From Martha and Macy’s to mayhem in Brazil then back to my favorite CEO, let’s take a look. Nothing to Smile About, Now – Why is Martha smiling? Simple, she was on the stand last year arguing that a deal to sell Martha Stewart branded merchandise at J.C. Penney was perfectly acceptable despite a five year exclusive deal to sell...

Last January General Motors new president Mary Barra released a statement of values entitled, Winning with Integrity, Our Values and Guidelines for Employee Conduct. In the introduction, Barra writes, “During the last few years, we have aggressively pursued a competitive advantage in every aspect of our business. You can see this reflected in our new products, our acquisitions and alliances, our balance sheet...

My trainer Steve and I have a special relationship. I share ethical observations with him and he shares his considerable wisdom with me. I stopped during a session once to point out: “It’s not just what you say, Steve, it’s how supremely confident you are when you say it.” He nonchalantly smiled through his sunglasses, “That’s because you are in the presence...

It’s easy to succumb to cynicism from the recent ethics-related scandals causing one to lose sight of everyday acts of civility. At the end of the men’s final at this year’s French Open, Rafael Nadal stood on the podium to accept the top prize and the crowd’s approval after four hard-fought sets of tennis against his rival Novak Djokovic. Not...

With the conservative political activist Koch brothers in the news questions of political influence always come up: Do the rich call the shots? Has the United States become more of an oligarchy – a power structure that rests primarily with the elite few – than a democracy? The New York Times Room for Debate (Apr. 21), explored those questions. “A recent study...

Alzheimer’s is a disease that robs an individual of their personality one piece at a time. Particularly insidious is the fact that some of the personality traits that once appeared as petty irritations of life, can grow to become acts of shocking intolerance. This brings me to the recent news about Donald Sterling. The L.A. Clippers owner went on a racist rant...

From Donald Sterling to May Angelou (what a stretch), The Take looks at the top ethics stories (and one memorial) of May. Rochelle, Rochelle – First Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling signals (May 23) that he may empower his wife, Rochelle, to handle the sale of his NBA team, then… Whamo! Less than a week later, ESPN reports (May 28) that,  » Read more about: The Ethical...

How do you make sense of the senseless? As soon as I logged-on to The Washington Post Saturday morning, I stared in disbelief at a headline reporting that the latest school shooting had occurred just twenty minutes from where I live. From late Friday night to Monday morning, our small community continues to be shaken by the fact that we have joined...

Shortly after the grenade blast, Marine, Lance Cpl. William Carpenter recalled a loud ringing in his ears and then something warm. “I felt like warm water was being poured all over me from the blood coming out,” Carpenter said. In order to save fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio, Carpenter used his body to repress an enemy grenade. Despite sustaining...

It’s OUT-RAGEOUS! Where is Rachel Maddow? Where is Fox and Friends!? Where is House Oversight Committee Chair Darrell Issa? Subpoenas should be flying! What’s outrageous? California Chrome! No, not the car show on sunny California beaches. I’m talking about that upstart thoroughbred that creamed the competition in the Kentucky Derby and decimated the field in last week’s Preakness.  » Read more about: Sniffgate...