product of ethics.)
- perception and priorities (Incorrect. Perception and priorities are individual and different from person to person.)
- social norms and company goals (Incorrect. Company goals are sometimes informed, at least in part, by ethics.)
- culture, philosophy, and religion (Correct. Culture, philosophy, and religion shape one’s ethics.)
A: culture, philosophy, and religion

Q: An organization looking for general agreement on ethical practices might take what step?
- establish an ethical brand by leveraging corporate culture (Incorrect. Not all corporate cultures are ethical.)
- selectively discipline unethical behaviors and actions (Incorrect. Selective discipline does not necessarily eradicate ethical behavior.)
- eradicate unethical behavior via corporate training (Incorrect. Corporate training can help, but only when an action plan is incorporated into the training plan.)
- establish an ethical code of conduct (Correct. Creating an ethical code of conduct establishes ethical “norms” individuals can follow and agree upon.)
A: establish an ethical code of conduct

Q: What outcome is common among corporations with high ethical standards?
- increased employee turnover and engagement (Incorrect. High ethical standards usually result in lower employee turnover.)
- better engagement with consumers on social media (Incorrect. Social media engagement is not necessarily impacted by ethical standards.)
- lower legal fees (Incorrect. Corporations with high ethical standards perhaps don’t find themselves in court quite as often, but this does not necessarily mean they all have lower legal fees.)
- higher than average stock market returns (Correct. Consumers and stakeholders often choose to do business with companies because they are ethical.)
A: higher than average stock market returns

Q: Which of the following is a behavior that builds trust?
- creating relationships with coworkers outside of work (Incorrect. This behavior does not always result in trust building.)
- protecting all the information you acquire as confidential and declining to share (Incorrect. Maintaining confidentiality for sensitive information is always trustworthy, but not all information is confidential, and sharing builds trust.)
- completing your project late, but without any errors (Incorrect. Meeting deadlines is important when building trust.)
- approaching your manager to point out a mistake you made on a report (Correct. Admitting mistakes and working to correct them is a great way to build trust.)
A: approaching your manager to point out a mistake you made on a report

Q: HR professionals should be aware that there is currently, overall, a general shift away from:
- trust in local relationships and sphere of control (Incorrect. Surveys find that people lean toward local relationship and sphere of control when looking for sources they trust.)
- trust in their employers (Incorrect. Employers who are very ethical often win the trust of their employees.)
- trust in government (Incorrect. Trust in government differs from person to person.)
- trust in authority and social networks (Correct. Surveys have found that people are less confident in authority and social networks.)
A: trust in authority and social networks

Q: Employee activism, like the Google Walkout, reflects:
- trust in authority (Incorrect. Workers who trusted the authority figures of Google would not have to take these measures.)
- the ability and speed with which employees can informally organize (Incorrect. They did move quickly, but they did not organize to prove this point.)
- employee belief in leader integrity (Incorrect. Employees walked out, in part, to demand a higher level of integrity from their employer.)
- workers’ confidence that they can influence corporate policy and procedure (Correct. Workers united to influence Google’s policy.)
A: workers’ confidence that they can influence corporate policy and procedure

Q: Why are HR professionals in a unique position to influence ethical workplace culture?
- They can be champions of ethics with internal communication campaigns. (Incorrect. This is true, but HR professionals have more power and influence than this.)
- They can manage the Ethical Culture Checklist. (Incorrect. Managing the checklist is not necessarily influencing the culture.)
- They can discipline and fire those who are behaving unethically. (Incorrect. This might be the responsibility of an HR professional, but not the only way he or she impacts an ethical culture.)
- They are involved in the hiring, training and evaluating of employees. (Correct. HR professionals can start determining an employee’s fit in an ethical culture from the very first interview, by providing training, and by offering feedback to help employees understand expectations around ethics.)
A: They are involved in the hiring, training and evaluating of employees.

Q: Doing business sustainably and fostering a high degree of transparency are examples of:
- specific steps an HR professional must take to ensure business success (Incorrect. HR professionals aren’t always in a position to influence steps at this level.)
- individual behaviors that build trust (Incorrect. Doing business sustainably is not necessarily an individual endeavor.)
- examples of types of employee activism (Incorrect. An example of employee activism is a strike, a walk-out, or a sit-in (to name a few))
- potential action items of building an ethical culture (Correct. These actions certainly build trust and create an ethical workplace.)
A: potential action items of building an ethical culture

Q: What may be the result in an organization where conflicting goals and fear of retaliation exist?
- low employee turnover (Incorrect. These elements are often tied to higher employee turnover.)
- employees finding it harder to commit unethical acts (Incorrect. Often when these elements exist, it creates reasons for employees to make unethical choices.)
- a culture of trust and strong ethics (Incorrect. These elements can often create angst and distrust within an employee population.)
- a weak ethical culture (Correct. Employees who fear punishment are not always likely to act ethically. Conflicting goals can create an atmosphere of competition.)
A: a weak ethical culture

Q: If an organization is developing in the present without compromising its own future needs or the future needs of others, this organization is likely focused on:
- accountability (Incorrect. This organization is definitely accepting accountability but with a different purpose in mind.)
- ethics (Incorrect. These behaviors are ethical but not necessarily an indication that the organization is focused on ethics.)
- future profits (Incorrect. Future profits are the result of this focus.)
- sustainability (Correct. This organization wants to make sure it is not overusing resources!)
A: sustainability

Q: Sustainability considers the “triple bottom line,” which includes:
- take, make, and waste impacts (Incorrect. This is a “linear” approach, one that does not take sustainability into account.)
- restorative, regenerative and accountability impacts (Incorrect. Sustainability can, but does not always, include restorative and regenerative action.)
- paying taxes, employing people and obeying laws (Incorrect. These are former societal expectations of a corporation. Now society expects more.)
- social, environmental, and economic impacts (Correct. These are the elements of the triple bottom line.)
A: social, environmental, and economic impacts

Q: “Take, make, use, dispose, pollute,” is an example of:
- a systems, or integrative perspective (Incorrect. This approach allows for reuse and recycle.)
- a management by objective approach (Incorrect. This is a management approach.)
- a cyclical approach (Incorrect. This is not the term that describes this approach.)
- a linear, take-make-waste approach (Correct. There is no circular, reuse and recycle aspect to this approach.)
A: a linear, take-make-waste approach

Q: Companies that embrace sustainability as a strategic priority:
- invest more money in sustainability and are slower to be profitable (Incorrect. Sustainability isn’t always the cheapest course of action, but this is not always true of companies that make sustainability a focus.)
- have less success in opening new markets. (Incorrect. Sustainability routinely helps companies innovate in new markets.)
- need to consider risk and plan for higher insurance costs. (Incorrect. Corporations that focus on sustainability often enjoy lower insurance costs due to reduced risk.)
- often outperform those organizations where sustainability is not a priority (Correct. Stakeholders will often choose to do business with a company that makes sustainability a priority.)
A: often outperform those organizations where sustainability is not a priority

Q: How does sustainability help a business manage more strategically?
- employees that work for the organization want to know that they’re making a difference (Incorrect. This is a benefit of sustainability, but it doesn’t necessarily help a business manage more strategically.)
- it builds goodwill with employees. (Incorrect. This is a benefit of sustainability but doesn’t necessarily help a business manage more strategically.)
- it puts the business in a better position on the stock market (Incorrect. Though hopefully that happens for them!)
- identifying and tracking metrics may make a business more aware of trends and opportunities. (Correct. With an eye on these details, businesses can capitalize on these opportunities.)
A: identifying and tracking metrics may make a business more aware of trends and opportunities.

Q: Human resource professionals can advance sustainability efforts within an organization by:
- providing training to employees and then letting them take their own action (Incorrect. Training without an action plan is often doomed to fail.)
- soliciting implementation ideas from employees (Incorrect. This is a good first step, but should be followed by other practices.)
- protecting and preparing for opposing opinions of millennials on sustainability (Incorrect. Millennials often favor companies that practice sustainability, this usually isn’t an issue.)
- aligning HR systems with an aim toward embedding sustainability into culture (Correct. HR professionals can align their practices to incorporate sustainability as a common practice.)
A: aligning HR systems with an aim toward embedding sustainability into culture

Q: When Julie is creating sustainability training, she should remember that words like “environmentalist” and “climate change” can:
- incite employees toward quick action. (Incorrect. Some will be incited to quick actions, but this isn’t always the case.)
- be too political and will likely ensure the failure of the project. (Incorrect. Some will bristle at these terms, but that doesn’t mean that the project is doomed or that this will be a universal response.)
- have no impact on the trainees and the likelihood that they will embrace the concept. (Incorrect. These words can be politically charged and using them can evoke an adverse response.)
- evoke responses of both engagement and resistance from employees. (Correct. These words can be politically charged and may evoke an adverse response from some employees.)
A: evoke responses of both engagement and resistance from employees.

Q: Human resource professionals are likely to see a benefit in their sustainability efforts. Among them is an increase in favorable perception of their company by:
- Baby boomers (Incorrect. Baby boomers are not necessarily noted for responding favorably to a corporation’s sustainability efforts.)
- Generation Xers (Incorrect. Generation Xers are not necessarily noted for responding favorably to a corporation’s sustainability efforts.)
- Generation Zers (Incorrect. Generation Zers are not necessarily noted for responding favorably to a corporation’s sustainability efforts.)
- Millennials (Correct. Millennials often champion corporations that practice sustainability.)
A: Millennials

Q: A corporation’s obligation to stakeholders is referred to as:
- sustainability (Incorrect. Sustainability can be an element of this, but many other elements are considered.)
- an ethical culture (Incorrect. An ethical culture can be an element of this, but other elements are considered.)
- economic and philanthropic responsibility (Incorrect. These are both levels of the larger, more encompassing term.)
- corporate social responsibility (Correct. This is the correct term.)
A: corporate social responsibility

Q: A corporation’s responsibility to maintain a strong competitive position is part of which layer of the corporate social responsibility pyramid?
- Ethical (Incorrect. A strong competitive position is more directly tied to another layer.)
- Philanthropic (Incorrect. A strong competitive position allows for philanthropy, but actually falls into a different layer.)
- Social (Incorrect. A strong competitive position often does not foster any social elements.)
- Economic (Correct. A strong competitive position yields profit, so it directly impacts the economic layer.)
A: Economic

Q: In recent years, corporate social responsibility has evolved to incorporate:
- ethical culture (Incorrect. Ethics has long been a part of CSR.)
- philanthropy (Incorrect. Philanthropy has long been a part of CSR.)
- connectivity (Incorrect. Connectivity is not necessarily an element of CSR.)
- sustainability (Correct. As sustainability becomes more of a focus, it’s become an element of CSR.)
A: sustainability

Q: Corporate social responsibility has become an important focus for businesses because:
- companies with solid CSR practices are more sustainable (Incorrect. Sustainability can be an element of CSR, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a focus.)
- organizations that have solid CSR practices are more ethical and have higher employee turnover (Incorrect. Solid CSR practices usually lead to lower employee turnover.)
- Solid CSR practices are an improvement in a company’s image and brand (Incorrect. These two elements often go hand in hand, but they can be mutually exclusive.)
- consumers, employees and stakeholders are prioritizing organizations that have solid CSR practices (Correct. When organizations are prioritized on the sustainability platform, their profits are often higher.)
A: consumers, employees and stakeholders are prioritizing organizations that have solid CSR practices

Q: Which of the following is true of corporate social responsibility?
- It’s primarily for large organizations, due to the high costs associated with CSR practices. (Incorrect. CSR practices don’t always come at a high cost.)
- It should only be adopted by businesses with a national or international focus. (Incorrect. Even local businesses can benefit from CSR.)
- It’s better executed by smaller companies, due to its impact on smaller communities. (Incorrect. Smaller companies can execute on CSR and benefit from it, but larger companies benefit from it, too.)
- It can be adopted and practiced by businesses of any size. (Correct. Even a sole proprietor can practice CSR.)
A: It can be adopted and practiced by businesses of any size.

Q: Degree of innovation and measurable social impact are:
- criteria for sustainability best practices (Incorrect. They can be, but are not necessarily, part of sustainability best practices.)
- criteria for boosting brand preference among consumers (Incorrect. This might be the result of these two efforts, but that result isn’t guaranteed.)
- two of the benefits stemming from CSR (Incorrect. These are efforts, not results.)
- criteria for CSR best practices (Correct. These are two elements that are often considered in CSR best practices.)
A: criteria for CSR best practices