With a rogue CEO, Ryan Air ought to be going broke The airline’s high profile boss is not a crook. But without doubt he is publicly contemptuous of those whose sole priority is a cheap ticket. Having inconvenienced three quarters of a million paying punters by badly handled mass cancellations, […]
ETHICAL MISBEHAVIOUR
Does job insecurity sap peoples’ will to behave ethically?
Don’t blame it on the sunshine, the moonlight, or on good times. Instead, the late Michael Jackson urged: “blame it on the boogie”. When it comes to unethical behavior at work the song should go “Don’t blame it on the employee, blame it on job insecurity.” Growing evidence suggests job […]
Truth—how leaders can protect themselves from disaster
“There is a chronic culture of lying. We can’t possibly trust such a company. Shame on you.” Angry shareholder at a recent Toshiba meeting When Toshiba’s CEO recently tried putting a positive spin on the state of the company’s finances, distressed shareholders drowned him out. It seemed the truth was […]
Torrent of law suits trashes corporate reputations
How many law suits is too many? Most (90%) US corporations juggle multiple ones at the same time. These law suits keep legions of lawyers gainfully employed. They can also be highly damaging for those on the receiving end. For instance, even when frivolous they can still undermine a […]
Fraudsters rebranded —are they just manipulating us again?
Remember Jeffrey Skilling? He was the man who made Enron famous for all the wrong reasons. In 2006 this former chief executive arrived at a courthouse in Texas, for sentencing. He left with 14 years to serve, which a few years later was reduced to 10 years. Skilling is now expected […]
What can we do about “the madness of many?”
GUEST POST In the world of work we don’t have far to search for examples of what the French call “the madness of many”, or folie à plusieurs. There are similarities for instance between the collapse of Enron in 2001 and the Royal Bank of Scotland’s journey to the brink […]
Ethical fading: is it happening right under your nose?
Martin Shkreli, has been called the most hated man in America. CEO of a tiny company Turing Pharmaceuticals, he had bought the lifesaving prescription drug Daraprim from its owner Impax Laboratories. He promptly hiked the price 5,455% from $13.50 a pill to $750. He has since resigned from his job […]
Shell’s dirty secret–missing leadership integrity?
Suspended right in the centre of an oil-devastated landscape, surmounted on a pool of escaped oil, hovers Shell’s bemused CEO. All around lies evidence of black pollution. He can hardly escape the conclusion Shell has probably not been a force for good in this area—for decades. The CEO walks gingerly […]