Monthly Archives: September 2015

CyberCrime? Banks May Not Protect You

If you’re a small business — maybe a sole proprietor — your bank account is at risk for cyberfraud and the bank may have no obligation to protect you. In specific cases, this brings up interesting (and hard) problems about

CyberCrime? Banks May Not Protect You

If you’re a small business — maybe a sole proprietor — your bank account is at risk for cyberfraud and the bank may have no obligation to protect you. In specific cases, this brings up interesting (and hard) problems about

The Leadership Challenge: Avoid Making Star Employees Miserable

How can leaders live up to their obligations to star employees? The blog entry below takes a common personal crisis faced by many star employees and turns it into a question of leadership ethics. >>> LINK: How companies can stop

The Leadership Challenge: Avoid Making Star Employees Miserable

How can leaders live up to their obligations to star employees? The blog entry below takes a common personal crisis faced by many star employees and turns it into a question of leadership ethics. >>> LINK: How companies can stop

Business Responsibilities in a Refugee Crisis

What can, and what should, businesses do in the face of humanitarian crisis? The commentary below tackles that question. Additional questions worth asking: is there a difference, in this regard, between private companies and publicly-traded ones? And does asking about

Business Responsibilities in a Refugee Crisis

What can, and what should, businesses do in the face of humanitarian crisis? The commentary below tackles that question. Additional questions worth asking: is there a difference, in this regard, between private companies and publicly-traded ones? And does asking about

Adam Smith vs Inequality

Fitting thinkers from past centuries into contemporary debates and public policy disputes is less straightforward than it seems—and that goes double for Adam Smith. Here, University of Virginia politics professor Deborah Boucoyannis argues that Smith articulated in his own time

Adam Smith vs Inequality

Fitting thinkers from past centuries into contemporary debates and public policy disputes is less straightforward than it seems—and that goes double for Adam Smith. Here, University of Virginia politics professor Deborah Boucoyannis argues that Smith articulated in his own time

Do Good: Support Sweatshop Labour

The piece linked below, by Oxford University philosopher William MacAskill, argues that doing good in the word requires using your head. That means, among other things, buying goods made in sweatshops. In other words, ‘conscious consumerism’ is a matter of

Do Good: Support Sweatshop Labour

The piece linked below, by Oxford University philosopher William MacAskill, argues that doing good in the word requires using your head. That means, among other things, buying goods made in sweatshops. In other words, ‘conscious consumerism’ is a matter of

United Pays CEO Smisek $28m to Go Away, Keep Quiet, Not Compete

A less-explored aspect of executive compensation in business ethics is executive severance. Although usually addressed in terms of a corporate board’s sympathy with C-level executives, this snarky piece inadvertently stumbles upon the real reason United is willing to pay handsomely

United Pays CEO Smisek $28m to Go Away, Keep Quiet, Not Compete

A less-explored aspect of executive compensation in business ethics is executive severance. Although usually addressed in terms of a corporate board’s sympathy with C-level executives, this snarky piece inadvertently stumbles upon the real reason United is willing to pay handsomely

NYC Taxi Medallion Financiers’ Anti-Uber Lawsuit Dismissed

One of the most interesting challenges of advances in information technology is discerning where property rights end and business models begin. Here, a New York trial court judge (despite its grand name, the New York Supreme Court is actually the

NYC Taxi Medallion Financiers’ Anti-Uber Lawsuit Dismissed

One of the most interesting challenges of advances in information technology is discerning where property rights end and business models begin. Here, a New York trial court judge (despite its grand name, the New York Supreme Court is actually the

Intentional Fouls and Wrongdoing

This blog entry considers the significance of intentional ‘fouls’ (broadly interpreted) in sports, asks whether intentional fouls are in some sense unethical, and then compares to business ethics. One point worth adding, in support of the author’s perspective: if certain

Intentional Fouls and Wrongdoing

This blog entry considers the significance of intentional ‘fouls’ (broadly interpreted) in sports, asks whether intentional fouls are in some sense unethical, and then compares to business ethics. One point worth adding, in support of the author’s perspective: if certain

Are There Special Duties to Shareholders?

New & interesting, from Business and Society Review. >>> Shareholder Primacy and Deontology, by Hasko Von Kriegstein This article argues that shareholder primacy cannot be defended on the grounds that there is something special about the position of shareholders that

Are There Special Duties to Shareholders?

New & interesting, from Business and Society Review. >>> Shareholder Primacy and Deontology, by Hasko Von Kriegstein This article argues that shareholder primacy cannot be defended on the grounds that there is something special about the position of shareholders that

Debt Collection Ethics: Big Players Settle with U.S. CFPB

Debt collection is an interesting but under-explored area of business ethics. In the U.S., debt collection practices are regulated directly by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but also indirectly by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the various Bankruptcy

Debt Collection Ethics: Big Players Settle with U.S. CFPB

Debt collection is an interesting but under-explored area of business ethics. In the U.S., debt collection practices are regulated directly by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but also indirectly by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the various Bankruptcy