The Controller of One Division of IntroTel, a Large Diversified

question 111

Essay

The controller of one division of IntroTel, a large diversified firm is compensated by salary plus bonus. The bonus is a significant part of total compensation and is based directly on the profits of the division. Thus, the controller has an incentive to find ways to increase profits, including the delay of discretionary expenses such as research and development, delay of maintenance and repair of manufacturing equipment, and delay of sales promotions.
Is finding ways to increase profits as described above unethical? Why or why not? Who is to blame, if anyone?

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Definitions:

Significance Level

The likelihood of incorrectly dismissing the null hypothesis in a statistical analysis, commonly represented by alpha, when it in fact holds true.

Regression Line

A straight line in a scatter plot that best fits the data points and shows the relationship between two variables in linear regression analysis.

P-value

The probability of achieving outcomes in a test that are equally or more extreme than the actual observed ones, given the null hypothesis is assumed to be correct.

Null Hypothesis

The hypothesis that there is no significant difference or effect, typically the initial assumption to be tested in statistical hypothesis testing.