Ethics

Michael Volkov posits a reasonable definition of business ethics – and outlines what it’s NOT – and offers a framework for going beyond determining whether a decision is “legal” and instead determining whether it is “right.” Forgive me for the title of this posting. I am trying to make a point; a rather obvious one. I confess: I did not take...

Is it possible for a company to get a true read on its own culture? Jay Rosen discusses what to consider and when engaging an independent third party might be the best option. How can a company assess its own culture? First, we should consider whether the company is able to perform a self-assessment of its own culture or whether...

Who bears the responsibility for culture? Jay Rosen explores to what extent the Chief Compliance Officer should be involved in shaping a culture of ethics and driving ethical behavior. Let’s consider that there are multiple levels and roles for those within and outside of the corporate compliance function within an organization; they include the CCO, a compliance practitioner and the...

Jay Rosen considers what can influence an organization’s ethical culture, starting with senior leadership. Do your senior leaders practice what they preach? Employees can spot a disconnect from a mile away. A company does not have an ethical culture unless top management commits to it. Employees not only listen to what senior leadership says but they watch how they act....

Culture exists in the space between what an organization professes and what it does. Jay Rosen explains why it’s important to pay attention to culture: disconnects can be quite costly. Over the past few months, senior leaders at both the Department of Justice (DOJ), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), have given speeches discussing the need for appropriate corporate culture...

Reputation risk expert Michael Toebe explores two recent high-profile cases of ethical oversights that have produced very real consequences in terms of social backlash, eroded public trust and harm to the companies’ internal reputations. Ethics are not intended to be fluid, yet it’s transparent that for some leaders and organizations that end up in the news, situational ethics are more...

Ingrained cultures of denials and threats – together with shifts in federal prosecution of organizations rather than individuals – continue to protect a highly entrenched culture of impunity at the top. Join Sandra Erez on a journey all along the watchtower accompanied by the pied pipers who puff and blow to bring the guilty down. His watchmen are blind, they...

A growing number of people these days do not seem to want to “do the right thing,” but rather “what they can get away with.” Celgene’s Calvin London discusses the significant effect this behavior can have on compliance culture. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone say, “everyone wants to do the right thing.”...

In the latest installment of his ongoing series, Jason Lunday explains why social media can and must be proactively managed for a company to safeguard its reputation and provide its employees with the tools to manage their own personal and business activities.

A single tweet or viral video can do irreparable reputational harm to a company. GAN Integrity’s CEO, Neil Lustig, discusses the democratization of ethics and how it impacts companies – take, for instance, the billions in fines Facebook faced recently. There are virtually no closed doors in businesses anymore. We have more transparency into businesses than ever before because of...

Following an April vote by the European Parliament, potential whistleblowers in the EU member states can expect greater protections. GAN Integrity’s Pauline Blondet discusses what businesses should do now to strengthen their ethics and compliance programs accordingly. The European Parliament recently approved an enhanced and unified whistleblower protection across the European Union’s member states. In order to be ready for...

Our behavior is influenced by what we see and what we are socialized into doing in the workplace. CLOO’s Andre Pinto explains how exposure to dishonest behavior can change our understanding of what is ethically acceptable and offers some compliance strategies based on these insights. We tend to think the moral compass is a very personal thing, but the truth...