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Archive for April, 2010
« Previous EntriesDon’t play favorites with your customers, either
Friday, April 30th, 2010Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s address another risk that companies and, in particular, professional firms often face. Anyone who’s ever been in business knows that all customers are not created equal. Some buy more products, are nicer to deal with or offer more referrals. Others [...]
What the heck happened at Goldman Sachs?
Thursday, April 29th, 2010As the wars over the banking reform bill wage on in the Senate, it’s hardly surprising that our fearless leaders chose this week for hearings into the backroom shenanigans at Goldman Sachs. After all, one major point of the legislation is to keep greedy investment bankers reasonably honest. If Congress can prove that [...]
Don’t play favorites with your employees
Saturday, April 24th, 2010Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about a legal risk that managers take all the time. Unless you’re a sole practitioner, your business has one or more employees and, if you’re human, you’re going to like some of them better than others. That’s fine, but unless [...]
Business ethics on Earth Day
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Earth Day turns 40 years old today - that’s the good news. The bad news, if we’re to believe the experts who are all over the media this week, is that our planet is in worse shape than ever. Landfills are crammed to bursting, temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, and exotic [...]
Were Goldman Sachs’ investment products too complex to regulate?
Monday, April 19th, 2010The SEC’s claim that Goldman Sachs defrauded investors with a complex series of mortgage deals is certainly food for thought. Goldman denies the charges and, until a court finds otherwise, has to be presumed innocent. But stock values have taken a dive in the wake of the SEC’s announcement that it’s going after [...]
Disclose and empathize
Friday, April 16th, 2010Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about something doctors are learning and business has yet to figure out. When something goes wrong and you injure a client or customer, empathy can be your best defense.
Doctors work hard to do a good job, but even the best doctors [...]
When it comes to international adoption, the press has it all wrong
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way. I have two daughters, both adopted from Kazakhstan at the ripe old ages of five and nine respectively. They’re occasionally loud, rude, disrespectful, disobedient, quick to tattle, and messy. In other words, they’re kids. They’re also an absolute joy.
That may be why [...]
Does the Ringling Bros. circus abuse its animals?
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010The New York Daily News reported over the weekend that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or “PETA,” is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revoke or block the upcoming renewal of the animal exhibitor license issued to Feld Entertainment, which owns the Ringling Bros. circus franchise. (Full disclosure: I’ve donated to [...]
To teach your kids about apologies, show them “Despereaux”
Friday, April 9th, 2010Yes, it’s Friday, but we’re going to take a break from my series on how to keep your business out of court and focus on something lighter, just for a change of pace. Recently, I had the opportunity to write a guest post for Matt Welsh’s Spiritual Media blog. Matt’s a Hollywood veteran [...]
Predictable heartbreak at the Upper Big Branch Mine
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010Once, just once, I’d love to be able to tell the story of a company that, when confronted with safety violations by its regulators sometime in the last five years, brought in the right consultants, spent the necessary money to correct the problems, and became a model of good practice for the rest of [...]
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