1. How would you classify Alcoa's ethical work climate? Which ethical criterion was used by the company: egoism (self-centered), benevolence (concern for others), or principles (integrity approach)? Or, using Professor Paine's two distinct ethics approaches, as discussed in this chapter, was Alcoa's approach more compliance or integrity?
2. What role did top management commitment play in developing the ethical work climate and organizational performance seen at Alcoa? What other ethical safeguards are mentioned in the case to support the company's efforts at developing a strong ethical culture?
3. Was O'Neill justified in terminating the manager for his lack of reporting the workplace accidents, even though no serious harm resulted from the workplace incident?
4. Can Alcoa's "values in practice" be adopted by other organizations as a universal set of ethical standards leading to ethical employee behavior?