Conflicts of Interest and the Dark Side of Professionalism

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A high self-concept of professionalism often coexists with a shallow notion of the concept and can paradoxically lead to detrimental outcomes. Perhaps my favorite ethics story is when the senior partner of a law firm was confronted by a…

Why Banning Financing for Fossil Fuel Projects in Africa Isn’t a Climate Solution

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When it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, sub-Saharan Africa is collectively responsible for barely half a percent of all global emissions over time. Today’s global energy inequities are staggering. Video gamers in California…

Include Moral Hazards in Your Company’s Risk Assessment

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Perhaps the most consequential example of moral hazard in our lifetime concerns climate change. Notwithstanding its name, the concept of moral hazard originally had little to do with morality. Rather, it referred to the phenomenon that providing…

The Dirty Secret of Over-Performing ESG Funds, and More, in a Q&A with Alison Taylor

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Praveen Gupta, formerly the Managing Director & CEO at Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Ltd, recently interviewed Alison Taylor on his blog. We're glad to be sharing the conversation, which hits a wide range of topics, with you…

Do Compliance Officers Have an Inherent Conflict of Interest?

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Should compliance be subordinated to legal, rather than separated from it? Yes, argues Sean J. Griffith, of the Fordham University School of Law, in a recent paper, titled "Agency, Authority, and Compliance." This is an interesting and…

Conflicts of Interest in a Post-Trump Era

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Donald Trump has averaged 2.5 conflicts of interest during each day of his presidency. In a classic Watergate-era Doonesbury, Mark asks a rhetorical question. Is it fair to judge the ethicality of the White House based solely on the various…

Barings Bank

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EthicalSystems.org Case Study: Barings Bank A collaborative effort by Jennifer Fang and Joshua Elle  “As my noble friend Lord Hollick argued, trading is all about the control of a collection of   rogues—of strongly motivated, financially…

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…

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…