Ethics & CSR

Three inconvenient truths about corruption

02 Sep 2019 | Marc Le Menestrel

Any definition of corruption that does not include your own actions is a self-protective fantasy. So having honest, adult conversations about corruption requires accepting that none of us is ethically pure.

The aggregation of marginal decays

22 Mar 2017 | John Blakey

Losing your integrity is like losing your virginity: it only happens once. And it often stems from a step-by-step deterioration, when small errors and failings are routinely overlooked - the exact opposite of marginal gains.

Human Rights: do the diligence

08 Nov 2016 | Robert McCorquodale

The need for companies across all industry sectors to do genuine, focused human rights due diligence is becoming ever clearer. This applies both to a company’s own direct activities and within its supply chain.

Choosing to be humble

29 Sep 2016 | John Blakey

The sad story of ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce, the shortest-serving manager in English football history, is a classic example of someone falling foul of habit No.6 of a trusted executive - choosing to be humble.

The flip-side of ethical conduct

18 Feb 2016 | Brian Amble

Doing what right - as opposed to what's profitable - isn’t always easy. What’s more, new research has found, ethical behaviour can also have an ugly flip-side.

Warriors and kings

26 Oct 2015 | John Blakey

More than ever, companies need to be led by kings, not warriors. But the Volkswagen scandal is a reminder that an obsolete and destructive warrior mentality still grips a large chunk of the corporate psyche.

Pulling the wool over the auditors’ eyes

23 Sep 2015 | Brian Amble

Confident statements from managers can distort the judgement of auditors and lead them to accept explanations at face value, new research has found.

Moving beyond profit

07 Aug 2015 | Dawna Jones

Dawna Jones talks to Roberta Baskin, who heads up The Flourish Prizes at Case Western University, an initiative designed to inspire the current and next generation of business leaders to build a better world.

Ethics across the generations

20 Jul 2015 | Guendalina Dondé

Business ethics mean different things to different people. So understanding the different characteristics of the various generations in the workplace is a fundamental part of building a culture founded on ethical values.

Sustainability and business education

23 Jun 2015 | Dawna Jones

Dawna talks to Wendy Chapple, deputy director of the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Nottingham University Business School, about a different approach to executive education and why the school has launched an MSc in sustainability.

Swiss leaks and banking ethics

09 Jun 2015 | Isabelle Chaboud

Last February, following the revelations of the Swiss Leaks affair, HSBC's CEO, Stuart Gulliver, offered his 'sincerest apologies' for the tax avoidance practices carried out by his bank on behalf of its clients. But does his statement indicate any real evolution in banking practices or a step towards more ethical banking?

Female CFOs reduce corporate tax evasion

25 Feb 2015 | Brian Amble

If we want companies to be more transparent and ethical about their tax affairs, having more women in board positions - and in particular, encouraging more women to become CFOs - could be the answer.

Law, ethics and Aristotle's ghost

10 Dec 2014 | Christine Noél Lemaitre

What impact does employment law have on organisational and personal ethics? And does legislation encourage or stifle innovation? With a vast array of labour laws and a reputation for legislative overload, a good place to look for answers is to ask the French.

Encouraging employees to voice their values

28 Oct 2014 | Mary Gentile

How can organizations encourage their employees to act responsibly and to voice their values effectively and constructively when they see things that put the firm and its reputation, not to mention public safety and wellbeing, at risk?

Power, corruption and testosterone

06 Oct 2014 | Brian Amble

A new study from the University of Lausanne has revealed that the old cliché is true. Power does corrupt. What’s more, it is almost addictive, with even previously-honest individuals succumbing to its allure.

Mindfulness, business ethics and leadership

26 Feb 2014 | Dawna Jones

Mindfulness is most often associated with reducing stress, but as we find out in this interview with Dr Dominique Steiler from Grenoble School of Management, it extends into how leaders make ethical decisions and how companies can promote sustainable value creation.

Corporate integrity undermined by the pursuit of shareholder value

23 Jan 2014 | Brian Amble

Higher levels of corporate integrity lead to better outcomes and greater profitability. But a new study suggests with an excessive focus on shareholder value means that public companies are less able to maintain their 'integrity capital'.

Social responsibility in the mining sector

06 May 2013 | Dawna Jones

Dawna Jones talks to mining expert, Dr Ian Thomson, about how you can tell companies who are really acting responsibly from those who are just talking about it.

CEO pay based on self-serving myth

12 Feb 2013 | Brian Amble

The argument that stratospheric levels of CEO pay are justified by the need to compete for top talent in a global marketplace is nothing more than a 'self-serving myth', a new report claims.

How safe are your secrets?

25 Jul 2012 | Brian Amble

A third of employees admit to having taken or forwarded confidential information out of the office and half would be happy to take sensitive information with them if they switched jobs.