Goldman Sachs, Not Criminal, Just "Deceptive and Immoral"
The Week in Ethics
Goldman Sachs, Not Criminal, Just "Deceptive and Immoral"
Update: October 21, 2012, Former Goldman VP Greg Smith was interviewed on 60 Minutes about why he left Goldman seven months ago. For more than two years, Goldman Sachs’ reputation has been under fire for its alleged role in the financial crisis. August 9, 2012, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) announced it won’t prosecute Goldman […]
read more »NCAA, Culture, and Leader as Bystander at Penn State
July 23, 2012, Penn State University accepted the far-reaching sanctions in the Consent Decree imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA indicated it relied on the investigation and findings of the Freeh Report issued July 12, 2012. The report addressed Penn State’s role in not protecting the young boys sexually abused by […]
read more »How to Start a Culture Shift at Penn State
July 12, 2012 Penn State University trustees, administrators, faculty, students, staff, and alumni began to digest the 267 page report by former FBI director Louis Freeh. Freeh was hired by trustees as special investigative counsel to look at Penn State’s role in a former assistant coach’s child sex abuse scandal. The report offers more than […]
read more »Leadership Lessons from UVA’s Governance Crisis
Update: August 14, 2012 University President Teresa Sullivan is interviewed by The Washington Post on lessons learned from her ouster and reinstatement. Update: On June 29, 2012 Gov. Bob McDonnell made an announcement regarding his appointments to the Board of Visitors, including the reappointment of Helen Dragas. The June 2012 turmoil at the University of […]
read more »IBM Global CEO Study, Values Empower Employees
Interviewing 1709 CEOs from 64 countries and 18 industries, (from September 2011 to January 2012) IBM identified that the top organizational attribute to draw out the best from their workforces was ethics and values (65%), followed by collaborative environment (63%), and purpose and mission (58%); these findings are part of IBM’s 2012 study Leading Through […]
read more »How will Yahoo’s Levinsohn Impact Culture?
Update: July 16, 2012 Marissa Mayer, a Google vice president, was selected CEO of Yahoo over interim CEO Ross Levensohn, who took over in May 2012 after Scott Thompson was fired. Yahoo has been an ongoing stage for drama: CEO firings, fluctuating stock prices, selling rumors, restructuring/lay offs and cost cutting, activist shareholder proxy fights, and […]
read more »Yahoo’s Challenge to Rebuild Trust
Update: A May 18, 2012 New York Times article provides background on Yahoo board members’ deliberations and Thompson’s ongoing failure to take responsibility for the resume lie. Update: May 13, 2012: Yahoo announced today effective immediately CEO Scott Thompson is replaced by interim CEO Ross Levinsohn. Yahoo also said it had reached an agreement with […]
read more »What Murdoch, Corzine, and Strauss-Kahn Have in Common
Several years ago I heard the expression “self-cleaning oven.” It was applied to situations where someone was causing harm or making a mistake, and the situation was likely to take care of itself, the way a self-cleaning oven intensely burns off the spills inside. While there are limits to that metaphor — it has some […]
read more »UC Davis Leaders Fail to Give Voice to Values
Update: August 9, 2016, Chancellor Katehi resigns today after the release of the investigation report. The report findings included issues with her judgment, candor with university leaders and violations of university policies. Update: April 28, 2016, Chancellor Katehi suspended for 90 days pending an investigation into whether she used public money to fund a social media […]
read more »Goldman Sachs’ Investment Facilitated Sex Trafficking: The Ethics of Owning What You Buy
Goldman Sachs finds itself in the very uncomfortable place of having exposed its investment in Backpage.com, one of a myriad of its investments. Backspage is a website accepting prostitution ads that included using under-age teenagers as forced sex slaves. Goldman’s latest negative headlines raise larger issues that apply to any company investing in other businesses. […]
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I’ve worked with Gael on some of her business ethics research, particularly in corporate governance and leadership. She has a unique ability to transform important and complex ideas into real world models for business practices. I’ve profited greatly from our collaboration.