Purpose driven companies are winners

Caterina Bulgarella argues that purpose focused companies come out ahead in more ways than one. 

September’s In the News: Jonathan Haidt’s Times’ column; David Mayer on Ohio State’s controversy and more

Ethical Systems' collaborators have had a busy September including op-ed's in The New York Times, publications in the Harvard Business Review and the launch of new books. 

Trying to solve an ethical dilemma? Start with changing your mindset

Companies wishing to give employees an effective decision-making framework to confront ethical dilemmas now have a new tool in their arsenal.  Recent findings from researchers Ting Zhang, Francesca Gino [Important context: this author has…

Don’t quit, not just yet

Employees who are stressed out at work should consider learning something new, according to new research by David Mayer, a professor at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business and Ethical Systems’ collaborator. Read more. 

SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT: Yuval Feldman shares about his new book “The Law of Good People”

Yuval Feldman, the Mori Lazarof professor of legal research at Bar-Ilan University’s law school, recently published his first book "The Law of Good People" by Cambridge University Press. Learn more about what motivated him to pursue the intersections of law and psychology 

 

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Featured Expert Interview: Noel Boyland, on well-being, higher purpose, and connecting companies with the research community

Featured Expert:  Noel BoylandScreen Shot 2018-07-17 at 3.48.38 PM_0_0_0.png

What are your current areas of work and research?

I'm currently involved in several somewhat overlapping activities.  First, I am working with Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight, founded by ES collaborator Dan Ariely, on a project involving the development and deployment of a peer-to-peer fundraising platform that will be used to co-fund health insurance for low income Kenyans.  This platform will incorporate the latest insights in behavioral science as it relates to altruistic behavior as well as serve as an experimentation platform to test hypotheses as to what features are most effective and then integrate those new insights.

New paradigms to tackle age-old governance problems

This article was originally published on the Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence service, found here Since the creation of the modern corporation as a form of business, the issue of opportunistic behavior by managers has plagued shareholders.…

And Now Ethics 2.0: An Argument For More Self-Governance

In a new article in Forbes, ES advisory board member Carsten Tams offers advice on designing ethics and compliance programs that serve to both strengthen adherence to regulatory guidelines and provide employees with a broader measure of moral agency.

The intention behind an action is central to the distinction between "compliance" and "ethical behavior." Compliance is simply behavior in accordance with someone else’s requirements in order to gain rewards or avoid punishment. When people act ethically, they are self-governed. Ethical behavior is prosocial behavior for its own sake. People engage in it for no other reason than that they view it as the right thing to do. As such, ethical behavior is intrinsically motivated.

Long Term Thinking Means Ending Short-Term Reports

The chorus to end quarterly corporate reporting recently gained two prominent voices from the financial world. In a recent article in Bloomberg, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, and Warren Buffett, the Chairman of Berkshire-Hathaway, advised companies to do away with their emphasis on quarterly earnings reports, arguing that it motivates misconduct and shifts the focus from sustained growth and stability to immediate profits and performance.

Inquiry into Australia’s Banking and Finance Industry

By Dennis Gentilin, founding director of Human Systems Advisory and an adjunct fellow at Macquarie University. He was employed at the National Australia Bank for 16 years.

 

As readers of this blog may know, there is currently an inquiry into the banking and finance industry in Australia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry in November 2017. Former High Court Judge Kenneth Hayne AC was appointed as the commissioner shortly after the announcement and public hearings commenced earlier this year.