Ethics are guidelines, sometimes clear, often not so. And “goods”: be good, do all the good you can… All? Heavens! That’s very ambitious. Well, you can see that ethics can be extremely demanding. And practice virtue. This virtue of which I speak; it’s so important because ethics, as I have said, are not a matter of yes or no, but of nuance.
Compliance Alone Is Not Enough
Legislative changes have made compliance a focus for companies over their lifespan. The law is tough, and will only get tougher. Companies cannot neglect any aspect of their observance of the law, because it applies to them all, in an integrated way. And it falls directly on the shoulders of executives, who are running out of excuses […]
Pinpointing the Ethical Problems in Finance
The Seven Pillars Institute recently published an interview with Joris Luyendijk, the author of the book Swimming With Sharks: My Journey into the World of the Bankers. The author draws on 200 interviews with people from financial institutions in the city of London. I liked some of the ideas expressed in the interview: Bankers are […]
Volkswagen: The Value of Ethics and Integrity
Ethics must be based on principles and integrity must be aligned with these principles. Hence something has failed at Volkswagen… I have been always been impressed by Volkswagen’s ads for their “intelligent humor.” Unfortunately, the engineers of the German automotive group have not learned anything from their colleagues in marketing. I don’t know if they […]
