“Impact: Where Business and Ethics Meet,” a podcast developed by the Carnegie Council, examines the evolution of global business and related ethical questions, allowing listeners from all sectors to make purposeful decisions. 

Ethical Systems collaborators were featured in the April, May, and June 2015 episodes, available below.

 

Collaborators Topic Air Date

Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino

Cheating and Dishonesty

Cheating, misconduct, deception and other forms of unethical behavior are widespread today, not just in business but in sports, government, schools, and many other arenas.

While the media often focuses on extreme cases, less attention is paid to what researchers call “ordinary unethical behavior.” These forms of unethical behavior are often the results of ordinary people giving in to the temptation to cheat when confronted with the opportunity to do so. When combined, these behaviors are extremely costly for both businesses and society.

This podcast will seek to provide answers to:

  • What guides human decision-making when we’re faced with opportunities to misreport income on one’s taxes, buy clothing with the intention of wearing it once and returning it, steal from one’s employer, or cheat on an exam?
  • What are the long and short-term consequences of these actions – both personally, and in regards to our society and economic systems?
  • What about larger-scale actions like polluting the commons or finding corporate tax loopholes? How does rationality and logic play a role?

June 8

 

 

 

 

 

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Max Bazerman and Hal Movius

Negotiation

Negotiation is a “mixed motive” interaction – negotiating parties will be motivated both to cooperate (creating value) and compete (claiming value). Additionally, most negotiations are characterized by information asymmetries.

As a result, deception is pervasive and many ethical questions are raised, including:

  • Under what conditions, if any, could exaggeration, misrepresentation, or withholding information be defensible in a negotiation?
  • When are coercive tactics ethical? To what extent should we use financial or legal pressure to force settlement?
  • Should we worry about whether an agreement is fair to all the parties, or about the effects our negotiated agreements might have on others?

May 14

 

 

 

 

 

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Jonathan Haidt and Ann Tenbrunsel
Ethical Systems Design
 
When it comes to ethics in the workplace, the behavioral sciences offers employees and companies many tools and resources to improve their internal culture and deepen ethical behavior. Some companies, especially in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, are looking to encourage this through “ethical systems design,” by setting up incentives that encourage employees to make principled decisions. 
 
This episode introduces important questions, including:
  • Using the financial banking system as a case study, how can behavioral science bring ethics into a highly profit-driven industry?
  • How does the Federal Reserve Bank of New York incorporate ethical culture into their regulatory work, which impacts banks’ policies around the world?
 
April 14
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about Ethical Systems collaborators and explore our research.