Workplace Ethics

Typically people react emotionally more severely to an exploited conflict of interest when a person gains a personal benefit such as through a bribe. If company, or even an office or department, stands to benefit inordinately, American society typically looks the other way on the institutional conflict of interest rather than taking it apart. This may just be human nature. However, the troubling institutional arrangements within an organization or between them may be tolerated because of the erroneous assumption that conflicts of interest are unethical only when they are exploited.

Meet the economic gangster. He's the United Nations diplomat who double-parks his Mercedes on New York City streets at rush hour because the cops can't touch him--he has diplomatic immunity. He's the Chinese smuggler who dodges tariffs by magically transforming frozen chickens into frozen turkeys. The dictator, the warlord, the unscrupulous bureaucrat who bilks the developing world of billions in aid

There is an invisible army of people deep inside the world’s biggest and best-known companies, pushing for safer and more responsible practices. They are trying to prevent the next Rana Plaza factory collapse, the next Deepwater Horizon explosion, the next Foxconn labor abuses. Obviously, they don’t always succeed. Christine Bader was one of those people. Using her story as its skeleton, Bader weaves in the stories of other “Corporate Idealists” working inside some of the world's biggest and best-known companies.

Provocative political commentator Arianna Huffington yanks back the curtain on the unholy alliance of CEOs, politicians, lobbyists, and Wall Street bankers who have shown a brutal disregard for those in office cubicles and on factory floors.

Investing with Impact: Why Finance Is a Force for Good outlines the roadmap to reinvigorate a skeptical public and demoralized financial services industry by making the case that contrary to popular misconception, finance is not the cause of the world's problems, in fact, it can provide the solution. Author Jeremy Balkin presents the case that the finance industry can improve the state of the world by positively influencing the allocation of capital.

"There are two birds, two sweet friends, who dwell in theselfsame tree," says the Upanishads. The first bird, dwelling on the lower part of the tree, lives "in sorrow and anxiety." Unable to see beyond the branches, it hops around compulsively indulging its appetites, eating every fruit, sweet and sour.

The other bird, higher up, can see the whole tree and the wider world - this perspective puts it in touch with its innate sense of being, the quality of existence that it shares in common with all other living beings.

In The Leap, bestselling author Ulrich Boser shows how the emerging research on trust can improve our lives, rebuild our economy, and strengthen society. As part of this engaging and deeply reported narrative, Boser visits a radio soap opera in Rwanda that aims to restore the country’s broken trust, profiles the man who brought honesty to one of the most corrupt cities in Latin America, and explains how a college dropout managed to con his way into American high society.

To be successful in the 21st century global marketplace you need many things--determination, well-articulated goals, and a bit of luck. But more than anything else, you need kindness. Kindness becomes the key business asset when you couple a caring attitude toward others with a focus on achieving your goals. Often people see business as a choice between being kind and being successful. This is a fictitious trade-off. Nice people are more successful.

The Making of a Communicative Leader investigates the effectiveness of communication in a leadership setting and environment. Do you have that itching urge to be the alpha of a pack? Well, to be an alpha you must be daring enough to take out the current alpha of the pack. This requires enough strategy and motivation to push you past your comfort zone. Moreover, there is not a strategy more superior in handling any form of life pursuit than the stealth mode strategy.

People are often skeptical that there is anything they can do to raise society's ethical level. Mark Pastin begs to differ. We can make a difference, and we don't need ethics "experts" to tell us what to do. He argues that we all have an innate ethical sense - what he calls an "ethics eye". He offers tools for sharpening the ethics eye so we can see and do the right thing ourselves, particularly in the workplace, where our decisions can affect not just ourselves but coworkers, clients, customers, and even an entire organization.

Just like you, I am not immune to Big Business Technologies. There are sophisticated, algorithmic means of why you and I are addicted. The problem is not in the degrading of us into political factions, or how we seem to waste more and more of our time online. They are problems, sure, but they are symptoms from the deeper disease. This book puts the illness out in the limelight, exposes what the Big Business Technologies won’t show you, and helps us arrive at practical solutions to make our lives and nations better.

Whether interviewing, selling, networking, or leading a team, brainstorming with the boss or delivering a presentation, success in business depends on connection with other people. Nicholas Boothman, the best-selling author or How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less, now brings his system of forging instant relationships to the world of business. Beginning with the simplest of tools - face, body, attitude, and voice - he shows how to make a dazzling first impression.

A captivating listen, The Billionaire Hoax: Power, Profit, and Publicity—How Tall Tales Create Taller Fortunes exposes the truths hidden behind the public images of wealth and influence. Get ready for a captivating journey that will enlighten, entertain, and inspire. This book is an essential listen for anyone interested in discerning the reality beneath the gleaming façade of the billionaire class.

Dr. Rob Douk has made it his life mission to make a difference - and to help others do the same. As a therapist turned socialpreneur, Douk has paved the way for companies with a strong social purpose to grow their business as they improve the world. The Fearless Socialpreneur outlines a series of five foundations and five principles that generate success for "socialpreneurs", those who launch innovative enterprises that achieve financial returns and social benefits. It is Douk's belief that good people working together can overcome any challenge to make a profound difference.

Are American businesses generally less ethical than their counterparts around the world? Does a particular unethical mentality exist in the American business-culture? This book presents a number of cases of unethical conduct at American companies, along with a part on such conduct in companies in other regions of the world. Rather than following with the traditional orientation to ethical decision-making, the emphasis here is on the underlying mentality out of which the decisions come. The mentality itself, often times mendacious, is presented here as inherently unethical in itself. A variety of industries are represented so to demonstrate such a lower common denominator.

Grassroots Rising is a passionate call to action for the global body politic, providing practical solutions for how to survive - and thrive - in catastrophic times. Author Ronnie Cummins aims to educate and inspire citizens worldwide to organize and become active participants in preventing ecological collapse. This audiobook offers a blueprint for building and supercharging a grassroots regeneration movement based on consumer activism, farmer innovation, political change, and regenerative finance.

In our hurried society, some courtesies seem to have gone by the wayside. Our busy lives, hectic extracurricular activities, and economic concerns sometimes overwhelm us to the point we forget what is truly important. The Book of Values reintroduces some fundamental principles that are as timely today as they ever were, perhaps more so. It is an inspirational guide, full of wisdom of the ages, which encourages the reader to explore a deeper meaning from life's chaos.

Generative AI has accelerated digital transformation, shifting from a top-down approach to a bottom-up one as employees bring their own apps into the workplace. This represents not just another step in corporate evolution, but potentially a societal revolution due to its significant impact on daily life. It is imperative for societies to engage in discussions about the identified opportunities and risks.

Leadership is alive when it is used for others. It dies when it is all about you. Anyone can make an impact. All you need is influence - the most potent professional asset on the planet. The problem is that influence is also the most underused asset on the planet. And the primary reason is that the enemy of influence is a universal human trait: self-preservation. You guard your ideas, your status, and your reputation.

All too often we are presented stories about extremely wealthy people who are held up as role models for a successful life. The truth is that wealth rarely guarantees happiness. This book looks to successful small and medium-sized companies contributing to communities, and the far-sighted corporate executives we never hear about who, while successful, are also happy. These are the true-life examples of corporate social responsibility that this book relies on to make its point. Peter Milewski tells you why and how you, personally, can feel good and do well by doing good too.