Accountability

Undetected Material Weaknesses in Financial Reporting Controls: Who is to Blame?

Accountability, Accounting Profession, Workplace behavior / Leave a Comment /

Is it a Personnel Issue? Recently, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal, Mark Maurer, asked to interview me about the question: “Are companies picking a new finance chief after detecting a material weakness in their financial reporting controls, at least in part due to a shortage of skilled accounting staff?” The idea is that the two […]

Undetected Material Weaknesses in Financial Reporting Controls: Who is to Blame? Read More »

Does ESG Reporting Matter?

Accountability, Accounting Profession, ESG, Sustainability /

Measuring Sustainability Performance I have previously blogged about the link between ESG reporting and sustainability. In this blog, I will briefly address the question of whether gathering and reporting ESG data really matters. ESG reporting provides a specific framework for evaluating and measuring a company’s sustainability performance. It assesses a company’s ESG-related risks and opportunities by providing

Does ESG Reporting Matter? Read More »

Regulatory Actions Taken Against Boeing: The Problems with 737 MAX

Accountability, Business Ethics, Fraud, Uncategorized /

Ignoring Quality Controls to Maximize Profits The case of Boeing and its manufacturing deficiencies and production flaws is a tale of what can happen when a company puts profitability over safety. Most readers will be aware of the Boeing airplane crashes between 2018 and 2024 that threatened the very existence of a manufacturing company whose

Regulatory Actions Taken Against Boeing: The Problems with 737 MAX Read More »

Boeing: Putting Profits Ahead of Safety

Accountability, Business Ethics, Business Fraud, Ethical Culture, Leadership, Whistleblowing, Workplace behavior /

How Corporate Culture Drove Decision-Making The story of Boeing is it placed profits ahead of safety and the result has been a series of crashes/mechanical problems that have led to inspections by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and litigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In this blog I will address the culture

Boeing: Putting Profits Ahead of Safety Read More »

When Should You Blow the Whistle?

Accountability, Behavioral Ethics, Whistleblowing /

02/29/2024A Cautionary TaleI’ve always been intrigued by the philosophy of whistleblowing. It is an act of conscience and notmotivated by self-interest.A broad view of whistleblowing is the disclosure by organization members (former or current) of illegal,immoral, or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers, to persons or organizations thatmay be able to affect action.

When Should You Blow the Whistle? Read More »

Words of Caution for Educators Using ChatGPT

Accountability, AI/ChatGTP, Teaching Ethics, Technology, Technology/AI / Leave a Comment /

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 »

Commercialization of Collegiate Sports Raises Ethical Questions

Accountability, Sports Ethics, Technology/AI /

Are Partnerships Between Sports Betting Companies and Universities a Bridge Too Far? The commercialization of collegiate sports is an outgrowth of the legitimization of gambling in America. It started with off-track betting, spread to state lotteries, then casino gambling, and now we have fantasy sports betting. Collegiate sports have been affected as well through agreements

Commercialization of Collegiate Sports Raises Ethical Questions Read More »