Measuring Academic Achievement May Be Easier Said Than Done I’ve been reading a lot about Harvard controlling the number of students who are awarded an ‘A’ grade. It seems too many are receiving that grade. A proposed cap on grading has students up in arms. Harvard’s faculty will vote next week on a proposal to […]
Should Harvard University Limit ‘A’ Grades? Read More »
Has Trump Crossed a “Bridge Too Far?” It should come as no surprise that I label President Trump as a disruptor. His presidency got started when he decided to mix things up, tear things down, make bold moves that could be called reckless. In other words, he was like a “bull in a china shop.”
Trump Presidency: Disruptor on Steroids Read More »
Ghosting and Civility The psychology of ghosting involves a fear of confrontation, poor communication skills, and avoidance of emotional discomfort. It is a self-preservation tactic used to escape awkward or difficult situations without having to directly communicate feelings. I have previously blogged about the ethics of ghosting with respect to the dating scene. Research from the online dating
The psychology of ghosting Read More »
The Big Hustle Theranos was a privately held health corporation that was touted as a breakthrough technology company. It claimed to have devised blood tests that required only exceedingly small amounts of blood and could be performed very rapidly using small automated devices the company had developed. However, the claims later proved to be false. Here is their
What Happened to Theranos? Read More »
Analyzing Motives for Behavior What motivates a parent to bribe key people to get their kid admitted to a prestigious university? That is the ethical question of “Operation Varsity Blues.” In March 2019, the story broke of an alarming fraudulent scheme by parents to pay off middleman, William “Rick” Singer, and athletic coaches to give
Operation Varsity Blues Revisited Read More »
Kindness Breeds Civility We’ve heard it many times before. This person is kind. But what do we mean by kindness, and how can we tell if someone is kind? What are the characteristic traits of behavior? Kindness is generally thought of as the quality of being friendly, considerate, and generous. A kind person considers the
The Ethics of Kindness Read More »
Calling out the Cancel Culture I have previously blogged about the cancel culture and implications for free speech. The overall ethical question is: Is it right to target a person with whom you disagree, and use the Internet to express your outrage, get people fired, or push them out of certain circles? Canceling someone can lead
We Have Diversity in Society and the Workplace but Not in Thought Read More »
It’s Time to Allow Employees to Participate More Fully in Stock Ownership The disconnect between Wall Street and what we now call the “woke” culture is startling. During the week ended June 5, the stock market rose 1,985 points or about 20% on the Dow, the highest increase in value for some time. During the
Closing the Gap Between the Haves and Have Nots: A Call for Compassionate Capitalism Read More »
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Recommendations for Students If I were still a teaching professor, at this time of year I would have been inundated with student requests for letters of recommendation. Alas, I retired 1 ½ years ago so this is one chore I no longer have to do. What’s more
Should You Write That Letter of Recommendation? Read More »
KPMG-PCAOB Scandal Raises Questions About Oversight of the Accounting Profession In an unprecedented event, on January 22, 2018, it was announced that a former Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) staffer, Brian Sweet, who was hired by KPMG in 2015, leaked confidential information about PCAOB’s plans to audit the company. Most of the leaked information
KPMG Compromises Integrity by “Stealing” PCAOB Inspection Information Read More »