Mike Is the Chair of the Management Department at a Local

question 19

Multiple Choice

Mike is the chair of the management department at a local university and Tom is an ethics professor in that department.  They dislike each other immensely due to a number of professional and social disagreements.  Mike calls Tom into his office and closes the door.  He then informs Tom that he believes that Tom is guilty of plagiarism and also guilty of an improper sexual relationship with Kathy, a 19 year old management student.  In fact, Tom is a happily married man who is extremely well respected in the community and has never committed adultery.  Deeply believing in ethics, he has never committed plagiarism in his life.  Furthermore, he has always been absolutely professional with regard to his student Kathy.  Tom vehemently denies these charges and as he gets up to leave, Mike states, "Give me any more trouble and I go public."  Tom goes right to his attorney who files a defamation law suit that afternoon. ​

• A)Tom will win because the statements are both lies, challenging his integrity and character
• B)Tom will win because his reputation has been damaged
• C)Mike will win because as chair, he has a qualified privilege to make these types of statements
• D)Mike will win because the statements were not published

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Definitions:

Arousal Theory

A theory suggesting that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal, which varies from one individual to another.

Maslow's Hierarchy

A theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow that presents a hierarchy of human needs, from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.

Plutchik's Scheme

A psychoevolutionary theory of emotion, proposing eight primary bipolar emotions and their combinations, interactions, and variations.

Primary Drive

Basic, innate urges such as hunger and thirst that motivate behavior to satisfy physiological needs.