Guideline: It is improper for public officials to influence the award of contracts or to perform other acts related to their office in a way that benefits themselves. Even the appearance of such impropriety should be avoided. Application: Greenville' s mayor acted improperly in urging the award of the city' s street maintenance contract to a company owned and operated by one of the mayor' s relatives, whose business would have been in serious financial trouble had it not been awarded the contract. Which one of the following principles most helps in justifying the application of the guideline? ['Creating the appearance of impropriety is as blameworthy as acting improperly.', 'Awarding a contract to a financially troubled business should be regarded as taking excessive risk.', 'Publicly funded contracts should be awarded based primarily on cost and the reliability of the contractor.', "Benefiting one's family or friends should be regarded as benefiting oneself."]