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American Planning Association AICP Exam - Topic 8 Question 99 Discussion

ScenarioYou are a planner for a city planning department and you have an old friend who runs a planning consulting firm in the same city. Your friend submits a competitive proposal to work as a consultant for your department to you on Friday and while in your office, asks you to be her guest for dinner at a very fancy restaurant on Saturday evening. What might you do if you actually have no influence about awarding the contract?
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.

American Planning Association AICP Exam - Topic 8 Question 99 Discussion

Actual exam question for American Planning Association's AICP exam
Question #: 99
Topic #: 8
[All AICP Questions]

Scenario

You are a planner for a city planning department and you have an old friend who runs a planning consulting firm in the same city. Your friend submits a competitive proposal to work as a consultant for your department to you on Friday and while in your office, asks you to be her guest for dinner at a very fancy restaurant on Saturday evening. What might you do if you actually have no influence about awarding the contract?

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Suggested Answer: A

by Jacklyn at May 04, 2025, 11:41 AM

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Coral
7 months ago
Seems a bit overblown, it's just dinner, right?
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Josefa
7 months ago
Wow, I didn't think a dinner could cause so much trouble!
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Donte
7 months ago
I agree, better to wait until after the contract is awarded.
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Billy
7 months ago
Rules are rules, gotta be careful with these things.
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Stefania
8 months ago
It's definitely a conflict of interest situation.
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Paulina
8 months ago
I feel a bit confused about the specific rules mentioned. I thought both options were similar, but I guess it’s about how the situation is perceived by the public.
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Han
8 months ago
I practiced a similar scenario where the focus was on ethical decision-making. I think it's crucial to avoid any appearance of impropriety, so postponing sounds wise.
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Lamar
8 months ago
I'm not entirely sure which rules apply here, but I feel like both options might be valid. Maybe I should lean towards postponing the dinner just to be safe?
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Peggie
9 months ago
I remember discussing conflicts of interest in class, and I think it's important to consider how it looks to others, even if I don't have direct influence.
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Willard
9 months ago
I'm a little confused on this one. If I have no influence over the contract decision, does that really matter? I mean, the dinner invitation doesn't seem like it's trying to sway me. But I guess I should still be careful about the appearance of a conflict. Maybe I'll just postpone the dinner to be on the safe side.
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Armanda
9 months ago
Okay, I've got this. The key is to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the dinner invitation is innocent. Since I have no influence over the contract decision, I can have the dinner, but it would be safer to postpone it until after the contract is awarded. Gotta play it safe on this one.
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Regenia
9 months ago
Hmm, this is a tricky one. On the one hand, the dinner invitation doesn't seem to be directly related to the contract decision. But I can see how it could still create the appearance of a conflict of interest. I'll need to really think through the rules of conduct here and make sure I'm making the ethical choice.
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Jose
9 months ago
This question seems pretty straightforward. I think the key is to focus on the potential conflict of interest, even if the dinner invitation isn't meant to influence the contract decision. Since I have no influence over the contract, I should probably just postpone the dinner until after it's awarded.
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Merlyn
1 year ago
I'd say go for the dinner, but make sure to order the most expensive thing on the menu. You know, just to really drive home the point that you're not influenced at all.
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Allene
12 months ago
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Devorah
12 months ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Tawanna
1 year ago
Oh, come on. It's just dinner, right? What, are you afraid the food is going to bribe you or something? Relax, dude. Just have a good time and stop overthinking it.
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Corazon
1 year ago
I don't know, man. If you've got no influence on the decision, why not just enjoy a fancy dinner with your friend? As long as you're not actually trying to sway the contract, I don't see the problem. Lighten up, folks!
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Herminia
12 months ago
As long as you're not actually trying to sway the contract, why not just enjoy a fancy dinner with your friend?
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Tenesha
12 months ago
I don't see the problem. Lighten up, folks!
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Johanna
1 year ago
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Martina
1 year ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Yun
1 year ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Felix
1 year ago
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Nadine
1 year ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Mari
1 year ago
That's true, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Tricia
1 year ago
But if I have no influence on awarding the contract, maybe it's okay to have dinner with my friend.
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Stanford
1 year ago
I agree, it's important to be cautious in these situations.
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Mari
1 year ago
I think I should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest.
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Fatima
1 year ago
Hmm, this is a tricky one. I'd say it's best to avoid the dinner altogether, just to avoid any potential issues. Better to be safe than sorry, you know?
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Royce
1 year ago
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Carla
1 year ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Walton
1 year ago
I think we should be cautious about even the appearance of a conflict of interest here. Better to postpone the dinner until after the contract is awarded, just to be on the safe side.
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Louann
1 year ago
B) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 6, 8, 18) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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Frederica
1 year ago
A) You should worry about the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if the invitation for dinner is not intended to enhance your friend's chances of being awarded the contract (Rules of Conduct 5, 8, 19) Because you have no influence about the decision to award the contract, which would include having no professional contact with the decision-makers, you might have dinner with your friend, but it might be safer to postpone the dinner until after the contract has been awarded.
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