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Business Ethics

‘Business Ethics’

Season 5, Episode 3 -  Aired October 9, 2008

Holly is frustrated when Michael disrupts her ethics seminar and doesn't seem to care about the wrongdoing taking place at the branch.

Quote from Jim

Michael Scott: What's going on?
Pam: [on speaker phone] No, nothing. Nothing, Michael. Just saying hi.
Creed: The tall guy got engaged.
Michael Scott: To be married?
Jim: Yep.
[Michael bear hugs Jim to the ground]
Pam: Sorry.

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Quote from Holly

Holly: Pencils down! Just kidding. Take your time.
[aside to camera:]
Holly: Today is ethics day. After they finish the quiz, I'm gonna run my first meeting here. It's gonna be in-sane! No, it's not. I have to read from the binder.

Quote from Kevin

Michael Scott: Okay, let's give it up for Miss Holly Flax!
Holly: Thanks, Michael. Today we're gonna have a business ethics seminar, because recently, without mentioning any names, there has been some misconduct at corporate. And we have a very strict ethics policy, and that employee has been fired.
Kevin: Come on! He's right there. He was hired. Check it out: Hired guy.

Quote from Oscar

Holly: Well, Michael makes a really good point. So let's just open this up a little bit. Say my name is Lauren, and here I am shopping in a supermarket, and I steal a pencil. That's not right.
Michael Scott: [coughing] Lauren, enough with the pencils.
Holly: No, I have to go over pencils and office supplies. It's part of the ethics thing.
Oscar: That isn't ethics. Ethics is a real discussion of competing conceptions of the good. This is just the corporate anti-shoplifting rules.

Quote from Michael Scott

Jim: Dwight, you've really never stolen any company time?
Dwight K. Schrute: Never.
Michael Scott: You are a thief of joy.

Quote from Angela

Michael Scott: Anybody else?
Kelly: Sometimes I download pirated music onto my work computer.
Michael Scott: Who hasn't? Good. Good! What else?
Holly: No, I'd like to hear more about that.
Angela: I once reported Oscar to the I.N.S. Turns out he's clean, but I'm glad I did it.

Quote from Michael Scott

Michael Scott: Well, well, Holly-lujah. It's a miracle. You're at your desk.
Holly: It's Mike-raculous.
Michael Scott: Ooh, reaching! You'll get there. Anyway, I was giving it some thought, and there's no reason that two attractive, good-looking intelligent, funny, attractive people can't, you know, just sit down and work this whole Meredith thing out.
Holly: Sounds good.
Michael Scott: Good. Would you care to bang it out over lunch?

Quote from Michael Scott

Michael Scott: Let's go out, Dunder Mifflin's treat. Actually, you're not a client, so we'll just split it? Ethical.

Quote from Michael Scott

Holly: So I've gone over corporate policy.
Michael Scott: What do you think? What do you think of this place?
Holly: Oh, it's very nice.
Michael Scott: Isn't it? It's kind of business/romantic. So you're from Des Moines?
Holly: Mmm-hmm.
Michael Scott: That sounds so warm.
Holly: In summer.
Michael Scott: Here too. You know what my favorite season is?
Holly: Maybe we should talk about Meredith first.
Michael Scott: Yes. Get the boring stuff out of the way. Autumn was what I was gonna say. When the leaves change. It's just- I think it's the most contemplative of seasons.

Quote from Michael Scott

Michael Scott: I am just saying that I don't think that you understand what I am saying.
Holly: No, you are saying that we should sweep it under the carpet, accept the discount on supplies, not fire Meredith, and pretend like the whole thing never happened.
Michael Scott: Yes.
Holly: What am I saying?
Michael Scott: Well... busted. I don't-
Holly: I'm saying that her behavior is unethical and a little icky, and I don't think I want to work in an environment where that sort of conduct is tolerated.
Michael Scott: You have to tolerate a lot when you're part of a family.
Holly: It's not a family. It's a workplace.

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