Is Whistleblowing a Moral Act? Whistleblowers can be seen as heroes, disloyal, or even selfish if, in the latter case, the motivation for blowing the whistle is to gain a financial award, as is available under the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal False Claims Act, IRS, SEC and the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act. Whistleblowers […]
Considerations in Deciding Whether to Blow the Whistle Read More »
An Example of Hubris, Incompetence, and Greed I always tell my students that the best way to learn about ethics, or the lack thereof, is through a case study. What follows is a mini-case study of the FTX fraud. Last week Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of misappropriating and embezzling billions of dollars of his
The Story of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Read More »
A Mixed Reaction From Students It is becoming clear that ChatGPT is not a fad and will continue to be used increasingly in colleges and universities. The use of ChatGPT and other AI in education can be met with resistance because its use can walk a fine line between questionable integrity and employing a valuable
Words of Caution for Educators Using ChatGPT Read More »
Dealing with Age Discrimination We are facing economically turbulent times, which may include layoffs and companies downsizing. Unfortunately, older workers often bear the brunt of these cutbacks because employers use the opportunity to get rid of older workers who sometimes command the highest salaries or prevent the business from projecting a “younger” image. I have
Senior Rights and Protections in the Workplace Read More »
Independence Standards at Risk Perhaps you are aware that private equity firms have started to acquire a controlling interest in accounting firms, which these days are better referred to as “professional services” firms. The first such acquisition was in August 2022, when Tower Capital Partners purchased the stock of Eisner Amper LLP, a majority-owned CPA
Does Private Equity Ownership of CPA Firms Violate Audit Independence Read More »
Ethics in the Age of AI: Addressing Moral Challenges in the Era of Automation I have previously blogged about the problem of creating an ethical framework and processes for AI. AI can improve human decision-making, but it has its limits. The possibility exists that bias in algorithms can create an ethical risk that brings into question the
Ethics & AI: Unanswered Questions Read More »
Talk to Your Child About the Dangers of Social Networking The term “social network” is how we connect to other people using a platform that supports online communication, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Video sharing services such as Snapchat and TikTok are popular among millennials and the Generation Zeers. The use of such social
Dangers of Cyberbullying Read More »
Making Ethical Decisions It has been said that “The true test of a person’s character is how they behave in difficult times.” John C. Maxwell is credited with making this important observation. Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. I know this to be true
What is Character? Read More »
Relationship to the Law We all know that a compass is a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle or group of needles turning freely on a pivot and pointing to the magnetic north. The expression that your moral compass should be directed due north for ethical behavior to occur generally means
What is a Moral Compass? Read More »
Communicating Organizational Values and Goals From time to time, I read about a new theory that broadens the concept of company culture. The trickle-down culture is one such example. What is Company Culture? A company culture can be defined as a shared set of values, goals, attitudes and practices that make up an organization. It
Does the Trickle-down Company Culture Work? Read More »