business ethics cases 2022

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Find ethics case studies on bribery, sourcing, intellectual property, downsizing, and other topics in business ethics, corporate governance, and ethical leadership. (For permission to reprint articles, submit requests to [email protected] .)

In this business ethics case study, Swedish multinational company IKEA faced accusations relating to child labor abuses in the rug industry in Pakistan which posed a serious challenge for the company and its supply chain management goals.

A dog may be humanity’s best friend. But that may not always be the case in the workplace.

A recent college graduate works in the finance and analytics department of a large publicly traded software company and discovers an alarming discrepancy in sales records, raising concerns about the company’s commitment to truthful reporting to investors. 

What responsibility does an employee have when information they obtained in confidence from a coworker friend may be in conflict with the needs of the company or raises legal and ethical questions.

A manager at a prominent multinational company is ethically challenged by a thin line between opportunity for economic expansion in a deeply underserved community, awareness of child labor practices, and cultural relativism.

A volunteer providing service in the Dominican Republic discovered that the non-profit he had partnered with was exchanging his donor money on the black market, prompting him to navigate a series of complex decisions with significant ethical implications.

The CFO of a family business faces difficult decisions about how to proceed when the COVID-19 pandemic changes the business revenue models, and one family shareholder wants a full buyout.

An employee at an after-school learning institution must balance a decision to accept or decline an offered gift, while considering the cultural norms of the client, upholding the best interests of all stakeholders, and following the operational rules of his employer. 

A senior vice president for a Fortune 500 savings and loan company is tasked with the crucial responsibility of representing the buyer in a multi-million dollar loan purchase deal and faces several ethical challenges from his counterpart representing the seller.

Extensive teaching note based on interviews with Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz. The teaching note can be used to explore issues around whistleblowing, leadership, the blocks to ethical behavior inside organizations, and board governance.

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Ernst & Young to Pay $100 Million Fine After Auditors Cheated on Ethics Exams

The S.E.C. said the cheating involved hundreds of the firm’s workers from 2017 to 2021, resulting in the largest penalty ever imposed by the agency against an auditing firm.

By Matthew Goldstein

• June 28, 2022

Ernst & Young, one of the world’s largest auditing firms, has agreed to pay a $100 million fine after U.S. securities regulators found that hundreds of its auditors had cheated on various ethics exams they were required to obtain or maintain professional licenses — and that the firm did not do enough to stop the practice.

The penalty, announced Tuesday, is the largest ever imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against a firm in the auditing business, which occupies a unique ethical perch in the financial world. These firms are in charge of verifying the accuracy of companies’ financial statements and issuing warnings to investors if they identify dubious accounting practices.

Regulators said the big auditing firm — also known as EY — had misled investigators, withheld evidence and violated public accounting rules designed to maintain the integrity of the profession.

“It’s simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams of all things,” Gurbir S. Grewal, the commission’s director of enforcement, said in announcing the settlement.

The penalty is twice the sum that KPMG , another big auditing firm, paid in 2019 to resolve an investigation into similar allegations of cheating by auditors on internal training exams. That summer, securities regulators also sent a formal request to EY seeking information about complaints the firm may have received about employees cheating on any exams.

On Tuesday, the S.E.C. said that although EY had received an internal tip about employees cheating on certain ethics exams, the firm did not initially disclose it to investigators. Ultimately, as regulators and EY officials carried out their investigation, what came to light was a much more widespread cheating problem.

According to the S.E.C., 49 auditors at EY received the “answer key” to an ethics exam that is part of the initial process of becoming a certified public accountant. Separately, hundreds of other employees at the auditing firm cheated on ethics exams that they are required to take as part of continuing education programs, according to the commission. States typically conduct such tests for accountants to keep their professional licenses. EY failed to address the misconduct — which occurred between 2017 and 2021 — adequately, the S.E.C. said.

Some employees told investigators that they had cheated because of “work commitments or an inability to pass training exams after multiple attempts,” according to the S.E.C.’s civil order.

EY admitted in the order that its conduct was wrong. “Nothing is more important than our integrity and our ethics,” the firm said in a statement. It said that “sharing answers on any assessment or exam is a violation of our Code of Conduct and is not tolerated,” and that the firm would step up efforts to enforce compliance with ethical rules.

EY, which has over 300,000 employees, is one of the so-called Big Four accounting firms — along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC — that audit the accounts of nearly all the biggest companies in the world.

Regulators began taking a closer look at the affairs of accounting firms about two decades ago. The collapse of Enron in 2001 spotlighted the role of its auditor Arthur Andersen , which had helped perpetrate accounting fraud at the energy giant. Federal prosecutors later filed criminal charges against Arthur Andersen. The firm no longer exists.

In the aftermath of Enron and other big corporate frauds, Congress passed legislation establishing the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which sits within the S.E.C. but brings its own enforcement actions against audit firms. In the administrative order against EY, the S.E.C. said some of the firm’s conduct had violated the board’s rules.

More broadly, one area of concern for the S.E.C. is the issue of auditor independence. Regulators want to make sure that an accounting firm’s review of a company’s financial records is not compromised by other consulting, advisory or lobbying work it might do for the company.

This month, the Financial Times reported that EY was considering splitting its audit business from its financial advisory business.

Regulators said this was not the first instance of widespread cheating on ethics exams by EY employees. The S.E.C. said a somewhat similar cheating scandal, which the firm handled internally, took place from 2012 to 2015.

The S.E.C. noted that EY had sent out warnings in the past to employees about not cheating on exams, but that it did not put in place sufficient controls until recently. As part of Tuesday’s settlement, EY will hire two independent consultants. One will review the firm’s policies on ethics procedures, and the other will review its failure to properly disclose the cheating.

It is not unusual for the S.E.C. to require a company to appoint an outside consultant to monitor its compliance with the terms of a settlement. But it is rare for regulators to demand the appointment of two consultants — an indication that the S.E.C. considered these serious violations.

The S.E.C. said its investigation was continuing, which suggests it might be considering bringing enforcement actions against some individuals.

Mr. Grewal said the settlement “should serve as a clear message that the S.E.C. will not tolerate integrity failures by independent auditors.”

Matthew Goldstein covers Wall Street and white-collar crime and housing issues. More about Matthew Goldstein

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In the spring of 2021, Raymond Jefferson (MBA 2000) applied for a job in President Joseph Biden’s administration. Ten years earlier, false allegations were used to force him to resign from his prior US government position as assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ employment and training in the Department of Labor. Two employees had accused him of ethical violations in hiring and procurement decisions, including pressuring subordinates into extending contracts to his alleged personal associates. The Deputy Secretary of Labor gave Jefferson four hours to resign or be terminated. Jefferson filed a federal lawsuit against the US government to clear his name, which he pursued for eight years at the expense of his entire life savings. Why, after such a traumatic and debilitating experience, would Jefferson want to pursue a career in government again? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Anthony Mayo explores Jefferson’s personal and professional journey from upstate New York to West Point to the Obama administration, how he faced adversity at several junctures in his life, and how resilience and vulnerability shaped his leadership style in the case, "Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire."

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• 29 Nov 2022

How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?

In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would require Microsoft to use a large portion of its cash reserves. Second, the acquisition was announced as Activision Blizzard faced gender pay disparity and sexual harassment allegations. That opened Microsoft up to potential reputational damage, employee turnover, and lost sales. Do the potential benefits of the acquisition outweigh the risks for Microsoft and its shareholders? Harvard Business School associate professor Joseph Pacelli discusses the ongoing controversies around the merger and how gamers and investors have responded in the case, “Call of Fiduciary Duty: Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard.”

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• 08 Nov 2022

How Centuries of Restrictions on Women Shed Light on Today's Abortion Debate

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Videos Concepts Unwrapped View All 36 short illustrated videos explain behavioral ethics concepts and basic ethics principles. Concepts Unwrapped: Sports Edition View All 10 short videos introduce athletes to behavioral ethics concepts. Ethics Defined (Glossary) View All 58 animated videos - 1 to 2 minutes each - define key ethics terms and concepts. Ethics in Focus View All One-of-a-kind videos highlight the ethical aspects of current and historical subjects. Giving Voice To Values View All Eight short videos present the 7 principles of values-driven leadership from Gentile's Giving Voice to Values. In It To Win View All A documentary and six short videos reveal the behavioral ethics biases in super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's story. Scandals Illustrated View All 30 videos - one minute each - introduce newsworthy scandals with ethical insights and case studies. Video Series

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Case Studies

More than 70 cases pair ethics concepts with real world situations. From journalism, performing arts, and scientific research to sports, law, and business, these case studies explore current and historic ethical dilemmas, their motivating biases, and their consequences. Each case includes discussion questions, related videos, and a bibliography.

A Million Little Pieces

James Frey’s popular memoir stirred controversy and media attention after it was revealed to contain numerous exaggerations and fabrications.

Abramoff: Lobbying Congress

Super-lobbyist Abramoff was caught in a scheme to lobby against his own clients. Was a corrupt individual or a corrupt system – or both – to blame?

Apple Suppliers & Labor Practices

Is tech company Apple, Inc. ethically obligated to oversee the questionable working conditions of other companies further down their supply chain?

Approaching the Presidency: Roosevelt & Taft

Some presidents view their responsibilities in strictly legal terms, others according to duty. Roosevelt and Taft took two extreme approaches.

Appropriating “Hope”

Fairey’s portrait of Barack Obama raised debate over the extent to which an artist can use and modify another’s artistic work, yet still call it one’s own.

Arctic Offshore Drilling

Competing groups frame the debate over oil drilling off Alaska’s coast in varying ways depending on their environmental and economic interests.

Banning Burkas: Freedom or Discrimination?

The French law banning women from wearing burkas in public sparked debate about discrimination and freedom of religion.

Birthing Vaccine Skepticism

Wakefield published an article riddled with inaccuracies and conflicts of interest that created significant vaccine hesitancy regarding the MMR vaccine.

Blurred Lines of Copyright

Marvin Gaye’s Estate won a lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for the hit song “Blurred Lines,” which had a similar feel to one of his songs.

Bullfighting: Art or Not?

Bullfighting has been a prominent cultural and artistic event for centuries, but in recent decades it has faced increasing criticism for animal rights’ abuse.

Buying Green: Consumer Behavior

Do purchasing green products, such as organic foods and electric cars, give consumers the moral license to indulge in unethical behavior?

Cadavers in Car Safety Research

Engineers at Heidelberg University insist that the use of human cadavers in car safety research is ethical because their research can save lives.

Cardinals’ Computer Hacking

St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa hacked into the Houston Astros’ webmail system, leading to legal repercussions and a lifetime ban from MLB.

Cheating: Atlanta’s School Scandal

Teachers and administrators at Parks Middle School adjust struggling students’ test scores in an effort to save their school from closure.

Cheating: Sign-Stealing in MLB

The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme rocked the baseball world, leading to a game-changing MLB investigation and fallout.

Cheating: UNC’s Academic Fraud

UNC’s academic fraud scandal uncovered an 18-year scheme of unchecked coursework and fraudulent classes that enabled student-athletes to play sports.

Cheney v. U.S. District Court

A controversial case focuses on Justice Scalia’s personal friendship with Vice President Cheney and the possible conflict of interest it poses to the case.

Christina Fallin: “Appropriate Culturation?”

After Fallin posted a picture of herself wearing a Plain’s headdress on social media, uproar emerged over cultural appropriation and Fallin’s intentions.

Climate Change & the Paris Deal

While climate change poses many abstract problems, the actions (or inactions) of today’s populations will have tangible effects on future generations.

Cover-Up on Campus

While the Baylor University football team was winning on the field, university officials failed to take action when allegations of sexual assault by student athletes emerged.

Covering Female Athletes

Sports Illustrated stirs controversy when their cover photo of an Olympic skier seems to focus more on her physical appearance than her athletic abilities.

Covering Yourself? Journalists and the Bowl Championship

Can news outlets covering the Bowl Championship Series fairly report sports news if their own polls were used to create the news?

Cyber Harassment

After a student defames a middle school teacher on social media, the teacher confronts the student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online.

Defending Freedom of Tweets?

Running back Rashard Mendenhall receives backlash from fans after criticizing the celebration of the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in a tweet.

Dennis Kozlowski: Living Large

Dennis Kozlowski was an effective leader for Tyco in his first few years as CEO, but eventually faced criminal charges over his use of company assets.

Digital Downloads

File-sharing program Napster sparked debate over the legal and ethical dimensions of downloading unauthorized copies of copyrighted music.

Dr. V’s Magical Putter

Journalist Caleb Hannan outed Dr. V as a trans woman, sparking debate over the ethics of Hannan’s reporting, as well its role in Dr. V’s suicide.

East Germany’s Doping Machine

From 1968 to the late 1980s, East Germany (GDR) doped some 9,000 athletes to gain success in international athletic competitions despite being aware of the unfortunate side effects.

Ebola & American Intervention

Did the dispatch of U.S. military units to Liberia to aid in humanitarian relief during the Ebola epidemic help or hinder the process?

Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero?

Was Edward Snowden’s release of confidential government documents ethically justifiable?

Ethical Pitfalls in Action

Why do good people do bad things? Behavioral ethics is the science of moral decision-making, which explores why and how people make the ethical (and unethical) decisions that they do.

Ethical Use of Home DNA Testing

The rising popularity of at-home DNA testing kits raises questions about privacy and consumer rights.

Flying the Confederate Flag

A heated debate ensues over whether or not the Confederate flag should be removed from the South Carolina State House grounds.

Freedom of Speech on Campus

In the wake of racially motivated offenses, student protests sparked debate over the roles of free speech, deliberation, and tolerance on campus.

Freedom vs. Duty in Clinical Social Work

What should social workers do when their personal values come in conflict with the clients they are meant to serve?

Full Disclosure: Manipulating Donors

When an intern witnesses a donor making a large gift to a non-profit organization under misleading circumstances, she struggles with what to do.

Gaming the System: The VA Scandal

The Veterans Administration’s incentives were meant to spur more efficient and productive healthcare, but not all administrators complied as intended.

German Police Battalion 101

During the Holocaust, ordinary Germans became willing killers even though they could have opted out from murdering their Jewish neighbors.

Head Injuries & American Football

Many studies have linked traumatic brain injuries and related conditions to American football, creating controversy around the safety of the sport.

Head Injuries & the NFL

American football is a rough and dangerous game and its impact on the players’ brain health has sparked a hotly contested debate.

Healthcare Obligations: Personal vs. Institutional

A medical doctor must make a difficult decision when informing patients of the effectiveness of flu shots while upholding institutional recommendations.

High Stakes Testing

In the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act, parents, teachers, and school administrators take different positions on how to assess student achievement.

In-FUR-mercials: Advertising & Adoption

When the Lied Animal Shelter faces a spike in animal intake, an advertising agency uses its moral imagination to increase pet adoptions.

Krogh & the Watergate Scandal

Egil Krogh was a young lawyer working for the Nixon Administration whose ethics faded from view when asked to play a part in the Watergate break-in.

Limbaugh on Drug Addiction

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh argued that drug abuse was a choice, not a disease. He later became addicted to painkillers.

U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s “over-exaggeration” of an incident at the 2016 Rio Olympics led to very real consequences.

Meet Me at Starbucks

Two black men were arrested after an employee called the police on them, prompting Starbucks to implement “racial-bias” training across all its stores.

Myanmar Amber

Buying amber could potentially fund an ethnic civil war, but refraining allows collectors to acquire important specimens that could be used for research.

Negotiating Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy lawyer Gellene successfully represented a mining company during a major reorganization, but failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Pao & Gender Bias

Ellen Pao stirred debate in the venture capital and tech industries when she filed a lawsuit against her employer on grounds of gender discrimination.

Pardoning Nixon

One month after Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency, Gerald Ford made the controversial decision to issue Nixon a full pardon.

Patient Autonomy & Informed Consent

Nursing staff and family members struggle with informed consent when taking care of a patient who has been deemed legally incompetent.

Prenatal Diagnosis & Parental Choice

Debate has emerged over the ethics of prenatal diagnosis and reproductive freedom in instances where testing has revealed genetic abnormalities.

Reporting on Robin Williams

After Robin Williams took his own life, news media covered the story in great detail, leading many to argue that such reporting violated the family’s privacy.

Responding to Child Migration

An influx of children migrants posed logistical and ethical dilemmas for U.S. authorities while intensifying ongoing debate about immigration.

Retracting Research: The Case of Chandok v. Klessig

A researcher makes the difficult decision to retract a published, peer-reviewed article after the original research results cannot be reproduced.

Sacking Social Media in College Sports

In the wake of questionable social media use by college athletes, the head coach at University of South Carolina bans his players from using Twitter.

Selling Enron

Following the deregulation of electricity markets in California, private energy company Enron profited greatly, but at a dire cost.

Snyder v. Phelps

Freedom of speech was put on trial in a case involving the Westboro Baptist Church and their protesting at the funeral of U.S. Marine Matthew Snyder.

Something Fishy at the Paralympics

Rampant cheating has plagued the Paralympics over the years, compromising the credibility and sportsmanship of Paralympian athletes.

Sports Blogs: The Wild West of Sports Journalism?

Deadspin pays an anonymous source for information related to NFL star Brett Favre, sparking debate over the ethics of “checkbook journalism.”

Stangl & the Holocaust

Franz Stangl was the most effective Nazi administrator in Poland, killing nearly one million Jews at Treblinka, but he claimed he was simply following orders.

Teaching Blackface: A Lesson on Stereotypes

A teacher was put on leave for showing a blackface video during a lesson on racial segregation, sparking discussion over how to teach about stereotypes.

The Astros’ Sign-Stealing Scandal

The Houston Astros rode a wave of success, culminating in a World Series win, but it all came crashing down when their sign-stealing scheme was revealed.

The Central Park Five

Despite the indisputable and overwhelming evidence of the innocence of the Central Park Five, some involved in the case refuse to believe it.

The CIA Leak

Legal and political fallout follows from the leak of classified information that led to the identification of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The Collapse of Barings Bank

When faced with growing losses, investment banker Nick Leeson took big risks in an attempt to get out from under the losses. He lost.

The Costco Model

How can companies promote positive treatment of employees and benefit from leading with the best practices? Costco offers a model.

The FBI & Apple Security vs. Privacy

How can tech companies and government organizations strike a balance between maintaining national security and protecting user privacy?

The Miss Saigon Controversy

When a white actor was cast for the half-French, half-Vietnamese character in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon , debate ensued.

The Sandusky Scandal

Following the conviction of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky for sexual abuse, debate continues on how much university officials and head coach Joe Paterno knew of the crimes.

The Varsity Blues Scandal

A college admissions prep advisor told wealthy parents that while there were front doors into universities and back doors, he had created a side door that was worth exploring.

Providing radiation therapy to cancer patients, Therac-25 had malfunctions that resulted in 6 deaths. Who is accountable when technology causes harm?

Welfare Reform

The Welfare Reform Act changed how welfare operated, intensifying debate over the government’s role in supporting the poor through direct aid.

Wells Fargo and Moral Emotions

In a settlement with regulators, Wells Fargo Bank admitted that it had created as many as two million accounts for customers without their permission.

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2022 Business Ethics Case Competition

March 2, 2022 @ 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm, event navigation.

Sponsored by the Gabelli School of Business, the 2022 Business Ethics Case Competition (BECC) provides a venue for student teams to showcase their recommendations for how business, legal, and ethical elements interplay and align when applied to a current issue. Of note, the competition is also a feeder event for the IBECC, with the winning team moving on to represent Fordham University at the 25th International Business Ethics Case Competition, being held in-person on April 20-22, 2022 in Cambridge, MA.

About the case competition:, each team must consist of 3 to 5 undergraduate students from any school at fordham university., teams will submit a brief case outline and, if selected for the finals, a presentation of their case analysis., all cases should raise questions and issues related to ethics, business, and law., case topics used for prior class projects may be submitted (with the consent of all original members)., teams are encouraged to  register by february 14, 2022 . to register, email dean daly at  [email protected]   providing: a) team member names, b) case topic, c) an outline of their proposed case study that identifies a decision-point, a decision-maker, and the time of the case, and d) be sure to put ‘ 2022 becc submission ’ in your email subject line, finalist teams will be selected from the case outline submissions and will be notified by february 18, 2022. finalist teams must then produce and submit presentations by march 10, 2020., the business ethics case competition will occur on wednesday, march 2, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. in keating 1st., topic guidelines, by february 14, teams registering for the business ethics case competition must submit an outline that answers the following questions:, what is your decision-point (what should s/he do it should be a moral dilemma about business.), who is the decision-maker (who is in charge of this decision the decision-maker should be the managers/executives of a company), what is the point in time (it may be an ongoing case or something that happened in the past and is described by the students in present tense.), case outline guidelines, the outline of your case analysis should be  1-2 pages in length , focused on the problem you will discuss and  highlighting the ethical, economic, and legal elements of the decision ., the outline should include each of the following elements:, clearly identify a decision-point (say, whether the company should recall a product), , explain why the decision is morally relevant (say, whether the decision is justified on grounds of social welfare, consumer rights, etc.), , describe the alternative courses of action (say, to recall or not to recall), and , state your team’s position about which alternative course should be adopted by your decision-maker (say, it should not recall because the evidence in support of the allegations that the product is defective is weak and unreliable)., your outline should also list the material you will use to research your case study (any citation style works), presentation guidelines, each group selected for the finals will then prepare a 10-minute presentation about its case analysis which they will present before a panel of judges. there will also be a brief question and answers period after each presentation. group presentations will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:, appropriate use of evidence, organization and structuring of the material, clarity and effective use of visual aids, description of alternatives, appropriate use of ethical, legal, and business theories to analyze and provide recommendations, good luck to all, we look forward to reviewing your case outlines, mark your calendar: case outlines are due by end of day monday, february 14th to dean daly ([email protected]) — be sure to put ‘2022 becc submission’ in your email’s subject line., cash prizes for best papers and presentations: winning team: $750, plus represent fordham university at the 25th international business ethics case competition, being held online april 20-22. learn more here: https://ibecc.net first runner-up: $250, we hope to see you there.

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Business Ethics in the News 2022

Tags: Diversity, Treatment of Employees

This resource provides an analysis of the year’s news trends and the issues and sectors that featured the most.

The IBE monitors the media throughout each year to record stories that focus on business ethics issues. It gives a sense of what the media is covering – without making any judgement as to whether the coverage is good or bad.

This coverage reflects media interest in different topics as much as it reflects what is happening across sectors. It is worth understanding what the media is saying because it informs broader public debate and perception about business ethics.

Overall, diversity and discrimination, treatment of employees and sustainability are the big issues that came up in our media monitoring, with bribery and corruption, and fraud and theft next. This year, the cost of living crisis had a major impact on the business news agenda, as did significant reporting of sustainability initiatives in the year of the UK’s Presidency of COP 26. Diversity and discrimination coverage is mostly of individual stories of discrimination by employers and reflects an ongoing media interest in tribunal cases or complaints made by individuals.

Behaviour and culture has dropped so low - it only appears under “other” – because so many of the stories that relate to organisational culture come under other categories, such as diversity and discrimination – although that “other” category disguises one of the biggest news stories of the year, namely partygate and ethical issues in Downing Street. In addition to that high-profile ethical story, diversity and discrimination and treatment of employees were the main issues the media covered in the public sector, alongside recent coverage of investigations into the procurement of PPE.

Retailers have come up the rankings of sectors covered this year to the top position, having previously been third, with the cost of living crisis leading to a significant range of stories about their treatment of employees and of customers in response to food and goods price rises. They have also garnered significant coverage about sustainability, and diversity and discrimination.

Banking and finance are next, and the highest number of stories covering this sector were about sustainability, reflecting ongoing media interest in initiatives in this area, followed by stories about diversity and discrimination, fraud and theft and treatment of employees, followed by fraud and data protection.

Technology had significant coverage of sustainability issues, followed by substantial coverage of diversity and discrimination and treatment of employees, with fraud and theft and data protection coming next.

The main issues faced by professional services related to diversity and discrimination.

Most of the more positive stories were about sustainability, which appears to be because new initiatives or projects are more likely to be covered by the media than their equivalents in other areas such as diversity or anti-corruption.

The media is just one lens through which your customers and clients will get to know you as a business, and coverage reflects what journalists think their readers are interested in. The most significant shift this year is retail moving up our table displacing banking and finance, and technology. will the cost of living crisis see this trend accelerate next year, or will a broader public debate about the regulation of financial services or technology and data privacy see those sectors regain their place at the top?

Research method

Researchers at the IBE monitored various major news outlets over the course of the year to record all stories that featured business ethics issues in both a positive and negative light. These stories were categorised according to the sector within which the company cooperates and the specific issue the story is about. We then analysed this data to determine which are the year’s most prevalent sectors and issues. We only count each story once, regardless of how many times it features in the same media outlet or across various outlets.

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IBECC: The International Business Ethics Case Competition

The 2024 International Business Ethics Case Competition will be held April 17-19 at the University of Massachusetts Mount Ida campus in Newton, MA.

Registration is now open. Click here for instructions.

Click here for general information about this year’s event. Check back for more information .

We are proud to announce that the Northrop Grumman Corporation has once again awarded IBECC $25,000. Northrop Grumman is IBECC’s most generous and most consistent sponsor, having supported us since 1996. This gift allows us to add two new features to the 2024 competition. Click here for details.

We also want to recognize and thank our other current donors:

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE BEGUN THE PROCESS OF MAKING THIS SITE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO CONFORM WITH ADA REQUIREMENTS. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

IBECC LTD.: The International Business Ethics Case Competition is a 501c3 organization headquartered in Massachusetts.

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PCSB Students Impress at Business Ethics Case Competition

Posted on November 14, 2022

In an ethics case ripped from the headlines, the Providence College School of Business challenged undergraduate students to put themselves in the shoes of the U.S. Senate subcommittee evaluating whistleblower testimony about Facebook.

On Saturday, October 29, the PCSB hosted the final round of the Business Ethics Case Competition. Four teams participated in the final round of the competition, which engages students to think critically about ethical issues in business.

This year’s topic was based on testimony provided by Frances Haugen, a whistleblower and former employee at Facebook, before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security. Haugen called for Congressional action, accusing Facebook of promoting psychological insecurity, misinformation, and division among its users. Teams were asked to address the subcommittee, identifying at least three ethical issues as they relate to Facebook’s practices, and to explain why they are important as the subcommittee continues its investigation.

Teams were allocated 30 minutes to present their findings and answer questions from the judges, consisting of Patrick Kelly , Ph.D., professor of accountancy and director of the Ethics in Business Education Program; Terence McGoldrick , Ph.D., professor of theology, and Jacqueline Elcik , PCSB senior associate dean. After all teams presented, the judges convened to determine the winners.

The winning team was comprised of Bobby McGuire ’24 , Tommy Ishimwe ’24 , and Jacob Bazyk ’24 . Referring to the ethical frameworks of deontology, Catholic social teaching, and virtue ethics, these students connected their chosen frameworks’ guidelines to Facebook’s alleged wrongdoings. After discussing the ethical theories, McGuire, Ishimwe, and Bazyk offered recommendations for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to use.

“We found there to be a lot of unethical behavior going on,” said McGuire, an accounting major. “One of our main recommendations was to consider implementing an oversight board, which would limit not only Meta but other Big Tech social media companies and hold them to a higher standard.”

Throughout the process, the group was able to refine important skills—such as critical thinking and team-based work—that will help them in their future careers. Bazyk, a finance major, realized that the experience of speaking to a panel of judges simulated the real-world.

“[It’s] not a typical class environment where you talk in front of your peers. You’re getting judged on how you’re speaking,” he added.

The competition has been ongoing for several years. Kelly mentioned that previous teams have grappled with ethical issues relating to topics like driverless cars, head injuries in the NFL, and student loan debt. He credits the cases’ relevance as a reason for students’ engagement.

“So far, all the cases have been really well received. Because I work with a group [of fellow professors], everyone has input in deciding if students think [a topic is interesting or not].”

McGuire, Ishimwe, and Bazyk were clearly energized by the subject matter. By placing first, they will advance to the Michael Smith International Business Ethics Case Competition, hosted by Providence College and named after Michael Smith ’65, in February. Teams representing competing schools will attend virtually.

Having reached this point, few things were more important to PC’s representatives than their own moral guidance.

“Everything [we discussed] connected to the case, but we needed to make sure that whatever we were talking about could resonate with us,” said Ishimwe, a management major.

“That’s what brought out the passion we had for this case.”

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More From Forbes

A long look at business ethics.

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Edward Tuorinsky , Managing Principal of DTS, brings two decades of experience in management consulting and information technology services.

On one recent morning, a maintenance contract made me stop and examine business ethics.

A competitor had advised potential customers that they would need three years of maintenance following a purchase. The customers, worried about meeting industry standards, were potentially none the wiser. But I was left shaking my head.

Was it illegal? Not really; maintenance contracts are common add-ons in our industry. Was it right? Without accurate information, the customers couldn’t make an educated choice. Would I run a similar “deal”? Definitely not.

I reflected on the fact that, as a business owner, I often view my responsibility to clients and prospects as if they were patients and I, their medical doctor. My first oath is to do no harm.

Educating and advising prospects is part of the sales cycle for nearly every industry. I note that in new and emerging technologies, best practice information often lags behind customer interest. Customers have little or no internal expertise to help them make decisions. Instead, they look to providers to tell them what they need to know.

That blind trust can put your company in ethical deep water if you focus on short-term gains instead of long-term growth.

There’s no future in the short game.

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Sales techniques with overblown promises have an old-fashioned name: snake oil sales. The company makes a quick sale, but they don’t have repeat customers. Instead, they must rely on finding gullible new marks over and over. To me, this sounds exhausting and shortsighted.

In modern times, I’ve seen this technique employed to boost the stats of a company that’s looking to be acquired, desperate for venture capital funds, under pressure from shareholders or only incentivized to get the numbers booked. This strategy doesn’t value the customer, create a positive experience or build a relationship. Customers lose out, and so do employees who were incentivized by bad ethics.

Believe me when I tell you that if you take advantage of a customer’s vulnerabilities, they will eventually get wise, and an ex-customer with an ax to grind is a liability; they’ll be quick to share bad experiences and the names of slippery salespeople.

There’s simply no future in the short game.

Use the long game for growth.

We’ve all been in a situation where we spend time helping a potential customer get up to speed only to have them decide to do business with someone else. It’s never a good feeling to lose out on the sale, but you can take comfort when you know you’ve given it your best competitive effort.

Time has shown that for every prospect treated carefully and educated earnestly, you establish trust and goodwill. That trust might not pay off immediately, but if you play the long game, it’s a calculated investment. Things might not work out with the competitor, and the prospect might return to you. Or, they’ll consider you next time, for follow-on work or in their next role.

For example, as a cybersecurity consultant, I try to provide my customers with foundational knowledge. I use data, expertise, customer insights and case studies to arm them with the information necessary to make a good decision. I want them to feel confident about signing on for a purchase or service and have realistic expectations about what they will get for their money. This transforms blind trust into respect.

The long game takes that initial investment of time and effort and turns it into an engagement that pays dividends over and over. As one Forbes article pointed out, the probability of selling to an existing customer is higher than a new customer. New customer acquisition costs have jumped dramatically—up more than 60% between 2014 and 2019, according to an analysis by ProfitWell. Furthermore, customers are more likely to recommend a brand to others after a positive experience.

Nurturing customer relationships is where sales stars distinguish themselves. By deepening your knowledge of customers, anticipating their needs, listening to their feedback and input, and rewarding them for their loyalty, you are building something that lasts.

You can determine the value of customer trust. Sure, look at sales, but also consider long-game metrics like customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, vendor management, community stewardship and more. For long-term growth, these trust factors are just as important as revenue.

It starts at the top.

Too often, ethics are portrayed as only being personal. But that kind of thinking gives businesses a pass on questionable practices or shady policies. As leaders, you set the tone.

Those on the path to becoming (or maintaining) a trusted brand do so by using strong ethics and values as their blueprint for business—including in C-suite decision-making, sale strategies and HR policies. Trusted brands never offer unnecessary service contracts.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

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International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition

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April 8-12, 2024

The 2024 International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC) will be a hybrid competition held online and on the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) campus during the week of April 8-12.

Teams of 3-5 students, graduate or undergraduate, compete in 3 competitions during the event: 

• The 25 Minute Competition , in which teams will present their chosen business problem, an analysis of the ethical, sustainable, legal and financial aspects of a problem, and a viable solution on all fronts.
• The 10 Minute Competition , in which teams will incorporate the suggestions from judges during the 25-minute presentation to give a 10-minute presentation expanding on the ethical aspect of the problem.
• The 90 Second Competition , in which teams will give an elevator pitch explaining the importance of the sustainability component of the problem.

The online divisions will compete on April 8 and 9 . IBESCC staff will work with each team to find a presentation time, accommodating schedules in different time zones. The in-person competition will convene April 10-12 in Los Angeles on the LMU campus. The winners for all divisions will be announced on the evening of Friday, April 12 at the Awards Ceremony, which will be live-streamed.

Registration for graduate and undergraduate teams is open until February 19, 2024 .

Registration information and fees can be found on the 2024 Registration and Deadlines page. More details about the competition can be found in the Competition Overview   and Additional Information pages.

If you have questions or would like to request financial aid to reduce or waive the registration fee, please contact us at [email protected] or call Chiray Koo at (213)-268-0789.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THE 2024 IBESCC.

Thank you to our sponsors, daniel and deborah koskovich, the emmons foundation.

Journal of Business Ethics

Journal of Business Ethics is dedicated to publishing original articles focused on ethical issues related to business.

• Aims to improve the human condition by promoting ethical discussion and debate in business.
• Recognized as one of the 50 journals used by the Financial Times in the prestigious Business School research rank.
• Holds strong Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports® Ranking in Ethics and Business categories.
• Encourages a broad scope and diverse methodological and disciplinary perspectives.
• Maintains a dialogue-friendly style, free of specialist jargon for accessibility.

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Demystifying Benevolent Leadership: When Subordinates Feel Obligated to Undertake Illegitimate Tasks

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Students Tackle Vaccine Mandates in Business Ethics Case Competition

The Business Ethics Case Competition (BECC) run by CESR engages undergraduate students from Leeds in business decisions that navigate the complex realities of the contemporary workplace. 

Case competitions give students an opportunity to practice their presentational speaking skills in ways that resemble real professional experiences, and our students really rise to the occasion! I am constantly impressed by the level of creativity and thoughtfulness that go into their recommendations, and by the energy they inject into their delivery!

says  Salma Shukri , Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Business Communication

BECC takes place in two rounds, held a week apart.

In this year’s case, students were asked to address the question of vaccine mandates in an international company as it navigated varied local cultures and a competitive business environment. Teams grappled with the ethics of creating a mandate, and the implications of choosing not to, as well as considering how to message and implement their approach to minimize risks to the business. 

Underlying the decision on how to proceed was the question of how to justify their recommendations. The case offered four ways to consider the issue: the financial costs of one decision over another, how to best align policies with corporate values, how to balance fairness with autonomy and risk, and what the majority of employees would choose to do. 

Under-scoring the timeliness and importance of this case, in the week between the Preliminary and Final Rounds, Boulder County Public Health announced that they would be removing their mask mandate leaving it up to individual businesses to set their own policies. 

The Preliminary Round

Seven teams competed in the Preliminary Round. Faculty members Elmer Ramos , Salma Shukri and Zack Donohew served as judges for the Preliminary Round. During deliberations, judges noted that the most successful teams were persuasive, courageous in pushing boundaries, and creative in turning challenges into opportunities. 

The teams demonstrated how the “right” answer in business is usually the one with the strongest rationale and most convincing presentation,

says Elmer Ramos, Adjunct Professor, Marketing

The Final Round

Four teams advanced to the Final Round a week later and were asked to respond to a twist in the case. In this twist, a vaccine mandate had been approved by the Board. Soon after, a group of SVPs met with the CEO to discuss carving out exceptions or retention strategies for high performers who were opposed to the mandate. Students were asked to consider whether the company should make any exceptions, and if not, how they would mitigate the risk of losing these employees.

Judges for the Final Round included Alexis Gordon , Margaret Mondlane , Karen Gibbs  and Zhenghua “Z” Yang (BS ‘14). In selecting the winning team, judges debated which team was the most persuasive, did the best to ensure their solutions were grounded in research, and most consistently based their approach on the company’s strategy and corporate values. 

I know how it feels to be on the other side of a case competition, and I am super impressed,

said Zhenghua

In announcing the winning team, Zhenghua acknowledged that it “was a really tough choice. Everyone did a phenomenal job. Leeds has a strong pool of talent. As an alum myself I am proud of everything I heard today.”

The winning team included Caitlin O'Neill (‘22), Payton Coakley (‘25) and Anant Gupta (‘24). As Z noted in awarding first place, the team excelled in both their presentation and their research. “There were a number of clean and crisp ways you presented information,” Zhenghua said. “Your analysis was on point and you went above and beyond in looking at competition and comparing their policies to justify your proposals.” 

The judges also appreciated that ethics came through in multiple ways in their approach, and their focus on the long term impact of proposed solutions, beyond the immediate issues.

Student Response

“This competition provides a great opportunity for students to combine creative problem solving, ethical reasoning and business skills,” said Julie Waggoner, Director of Operations at CESR. “I’m always impressed with the way the teams weave together the needs of various stakeholders along with financial and operational realities to come up with innovative solutions.” 

Participants were vocal in their appreciation for this experience, including the students who did not place or win. Anant Gupta, a member of the winning team, said, “the competition resembled a real-world situation where we worked to solve problems without all the answers. It was a great way to experience aspects of my future career!”

Caitlin O’Neill, also on the winning team agreed with her teammate.“This case comp was a blast,” she said. “The case was interesting, my teammates were hilarious, and the judges gave such valuable feedback. I would recommend this to anyone considering it!”  

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Returning to Redmond? Exploring Equity in Hybrid Work Environments at Microsoft

By: Lauren Kaufmann, Jenny Mead, Lucy King

This public-sourced case is based on a series of decisions Microsoft and other US-based technology companies made between 2021 and 2022 related to hybrid and return-to-office work policies coming out…

• Length: 7 page(s)
• Publication Date: Dec 19, 2023
• Discipline: Business Ethics
• Product #: UV8860-PDF-ENG

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This public-sourced case is based on a series of decisions Microsoft and other US-based technology companies made between 2021 and 2022 related to hybrid and return-to-office work policies coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case focuses on the balance that must be struck between policies that enable employee flexibility in terms of choosing a work modality (based on factors such as productivity, physical health considerations, professional growth, and home care requirements, among others), while not disproportionately harming career prospects for historically marginalized groups who might prefer to work remotely (out of preference or necessity). Discussion could focus on topics such as distribution of care work, professional double standards for women, intersectionality, and other ethical considerations. At the Darden School of Business, this case is taught in first-year and second-year ethics electives. It would also be suitable in a module covering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Learning Objectives

To consider the wider-reaching impacts of a remote- or hybrid-work policy, beyond factors of productivity; to open conversation about the impacts of in-person work on equity considerations; and to uncover the potential unforeseen externalities of a policy that does not account for different classes of employees due to face time and in-person engagement, on a voluntary or nonvoluntary basis.

To consider remote work preferences through an intersectional lens, in terms of both positive and negative impact; to discuss the benefits of remote work for marginalized communities and why a remote environment creates a new system to operate within (new ways of communicating, fewer identity abrasions, no physical space for employees to be responsible for); and to highlight the drawbacks of remote work for these same employees (flexibility stigma, disproportionate expectations for management of home care tasks, impact of lack of exposure to senior stakeholders in office).

To practice applying an intersectional lens to standard business decisions; to build familiarity and confidence in incorporating social equity considerations into leadership choices, and to explore the inherent interplay between people-focused decisions and business outcomes.

Dec 19, 2023

Discipline:

Business Ethics

Industries:

Information technology and telecom sector

Darden School of Business

UV8860-PDF-ENG

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• Russian Entites Profiles

Russian Company OOO "AVANGARD"

Brief profile.

active Commercial

Facts to Consider

The staff increased significantly (from 1 to 8 people in 2022).

A significant amount of the taxes paid (71.4 mln. RUB.).

show 2 more positive facts

Complete Profile

• 1. General Information
• 2. Registration in the Russian Federation
• 3. Company's Activities
• 4. Legal Address
• 5. Owners, Founders of the Entity
• 6. OOO "AVANGARD" CEO
• 7. Entities Founded by Company
• 8. Number of Employees
• 9. Company Finance
• 10. Timeline of key events
• 11. Latest Changes in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE)

General Information

Full name of the organization: OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTIU "AVANGARD"

TIN: 5053058250

KPP: 505301001

PSRN: 1195081005767

Location: 144006, Moscow Oblast, Elektrostal, pr-kt Lenina, 010, pomeshch. 29

Line of business: Renting and operating of own or leased real estate (OKVED code 68.20)

Organization status: Commercial, active

Form of incorporation: Limited liability companies (code 12300 according to OKOPF)

Registration in the Russian Federation

The organization OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTIU "AVANGARD" was registered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities 5 years 1 month ago 13 February 2019.

The average age of legal entities for the type of activity 68.20 "Renting and operating of own or leased real estate" is 15 years. This organization is younger.

The tax authority where the legal entity is registered: Mezhraionnaia inspektsiia Federalnoi nalogovoi sluzhby №6 po Moskovskoi oblasti (inspection code – 5031). The tax authority before 08/23/2021 – Inspektsiia Federalnoi nalogovoi sluzhby po g. Elektrostali Moskovskoi oblasti (code 5053).

Registration with the Pension Fund: registration number 060055027032 dated 18 February 2019.

Registration with the Social Insurance Fund: registration number 501900821550191 dated 18 February 2019.

Company's Activities

The main activity of the organization is Renting and operating of own or leased real estate (OKVED code 68.20).

Additionally, the organization listed the following activities:

The organization has 1 registered trademark 726966 .

Legal Address

OOO "AVANGARD" is registered at 144006, Moscow Oblast, Elektrostal, pr-kt Lenina, 010, pomeshch. 29. ( show on a map )

No other organizations are listed at the current registered address.

Owners, Founders of the Entity

The founders of OOO "AVANGARD" are

OOO "AVANGARD" CEO

The head of the organization (a person who has the right to act on behalf of a legal entity without a power of attorney) since 21 April 2022 is [Access to the information is restricted] ** .

Entities Founded by Company

OOO "AVANGARD" is not listed as a founder in any Russian legal entities.

Number of Employees

Company finance.

The Authorized capital of OOO "AVANGARD" is 519 million RUB. This is significantly higher than the minimum authorized capital established by law for LTD (10 thousand RUB).

Until 12/14/2021 the authorized capital was 1 million RUB.

In 2023, the organization received the revenue of 350 million RUB, which is 12.3 million RUB, or by 3.6 %, more than a year ago.

As of December 31, 2023, the organization's total assets were 3 billion RUB This is 43.5 million RUB (by 1.5 %) more than a year earlier.

The net assets of OOO "AVANGARD" as of 12/31/2023 totaled 2.5 billion RUB.

The OOO "AVANGARD"’s operation in 2023 resulted in the profit of 55 million RUB. Over the year, the organization's financial result has changed insignificantly.

The organization is not subject to special taxation regimes (operates under a common regime).

Information about the taxes and fees paid by the organization for 2022

The organization had no tax arrears as of 02/10/2024.

Timeline of key events

• Head of the organization – [Access to the information is restricted] ** .
• Information about the founder was entered – [Access to the information is restricted] ** .

Latest Changes in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE)

• 04/21/2022 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 12/14/2021 . State registration of changes made to the constituent documents of a legal entity related to changes in information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, based on an application.
• 08/23/2021 . Entering information about accounting with the tax authority.
• 01/27/2021 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 11/18/2019 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 02/20/2019 . Entering information about registration in the FSS RF.
• 02/13/2019 . Entering information about accounting with the tax authority.

** Access to the information is restricted in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law No. 129-FZ of August 8, 2001 "On State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs"

The data presented on this page have been obtained from official sources: the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE), the State Information Resource for Financial Statements, the website of the Federal Tax Service (FTS), the Ministry of Finance and the Federal State Statistics Service.

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• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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