Pursuing Greater Happiness and Meaning in Life “Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.” – Source Dennis Prager What is Ethics? This past Monday I blogged about the Buddhist "Enlightened Path,"... Read more →

Beware of the Ethical Slippery Slope You probably read that Sarah Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant in rural Virginia last Saturday. The thought process that was in play when owner Stephanie Wilkinson decided to ask Sanders to leave is disturbing. She thought about the decisions Trump made and... Read more →

On Being an Ethical Person When your moral compass is headed true North, you will know you are on the right path to ethical decision-making. By placing moral in front of compass we create a clear vision of the mental processes that point us in an ethical direction. Using the... Read more →

The Case of GE and KPMG A new rule adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires disclosure of the tenure of a public company’s external auditor in the annual report. KPMG recently reported that it has audited GE since 1909. This raises the question whether there should be... Read more →

Is it Legal or Illegal? I have previously blogged about regulatory and ethical issues surrounding the use of cannabis based on whether states have adopted “compassionate use” laws that permit the sale of marijuana for medical purposes. I have also written on the sale for recreational purposes. In this blog... Read more →

Values-based Listening Skills for More Productive Relationships My values or your values? No longer do we act as a society on time-tested core values of honesty, respect and personal responsibility. Today, it seems everyone wants to pick and choose what is important to themselves. Some may say there is nothing... Read more →

Data Gathering Controls Can Enhance the Process Artificial intelligence (AI) broadly refers to technologies that make machines “smart.” AI continues the trend in advancement of technology that has unleashed the practical applications, many of which can enhance the decision-making process. AI is powered by algorithms, and algorithms are driven by... Read more →

ACFE 2018 Study Published Fraud can be defined as a deliberate misrepresentation to gain an advantage over another party. Fraud comes in many different forms, including fraud in financial statements, the misappropriation of assets (theft) and subsequent cover-up, and disclosure fraud. In this blog I examine the results of a... Read more →

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion on College Campuses I taught at Cal Poly for ten years and found it to be a welcoming place that values its students as individuals and promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. Admittedly, this is from a faculty member’s point of view. The incident that occurred two... Read more →

A Machiavellian Perspective A characteristic behavior in today’s society is the belief that the ends justifies the means. This means actions people take are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired end result. For example, some students I have taught justified lying on their resume because it... Read more →