Ethics

Ethics and success aren't mutually exclusive terms. We know this, and yet firms still cut corners. We've become so accustomed to the misbehavior of financial services firms we're no longer shocked by it; their misconduct has become routine. Expected even. James Bone discusses the dilemma of mitigating conduct risk when it feels good to be bad.

Organizations that don’t intentionally foster and maintain a culture of ethics to so to their detriment. The company’s opportunities are limited, its employees’ loyalty may be diminished and – sooner or later – the bottom line is negatively impacted. So if a culture of ethics is your aim, make sure you have these five factors in hand.

Corporations and individuals who either insinuate themselves into news stories or report on them in such a way as to capitalize on the events are guilty of newsjacking. You’ve no doubt witnessed this before, though some organizations are subtler than others. But how ethical is this practice, and who determines whether a company is acting ethically?

The merits of maintaining a culture of ethics and compliance are obvious -- and many. And yet some companies devote little attention to ethics and compliance, focusing in stead on financial performance (though the two concepts certainly aren't mutually exclusive). Here are our signs of a weak culture of ethics and compliance. A primer on what not to do, you...

There were some serious systemic issues that allowed two inmates to escape from a New York prison recently. Their prison break unveiled lax internal controls and major ethical lapses on the part of supervisors and management. One key lesson learned from these events: favoritism never bodes well for the many. What are the weaknesses in your internal controls?

It's said that the measure of a person's character is how they behave when no one is looking. Cheating at work can be a very alluring idea, especially when it seems there will be no victims and great benefit. Corporate counsel can have quite the job ahead of them in battling morally questionable conduct, but Jim Nortz offers several suggestions...

The temptation to bend the rules can be great, particularly when it seems the regulatory watchdogs aren't taking notice and it's clear that issues of noncompliance have gone undetected. Maintaining a culture of ethics means doing the right thing at all times, not allowing yourself to become complacent when it comes to doing business ethically.

This article looks at the key program characteristics of independence and authority, which have enormous capacity to contribute to the level of independence and authority of an E&C program.

You assign one of your staff to complete fieldwork for a major project. The associate is not capable of providing the requested services and tells you well before the deadline. How do you reward this person’s honesty and trust in you?

The terms compliance and ethics are so closely related that we sometimes assume the functions not only overlap, but are actually one in the same. The compliance officer in most organizations may also be the ethics officer. While compliance and ethics could be viewed as intersecting circles, there is a clear divide. Instant Download: Read it Now Can’t see the...

With every changing of the calendar, Michael Volkov names a "person of the year." This year, the distinction goes to the Chief Ethics Officer, as companies are coming to a better understanding of the integral role a culture of ethical behavior plays in an effective compliance program. In fact, many are finding that you can't have one without the other....

Compliance alone isn't enough, says Michael Volkov. Compliance alone is the bare minimum; fostering an ethical culture takes your compliance program to the next level, requiring little besides commitment. And there's the payoff, of course... employees want to work for companies that operate with integrity, and clients want to do business with ethical organizations.