Some years ago while consulting to a large professional firm, I found myself interviewing a graduate recruit who had recently joined the firm … lets call her Angela. Angela bounced into my office, perfectly groomed, eyes shining, brimming with enthusiasm, and obviously delighted to have secured a position with a firm she felt proud to [...]
While the mainstream media debate is around Goldman Sachs, their Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) and the breaking or not of the law (they have just agreed to pay $500 million in damages) the issue that will/should impact Goldmans in the long term is the “tone at the top” of this Wall Street icon. Case histories [...]
The unplanned and ignominious departure of David Jones’ CEO Mark Mcinnes begs a number of questions, not only of his alleged conduct towards employees but also ‘who else knew’. The subsequent leaking of press reports and further allegations of misconduct cast a shadow over the whole organisation whose primary stakeholders are mostly women. It is [...]
First we had the AWB scandals and now the revelations about the Reserve Bank’s subsidiary, Securrency, and the ongoing saga of the BP cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. One could be forgiven for thinking that we, society, the business community and the hundreds of thousands of professionals who work in, with and behind all [...]
There are defining moments in a corporation’s history just as there are defining moments in our personal lives. These moments shape our character and what we become in the future. BP is in such a moment now. How it responds to the social and environmental accountabilities arising from its oil operations will shape how people [...]
We read an interesting piece recently about how both Woolies and Coles are requiring their local suppliers to submit to an ethical audit in line, they say, with the same rigorous standards they apply to overseas suppliers. They are dealing with two industry associations, one of whom has agreed to cooperate and the other, AUSVEG, [...]
It’s interesting listening to and reading the media coverage of the storm surrounding Melbourne Storm – particularly talkback radio. Most of the commentary is around the fairness or otherwise of docking points, taking away trophies; how will the players feel; should the losing teams get the trophies for the last 2 years?; would you as a player on the [...]
The results in South Australia recently probably illustrate this better than anything. A party that was elected on a mandate to bring openness, honesty and transparency to the political system has been given a harsh rebuke by the electorate for its apparent lack of all three.
Which begs the question: by what instrument are we meant [...]
Ethics Q & A for Small Business
How do the following areas affect a small business’s workplace and overall productivity?
Managers lying to employees
An ethical culture – and a high performing one – depends on a high degree of trust between employer and employee. It is a [...]
