What Do Respondents Say? The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer is a score that measures the average percentage of trust in institutions like NGOs, business, government, and media. It is essentially a global measurement of trust around the world. Trust is indicated by positive sentiment expressed over time regarding a brand's... Read more →

Internet and Digital Fraud on the Rise Recently, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission disclosed that consumers reported losing more than $10 billion from fraud in 2023, This is an astonishing number and reflects the decline of ethics in society over an extended period of time. Consumers alone reported losing more... Read more →

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... 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... Read more →

Tearing Down Barriers to Entry The most talked about issue in accounting education today is whether the 150-hour requirement to qualify for a CPA license that has existed for many years creates a barrier to entry that should be revisited. I have posted a blog on this topic before and... 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... 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... Read more →

Matching Accomplishments to ChatGPT Responses: Not an Exact Science It's tempting to ask ChatGPT about your accomplishments as a professional. I did just that, first asking about my pseudonym-- "Ethics Sage,' and then about me professionally. The responses are below. ChatGPT does indicate that I am a blogger but provides... Read more →

OVERVIEW OF THE PANEL DISCUSSIONS: I am moderating a panel at the 2023 Ethics Symposium presented by the Public Interest Section of the American Accounting Association (AAA). The panelists are well-known observers of financial statement fraud and critics of audit failures. They will look back and forward to assess where... Read more →

Protections and Retaliation What makes one person speak out and blow the whistle on wrongdoing while another remains silent? Is it a “moral sense,” as Thomas Jefferson wrote, that instinctively motivates a person’s thoughts and actions? Is it motivated by avoiding harm to others? Is the act of blowing the... Read more →