Author Archives: The Editors
Will Amazon Prevent Employee Discussion of Ethics?
Some employers prefer that workers not unionize. Amazon is one of those. And they’re apparently kicking around an interesting tactic: promote an in-house messaging system for employees to use, but forbid the use of certain terms — terms like “union”
Will Amazon Prevent Employee Discussion of Ethics?
Some employers prefer that workers not unionize. Amazon is one of those. And they’re apparently kicking around an interesting tactic: promote an in-house messaging system for employees to use, but forbid the use of certain terms — terms like “union”
“Shrinkflation”: Deceptive Price Increase or Consumer Irrationality?
Marketing strategy, behavioral economics, and (perhaps) business ethics collide in “shrinkflation”: the not-new but recently much reported-on phenomenon of resizing product volume downward rather than raising prices on consumer products—particularly groceries. On one hand, it shouldn’t matter: whether a package in
“Shrinkflation”: Deceptive Price Increase or Consumer Irrationality?
Marketing strategy, behavioral economics, and (perhaps) business ethics collide in “shrinkflation”: the not-new but recently much reported-on phenomenon of resizing product volume downward rather than raising prices on consumer products—particularly groceries. On one hand, it shouldn’t matter: whether a package in
Big Pharma’s Pattern of Wrongdoing
Here’s a fascinating study that looks at the long-term pattern of ethical/legal violations by big pharmaceutical companies. The study, by Denis Arnold and colleagues (at the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte), covers the period 2003 to 2016. The
Big Pharma’s Pattern of Wrongdoing
Here’s a fascinating study that looks at the long-term pattern of ethical/legal violations by big pharmaceutical companies. The study, by Denis Arnold and colleagues (at the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte), covers the period 2003 to 2016. The
San Francisco’s “Overpaid Executive Tax”: Pay Justice or Revenue Enhancement?
Proposition I, passed by San Francisco voters in the just-concluded election, is billed as a measure to combat pay inequity, at least between top executives and workers. Leaving aside whether Prop I’s 0.1% per hundredfold pay differential surcharge on annual
San Francisco’s “Overpaid Executive Tax”: Pay Justice or Revenue Enhancement?
Proposition I, passed by San Francisco voters in the just-concluded election, is billed as a measure to combat pay inequity, at least between top executives and workers. Leaving aside whether Prop I’s 0.1% per hundredfold pay differential surcharge on annual
Motojournalism: Conflicted by Changes in the Publishing and Motorcycle Industries
Journalism encounters conflicts of interest when journalists must cover and report on companies that advertise on the websites and in the pages of the publications where reporting appears. As advertising revenue dries up in the publishing industry, do the conflicts
Motojournalism: Conflicted by Changes in the Publishing and Motorcycle Industries
Journalism encounters conflicts of interest when journalists must cover and report on companies that advertise on the websites and in the pages of the publications where reporting appears. As advertising revenue dries up in the publishing industry, do the conflicts
Can Monkeys Be Employees? Under What Conditions?
Is it wrong to give a monkey a job? Is it more wrong than, say, giving a job to a dog, or a horse, or any of the other animals we routinely give jobs to? Of course, most people would
Can Monkeys Be Employees? Under What Conditions?
Is it wrong to give a monkey a job? Is it more wrong than, say, giving a job to a dog, or a horse, or any of the other animals we routinely give jobs to? Of course, most people would
More Than a Credit Score: Is Creepy Surveillance Closer Than You Think?
We generally think that credit scoring is benign, but something like China’s Social Credit system is at best creepy—and at worst a totalitarian nightmare. But what if credit reporting agencies and other, similar companies are gathering data on you and
More Than a Credit Score: Is Creepy Surveillance Closer Than You Think?
We generally think that credit scoring is benign, but something like China’s Social Credit system is at best creepy—and at worst a totalitarian nightmare. But what if credit reporting agencies and other, similar companies are gathering data on you and
Innovation in Financial Advising: Where Does Ethics Come In?
Finance raises a handful of familiar ethical questions: When is disclosure required, of what, and to whom? When is a financial professional acting in a fiduciary capacity, what duties attach to that capacity, and to whom are those duties owed?
Innovation in Financial Advising: Where Does Ethics Come In?
Finance raises a handful of familiar ethical questions: When is disclosure required, of what, and to whom? When is a financial professional acting in a fiduciary capacity, what duties attach to that capacity, and to whom are those duties owed?
Black Reparations Pricing: Woke Justice or Price Discrimination at Rivendell?
Is a 45% discount offered to Black customers a form of reparations to those customers? Is it instead a form of price discrimination (whether just or unjust)? Is it just clever-because-timely marketing? Founded by bicycle industry legend and maverick Grant Petersen in 1994, Rivendell Bicycle Works has always
Black Reparations Pricing: Woke Justice or Price Discrimination at Rivendell?
Is a 45% discount offered to Black customers a form of reparations to those customers? Is it instead a form of price discrimination (whether just or unjust)? Is it just clever-because-timely marketing? Founded by bicycle industry legend and maverick Grant Petersen in 1994, Rivendell Bicycle Works has always
Should Vaccine Companies Be Nationalistic?
Should companies developing Covid-19 vaccines be nationalistic? Nationalism — roughly, showing devotion to your own nation — is a funny thing, ethically. On one had, it’s a standard ethical principle that “all people matter equally.” But in practice few people
Should Vaccine Companies Be Nationalistic?
Should companies developing Covid-19 vaccines be nationalistic? Nationalism — roughly, showing devotion to your own nation — is a funny thing, ethically. On one had, it’s a standard ethical principle that “all people matter equally.” But in practice few people
Business Ethics Highlights 
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