Picture the scene: You arrive home late from work, again. You’re exhausted and searching for something to eat when the phone rings. A very excited friend blurts out: “I’ve got two free tickets right behind home plate at the game tomorrow afternoon! Come on, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” You say yes right away, thinking […]
Patricia Harned
Posted inFrom the Archive
The Ethics of Addressing Sustainability Issues
Imagine waking up from the following nightmare: massive floods caused by global warming; four-year-olds running large machines in dark factories; a village of shacks razed to make way for a new chemical plant. And above it all, the CEO of your company behind the curtain, controlling everything. You wake from this nightmare figuring it was […]
Posted inUncategorized
Five Years of SOX, and Ethical Pitfalls Remain
Last month’s fifth anniversary of the landmark Sarbanes-Oxley Act spurred a flurry of discussion in both business and political circles about that legislation’s effect on business practices, as well as its success in curtailing the kinds of abuses that brought down Enron, WorldCom, and other giants early in this decade. Much of the discussion drew […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Ethics Online: What A Good Internet Policy Looks Like
OK, compliance and ethics directors: what would you do if your e-mail monitoring system uncovered a romantic relationship between two employees?Or what would you do if you discovered an employee was using his office computer to post corporate information—though completely banal—on his personal blog? E-mail and Internet usage—not to mention newer technologies such as blogs […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Enforcing An Ethical Line Against Bribery
In February 2007, health products giant Johnson & Johnson disclosed that some of its foreign units might have made improper payments related to the sale of medical devices. By voluntarily disclosing the information to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, pledging full cooperation with the agency investigations, and accepting the early retirement […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Keeping Your Ethical Resolutions In 2007
Walk into any fitness club this time of year and witness the phenomenon: What started on Jan. 1 as an unwavering commitment to get in shape has become a struggle to keep the momentum, if not an outright surrender. Gyms that were packed with people three weeks ago are starting to look deserted. For many […]
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
How Ethics Should Help Shape Execs’ Pay
Movie director Steven Spielberg earned $332 million from June 2005 to June 2006; professional golfer Tiger Woods earned $90 million, and actor Johnny Depp earned $29 million. In the business world, Yahoo’s chief executive officer, Terry Semel, received $230 million in total compensation while Berkshire Hathaway boss Warren Buffett received $100,000. Michael Kaiser, president of […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Ethical Approach To Gift Policies Explored
You hear the shout from Jim next door in the Purchasing Department: “Woo hoo! Look at what our vendors at Acme Corp. just sent me!” He waves the gift over the cubicle wall. “It’s one of those remote-control dinosaurs that’s sold out everywhere. Boy, my son is going to love this!” Not wanting to completely […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
A Duty To Act When Misbehavior Happens
In the company lunchroom, you overhear a group of employees talking about the new hire in accounting. “I heard he’s been dating Susan in accounts payable for a couple of months,” says one of them. “They met a while back … No wonder he got the job here!” “Yeah,” another employee chirps. “I saw them […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Personal Missteps Should Raise Eyebrows
The cold pavement shocks your feet as you shuffle to the end of the driveway for the morning newspaper. You are almost back to the front door when you see it—a small headline below the fold containing the name of an executive at your company. You rub your eyes, thinking that you’re seeing things; but […]