Revelations about the PR firm Bell Pottinger, again raise the issue of what exactly is an ethical business leader? Reports suggest this firm earned £100,000 a month in fees, running a secret campaign to stir up racial tension on behalf of its billionaire clients. Now the firm’s own future is […]
Tag: malpractices
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 […]
When culture and values fail—what next?
The fall of John Stumpf, long serving CEO of Wells Fargo makes good headlines. Some 5,000 or so employees fired for abusing the trust of the banks’ customers sounds even better. It seems to show a management on the war path. Is this the top team riding to the rescue […]
Aon India and its commitment to ethical leadership
Andrew Leigh meets Rohit Malik, Aon Hewitt’s HR Leader in India Aon employs over 72000 people worldwide. As we’re looking at ethical leadership, does anyone in the company actually talk about ethics? Rohit Malik, Aon HR Director: We have a clear focus on operating with ethics and maintaining zero tolerance […]
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”: not just a convenient label
It’s not immediately obvious what VW, The Labour Party and the South Yorkshire police have in common. Up close though, the similarities are only too clear. All three are currently experiencing serious cases of ethical fading. The latter, described in more detail in a recent post here, occurs when people […]
‘Who dunnit’ at VW and the hunt for accountability?
Who dunnit? We have a victim–the killing of VW’s corporate reputation–and some obvious, and perhaps not so obvious suspects. There’s even a sub-plot to keep us busy. Why did no one speak up about the killing? What stopped them coming forward and betraying the perpetrators? In an Agatha Christie type […]
When executives become Malware
“I see this as the most damaging event for our brand in the company’s 140-year history…I don’t think these problems can be overcome overnight.” The picture of Toshiba’s CEO making a ritual deep bow of contrition while cameras whirred and flashed has gone round the world. Hisao Tinaka resigned most […]