Reference no: EM132768581

Questions -

Q1. Seaver Books, a small book publishing company, wrote off the debt of The Learning Center, and the Academy of Basic Education, both small private schools, after it determined that the schools were facing serious financial difficulty. No notice of the action was sent to the schools; Seaver Books simply stopped sending bills. Nearly a year later, The Learning Center was given a large endowment and a government grant. The resulting publicity brought the school to the attention of Seaver Books, which immediately reinstated the account, and sent a new bill to the school, including interest for the entire time the debt was outstanding. No further action was taken regarding the Academy of Basic Education, which was still operational. Did Seaver Books act ethically in reinstating the debt of one client, and not the other? Explain.

Q2. Hannah Company maintains two separate accounts payable computer systems. One is known to all the users, and is used to process payments to vendors. Employees enter the vendor code, or the name and address of new vendors, the amount, the account, and so on. The other system is a secret one. It is used to cross-check the vendors against an approved vendor list. If a vendor is not listed as approved, the payment process is halted. Internal audit employees seek to verify the existence of a bona fide claim by the vendor. All inquiries are made at the top management level, and very discreetly. No one but top management, the internal audit staff, and the Board of Directors of the company is even aware of the second system. Is it ethical for a company to have a secret system like the one described? Explain.