Street-Smart Ethics

When is business behavior legal but unethical? What should you say if your boss pressures you to do something you know is wrong? What is the line between "puffing" a stock and outright fraud? McLemore (Good Guys Finish First) opens this intelligent, timely ethics book by describing the well-publicized downfalls of famous companies, comparing Enron's corporate sins to WorldCom's peccadilloes. His opening section is a kind of a down-and-dirty primer on business responsibility. He explores the relationship between law and ethics, describes what people can do if they are being pressured to act unethically, and discusses the psychological issues that all those involved-from whistleblowers to brown-nosers-may have regarding ethical violations. The second section uses the biblical Book of Proverbs to offer 50 guidelines on "simple prudence," the foundation of ethical behavior, while the final section employs quizzes and longer case studies to stimulate discussion and reflection. McLemore writes engagingly and discerningly, sprinkling the text with insider knowledge gleaned from nearly two decades of experience in management consulting and organizational psychology. This should be required reading for managerial and professional personnel. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.