Ethikos Weekly Editor’s Picks – January 28, 2014

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Ethikos Weekly Editor’s Picks

Examining Business Ethics Since 1987
www.ethikospublication.org

Editor’s Top Choice:Corporate integrity undermined by the pursuit of shareholder valueCynics who insist that corporate ethics policies are often not worth the paper they are written on often cite the fact that the final edition of Enron’s 64-page “Code of Ethics” was published in July 2000, less than 18 months before the storm of scandal broke over the company that led to its downfall.In the foreword to the booklet, Chairman Kenneth Lay (who, remember, was later found guilty of 10 counts of fraud) wrote that “we want to be proud of Enron and know that it enjoys a reputation for fairness and honesty and that it is respected.” Read more of the management-issues.com piece published recently: Read more


Other Featured Picks of the Week

Ethics & technology: The disconnect

Technology is the biggest challenge to ethics and compliance in organizations today, says Deloitte’s Keith Darcy. “We have the capacity to do things before we ever consider the ethical consequences,” Darcy told bankinfosecurity.com in a recent interview.

From mobile and social media to big data and analytics, individuals and organizations have unprecedented access to critical information. But how they choose to access, store and share that information – that’s the great ethical challenge, says Darcy, who has just been appointed senior adviser to consultant Deloitte’s Governance, Regulatory and Risk Strategies enterprise compliance practice. Read more


Minnesota business fires CEO’s brother-in-law for business ethics violations

Robert Rucker, the CEO of Minnesota-based Tile Shop Holdings announced yesterday that he fired his brother-in-law, Fumitake Nishi, for “multiple violations” of the public company’s “business ethics policy,” according to a press released reported in the StarTribuneRead more


Accounting firm leaders, staff see ethics differently

Leaders of accounting firms may view the ethical environment differently from their staff members, according to a new study completed by 139 accounting professionals employed by CPA firms, according to www.accountingtoday.com.

The study tests some potential reasons why firm leaders and non-leaders or professional staff may have varying perspectives on the firm’s ethical environment, and also found that even those in leadership positions may benefit from mentoring. Read more


Why ethics training doesn’t work

An opinion piece recently published by the New Hampshire Business Review begins, “I heartily support the call by Mark Connolly and Mark DiSalvo to stop the ethical merry-go-round so evident across all our sectors. The unrelenting scandals are a sad testimony to the most important and powerful institutions in our country, notably business and government.”Read more


Stop ‘Constantly bashing banks’ and ‘Lecturing on ethics and integrity’ Megabank CEO says

“Life is hard enough,” according to Swiss banking executive Sergio Ermotti, “without people constantly bashing banks.” The UBS chief executive made those remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “I think this constant lecturing on ethics and integrity by many stakeholders is probably the most frustrating part of the equation,” he said in a piece published on thinkprogress.org, “because I don’t think there are many people who are perfect.”Read more


Google’s acquisition of AI startup reportedly leads to ethics board plans

News of Google’s acquisition of the artificial intelligence startup DeepMind surfaced yesterday, and following on its heels comes word the Internet giant plans to create an ethics board for the technology. Such a board would be tasked with ensuring AI technology is not abused, according to slashgear.com. Read more


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