2026.06.17_Business Ethics: What Would You Do?

Business Ethics: What Would You Do?

Focus: discussing ethical situations, giving opinions, and explaining decisions professionally.

Goal: by the end of this lesson, participants will be able to discuss workplace ethics, explain what they would do in difficult situations, and use professional phrases to talk about right and wrong decisions.

1. Vocabulary Review (from previous lesson)

1. Networking can help you build useful professional ______. (connections)

2. She works in the technology ______. (industry)

3. I met him at a business ______ last year. (conference)

4. Let me ______ myself. (introduce)

5. This could be a great career ______. (opportunity)

Useful Phrases

That doesn’t seem right to me. Example: That doesn’t seem right to me because it could damage trust.

I think we should be transparent about this. Example: I think we should be transparent about the mistake.

It’s not worth risking our reputation. Example: It’s not worth risking our reputation just to save time.

Natural Reactions

That’s a tricky situation. Example: That’s a tricky situation — I’m not sure what I would do.

I see both sides. Example: I see both sides, but honesty is probably more important.

That crosses a line. Example: For me, taking credit for someone else’s work crosses a line.

Vocabulary 

5. Discussion Questions

1. Is honesty always the best policy at work, or are there situations where it is better to stay quiet?

2. Imagine your manager asks for your honest opinion on an idea, but you think it's terrible. How honest would you be?

3. Would you report a colleague if they did something unethical?

4. A company discovers a small problem with one of its products. Fixing it would be very expensive, but the problem is unlikely to affect most customers. What should the company do?

5. If you accidentally received confidential information about a competitor, would you read it?

6. What kind of behaviour would make you lose trust in a colleague?

7. A colleague makes a mistake that nobody notices, and fixing it would create a lot of extra work for the whole team. What would you do?

8. Your company is considering hiring a candidate who is clearly the best person for the job, but they have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Would you hire them?

9. A company can either keep 100 employees and remain profitable, or automate part of the business, increase profits significantly, and lay off 20 employees. What should the company do?

10. Imagine two employees: one gets excellent results but often bends the rules, and one follows every rule but gets average results. Who deserves the promotion?

6. Example Answers

1. I think honesty is usually the best policy, but sometimes timing and diplomacy matter.

2. I would be honest, but I would focus on offering constructive suggestions rather than simply criticizing the idea.

3. It depends on how serious the situation is, but I think some unethical behaviour should be reported.

4. I see both sides. The company should probably fix the problem, but the financial impact might be difficult.

5. I would be curious, but I don't think I should read information that wasn't meant for me.

6. I would lose trust in someone who lies, blames others, or takes credit for work they didn't do.

7. That's a tricky situation. I would probably try to fix the mistake, even if it creates extra work.

8. I would consider how difficult they are to work with. Skills are important, but teamwork matters too.

9. I see both sides. Protecting jobs is important, but companies also need to remain competitive.

10. I would probably promote the person who gets excellent results, but only if the rule-breaking isn't serious.