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.
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.
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 Noël 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.
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'.
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.
Lies, damn lies and CSR
25 Nov 2011 | Brian Amble
Much of the environmental reporting data released by some of the world's biggest companies is either incomplete, inaccurate or deliberately distorted, according to a report by researchers from the UK and France.
A sustainable acceleration
03 Oct 2011 | Philip Whiteley
The 'old normal' assumed that companies existed solely for profit and commercial success had to come with human or environmental victims. But now these cynical beliefs are being replaced by a new understanding of the importance of collaboration and sustainability.
Values? What values?
26 Sep 2011 | Brian Amble
Many CEO are quick to trumpet the values of their organization and how these values inspire and motivate their workforce. But according to a new report, in the vast majority of American organizations it isn't values that drive employee behaviour, it's fear.
Take a holiday to fight fraud
12 Aug 2011 | Brian Amble
Summer is the peak time for detecting fraud in organisations because alarm bells are often raised when company fraudsters are away on their summer holidays.