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The Lucifer Effect

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The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo Random House Publishing Group, 1st Ed. Reprint (2008) (public library) Summarized by Joshua Elle Overview In a compelling story of his own life's journey, Phil…
Image:  The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 12th  century icon, via Wikimedia Commons

Ethics Pays

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The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a late 12th-century icon at Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. Is good ethics good for business? Crime and sleazy behavior sometimes pay off handsomely. People would not do such things if…

Law

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INTRODUCTION Image: William Hogarth, "The Bench," via Wikipedia. Most of our research pages focus on the behavior of individuals, and the ways that individuals interact within companies. But the companies themselves are embedded in a network…
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Cultivating Conscience

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Cultivating Conscience: How Good Laws Make Good People by Lynn Stout (public library) Summarized by David Newman Overview Conscience, or unselfish prosocial behavior, is a real and powerful force. A growing body of empirical evidence shows…

Conflicts of Interest

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INTRODUCTION  Image: Giotto di Bondone, "Kiss of Judas," via Wikimedia Commons Bribery, kickbacks, and other clear-cut forms of corruption are serious problems for genuine bad apples; however, much of the problem with conflicts of interest…
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Managing Business Ethics

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Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right by Linda K. Treviño and Katherine A. Nelson John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 5th ed. (2011) (public library) Summarized by David Newman Overview Treviño and Nelson present…

Decision Making

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The portrait, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, took on the burden of Gray’s unethical decisions,while the man himself retained his youth and beauty. It is easy to see the faults of others, but difficult to see one’s own faults. One shows…

Teaching Ethics

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After each major business scandal, a chorus of voices calls for business schools to work harder to instill ethics into their students. But what exactly should they doOn this page we focus on what business schools can do that may lead to…
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Personality & Personnel

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNix_6_Z5Q8 Psychologists have identified a series of characteristics that predict patterns of unethical behavior by employees. At the same time, some people may behave honestly and with great integrity…
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Leadership

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Machiavelli (above) told political leaders that it was more important for them to be feared than loved. In lawless times with weak institutions, he may have been right. But in today’s business world, for most industries, the evidence points…