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Every year I challenge students in my Stanford University Ethics on the Edge class to find new examples of drivers of ethics transgressions. Every year they do. A few years ago it was anonymous social media. The latest: the sharing economy. Is Uber spreading unethical employee practices and unsafe passenger experiences by categorizing drivers as independent contractors and defending sub-par safety checks? Or is Uber really “just a platform” and therefore justified in dumping responsibility for ethics on the technology, the users, the drivers, and society? (more…)
November 18th, 2013
Accountability / Transparency / Risk Management, Corporate Matters, Corporate Matters @zh, Crisis Management, Crisis Management @zh, Ethics in the News @zh, Gestion des Crises, Gestion du risque, Risk Management, Risk Management @zh, Sujets relatifs aux Entreprises Commerciales, Uncategorized
One of the biggest obstacles to ethics is arbitrariness. All kinds of behavior – both unethical and ethical – can lead to arbitrary ethics consequences. Conversely, arbitrariness in ethics oversight almost always generates unethical behavior. Let’s take a common example in organizations of all sectors and sizes: leaving enforcement of ethical guidelines up to the immediate boss in a hierarchical structure. One employee’s particularly punitive boss may deliver a career-damaging punishment. Another boss may not even read the e-mails signalling more serious unethical behavior leaving her direct report to carry on with impunity. Both occur within the same organization with...
May 22nd, 2013
Accountability / Transparency / Risk Management, Article, Article, Article @zh, Board Matters, Board Matters @zh, Conseils d'Administration, Corporate Matters, Corporate Matters @zh, Crisis Management, Crisis Management @zh, Ethics and Leadership, Ethics and Leadership @zh, Ethics in the News, Ethics in the News @zh, Éthique et Dirigeants, Gestion des Crises, Gestion du risque, Gouvernance, Accountability, Transparence, Governance, Accountability and Transparency, Highlighting Ethics Excellence, Highlighting Ethics Excellence @zh, L'Éthique dans l'Actualité, Lumière sur l'Excellence Éthique, New Ethics for New Issues, New Ethics for New Issues @zh, Non-Profit Organizations Matters, Non-Profit Organizations Matters @zh, Nouvelle Éthique pour Nouveaux Problèmes, Risk Management, Risk Management @zh, Sujets relatifs aux Entreprises Commerciales, Sujets relatifs aux Organisations à But Non Lucratif, Uncategorized
This article was first published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Summer 2013). A wave of ethics transgressions underlines the importance of comprehensive ethics oversight for organizational success. Last year, 2012, was in many regards a step forward for proponents of ethical action. Roger Gifford, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, one of the world’s financial capitals, declared business ethics a priority and critical to the City’s economic success. François Hollande published a Code of Ethics within 11 days of becoming president of France. And the new Chinese premier, Xi Jinping, highlighted the ongoing danger of corruption to economic and social development as a central part...