Taking Note of headlines in the news
Principles and values at work in the business world
First-Hand Look at a Scandal
Stanford Business magazine
When New Mexico’s governor asked retired business executive Douglas Minge Brown to help sort out a $160 million financial and ethical scandal in the State Treasurer’s Office, he was shocked at what he found. Brown’s conclusion: “While some people have a moral compass that will keep them doing the right things when no one is looking, many don’t.”
Bankers Embracing Transparency
American Banker
In the wake of recent Wall Street declines, many senior banking executives are more receptive to meeting with stock analysts than they were last year when the industry was coming to grips with harrowing credit issues. “Bankers now realize that there is a lack of credibility and transparency, and they’re getting better at addressing it,” said an analyst.
Water Cooler Chats Build Corporate Value
Knowledge@W. P. Carey
Office coffee klatches aren’t wasted time – they are modern tribal gatherings that help bring organizational strategies and mission down to a personal, local level. “How people feel about their employer is largely dependent on how they feel about their tribe…rather than the organization’s larger culture and objectives as dictated by upper management,” reported Knowledge@W. P. Carey.
Taking Note of headlines in the news
Principles and values at work in the business world
U.S. Olympic Arm Launches Etiquette Program
Tactics and The Strategist Online
In an effort to avoid past media scandals involving American athletes abroad, the U.S. Olympic Committee required its Olympians attend a course to learn how to behave within China’s system of social customs. Exemplary conduct from the athletes is being viewed as just as important as what they actually do at the Games.
Ethics Committee Raps Senator Delivering Babies
Politico
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who also happens to be a medical doctor, has been told he’ll be in “serious violation of Senate rules” and subject to sanction if he continues…delivering babies, on a pro-bono basis. With the U.S. economy sagging, and foreign policy challenges abounding, is the Senate policy an example of rules trumping principle?
Air Force Chief Wants to Restore Credibility
Washington Post
New Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz has a new mission: restore the service’s credibility in the eyes of the government and public after a spate of recent security and corruption problems. Schwartz said he plans to bring back integrity “on Capitol Hill one member at a time” and instill a comprehensive compliance culture.
Taking Note of headlines in the news
Principles and values at work in the business world
Companies Value “Soft” Assets in Turning Green
CIO Insight
Many IT companies are launching green initiatives because of environmental concerns and emphasis on “softer elements, such as brand value and meeting corporate social responsibility goals,” said the survey. These assets drive company and reputational value and help businesses do the right thing for the right reasons.
Socially Responsible Companies Attractive to Consumers
Belfast Telegraph
A survey from the U.K. has found that 80 percent of Irish consumer respondents make purchasing decisions based on businesses’ social, ethical and environmental behaviors. In this age of transparency, a majority of the respondents said they value a company’s honesty and openness above the quality of their products.
Businesses Sponsoring Olympics Ducking Social Responsibility
Huffington Post
America’s major corporate Olympics sponsors are reportedly setting aside their public profiles supporting human rights and labor to profit in the “repressive Olympic host” country of China, reports the Huffington Post. If companies only “talk the talk” on values, they end up potentially shooting themselves in the foot with customers and shareholders.
An apology pays dividends.
"Say you’re sorry.”
It’s an order parents routinely give their children as a way of mending relationships damaged by a careless or thoughtless act. And centuries of experience demonstrate that the formula actually works.
Now, The New York Times reports, even the medical profession is finding advantage by leaning into our new 21st century world.
Transparency and collaboration in intellectual property:
An interview with John and Nancy Cronin of
ipCapital GroupJohn and Nancy Cronin are principals with ipCapital Group, a consultancy that helps companies organize and capitalize on their intellectual property. HOW Online talked to them about the ways in which collaboration has changed the ways companies invent.
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