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Archive for December, 2008
« Previous EntriesWas it ethical for Burris to accept Blagojevich’s appointment?
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008Beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich raised eyebrows yesterday when he tried to appoint former Illinois Attorney General Roland W. Burris to fill President-Elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. There’s bound to be a lot of political tap-dancing around the appointment, because Senate leaders have promised to reject anyone nominated by Blagojevich in the wake of [...]
Add ethics to your company’s New Year’s resolutions
Monday, December 29th, 2008It’s that time of year again. Christmas has come and gone, and the new year looms full of promise. People are making their lists of resolutions for 2009: get out of debt, lose weight, quit smoking, and so on.
It’s far less common for companies to make New Year’s resolutions than it is for individuals, but [...]
Don’t make customer service reps apologize today!
Friday, December 26th, 2008It’s the day after Christmas, which means that stores will be jam-packed with avid shoppers looking for post-holiday bargains and unhappy gift recipients trying to return or exchange things they wish they’d never received. The stores will be hot, overcrowded and unpleasant, and sales clerks and customer service representatives will be pushed to their limits [...]
To quote Dr. Seuss, Christmas came just the same!
Thursday, December 25th, 2008Thanks to the sagging economy Americans spent less on gifts and trimmings this Christmas, and there may have been some disappointed faces this morning. But probably there were fewer than the pundits predicted. Americans may have given each other fewer, less expensive gifts, but the presents aren’t really what Christmas is about.
I’ve written a lot in [...]
Santa shouldn’t come to subprime lenders this year!
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008As Christmas approaches, a lot of exhausted parents are telling their hyperactive, gift-greedy children that “Santa won’t come this year unless you’re good!” Until kids get old enough to realize that Santa Claus nearly always comes through no matter how badly they act up, the threat of getting no presents from the Man in Red [...]
Where was Wall Street’s “Deep Throat”?
Monday, December 22nd, 2008The death of W. Mark Felt last week brought to a close one of the longest-lasting mysteries of the 20th Century. It was once a favorite party game here in Washington to speculate on the identity of “Deep Throat,” the anonymous tipster who leaked the Watergate scandal to reporters at The Washington Post. Deep Throat’s [...]
Forbearance is not humbug!
Friday, December 19th, 2008One hundred sixty-five years ago today, Charles Dickens published what may have been his most famous novel, A Christmas Carol. The story of how the “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous” Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed into a kind-hearted philanthropist through the intervention of the spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come is a holiday classic. [...]
Why didn’t the SEC catch Madoff?
Thursday, December 18th, 2008Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is probably deeply grateful to disgraced investment guru Bernard Madoff, whose alleged multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme has pushed Blagojevich’s name out of the front-page headlines. What’s really appalling about the Madoff situation is that the SEC apparently started receiving complaints about Madoff nine years ago, but failed to uncover the alleged [...]
How ethical is the toy industry?
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008The holidays are upon us, and just about everyone is bustling around with last-minute shopping and preparations. We already have a million things to worry about. So, do we really need to be anxious about the safety of the toys we buy?
CNN recently reported that researchers at the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan bought more [...]
Want some ideas to kick your customer service up a notch? Read on!
Friday, December 12th, 2008Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published the unhappy news that the current recession may well prove to be the ugliest slump our economy has had since the Great Depression. On average, the fifty-four economists who participated in the Journal’s survey don’t expect the downturn to hit bottom until June of next year. That means that [...]
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