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ethics
« Previous EntriesThis holiday season cut spending, not ethical corners
Saturday, November 29th, 2008Thanksgiving is over, leftovers are drying out in refrigerators nationwide, and that means the holiday shopping season is upon us. Not surprisingly, the recent economic downturn is putting pressure on everyone to cut back on holiday buying. Early news reports suggest that most shoppers intend to spend less than they did in recent years and are aggressively [...]
This Thanksgiving, settle your unresolved feuds with an apology
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Thanksgiving Day is upon us, which means that a great many Americans will be traveling long distances to sit down for dinner with family and friends. It’s a wonderful holiday - until one of those “issues” that seem to crop up every year rears its ugly head over coffee and pumpkin pie.
There are various ways to [...]
Is it ethical for the police to run want ads for informants?
Monday, November 24th, 2008The Washington Post Express reported this morning on the Albuquerque Police Department’s decision to use the want ads to recruit informants. According to the Post Express, the police department’s ad solicits “people who hang out with crooks,” inviting them to “Make extra cash!” by reporting criminal behavior, earning anywhere from $50 for a tip that [...]
When a minor refuses treatment, what should a doctor do?
Friday, November 21st, 2008A few days ago, the Washington Post Express reported the story of a 13-year-old who wanted to refuse potentially life-saving surgery. The story focused on the question of whether a minor should be allowed to refuse treatment, but I found myself wondering about a different aspect of the story:
What about the ethical dilemma facing the [...]
At the sound of the beep …
Monday, November 17th, 2008A friend of mine (let’s call him Bob) recently suffered through what should have been a simple telephone call. Bob had worked for over a decade for a company with a particularly nice pension plan so, when he left for a new job, he decided to leave his retirement money in his former employer’s plan [...]
At the end of the day, and with all due respect, I absolutely apologize to my readers!
Saturday, November 15th, 2008Recently, The London Telegraph reported that researchers at Oxford University had compiled a list of the top ten most irritating phrases. The list sounded like it would offer an entertaining break from all the bad business news so, just for fun, I looked it up.
Oh, dear …
Imagine my chagrin when I found that several of the [...]
Secretary Paulson refuses to apologize … but he should!
Thursday, November 13th, 2008Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson hit a new low when he announced yesterday that he won’t use the $700 billion Congress allocated for the Wall Street bailout to buy mortgage-backed securities after all. Instead, Paulson appears to have made a unilateral decision to buy stock in banks and credit card companies, bail out other industries, and who knows what [...]
The Obama Administration sets new ethics rules for lobbyists
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008Yesterday, soon-to-be President Barack Obama made a whole lot of points with me when his transition team announced new ethics rules for lobbyists. You may remember that candidate Obama promised to take a strong stance on corruption in Washington, and to prevent lobbyists from gaining undue influence in his Administration. Although he hasn’t even taken [...]
Should you hire a professional ethics trainer?
Monday, November 10th, 2008Most executives acknowledge that it’s a good idea to talk about ethics with their employees from time to time, but they may be reluctant to bring in a professional ethics trainer. It costs money to hire outside speakers, and a lot of managers think they can do ethics training just as well as a professional can. [...]
When it comes to customers, don’t make the same mistake twice!
Friday, November 7th, 2008My friend Amy was very frustrated this week when she got her daughter’s birthday cake for free. Sounds crazy? Read on.
Amy works a demanding job and only gets a half-hour lunch break. At the end of every workday she fights through traffic to collect her kids from daycare, so she can’t run errands on the [...]