Monthly Archives: December 2011

The Barometer’s Boneheads for 2011

Most ethics organizations and ethical lists try to name “the most ethical” (person) (company) etc. The Barometer is risk averse. Point to someone or some organization as the most ethical for a year and by the end of the next … Continue reading

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“I took tickets to a concert for me and my daughter, but they had changed hands so many times before reaching me that I felt no obligation could be implied.”

Procurement officer for Maricopa County, AZ; one of 11 county employees to take trips, gifts, and tickets from vendors. Ah, yes, the REO Speedwagon theory on conflicts losing their punch with each pass from one human to another: “Heard it … Continue reading

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“(I am) surprised, disappointed and saddened for the players who are here and had nothing to do with this. They do not deserve this.”

Ohio State athletics director, Gene Smith, on NCAA sanctions of the a post-season ban and scholarship cuts for former coach Jim Tressel’s cover-up of his players’ memorabilia-trades-for-tattoos program in violation of NCAA rules.

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You Know a Backbone When You See It

Is it any wonder we have federal budget difficulties? Take a gander at the money management skills at former Senator Jon Corzine’s MF Global firm and you witness activities that give a whole new meaning to the term “shell game.” … Continue reading

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eCheating: The New and Creative Ways To Not Study

The human mind has unlimited capacity for finding ways to get around difficult task. The human mind coupled with YouTube may be unstoppable as it works to avoid work. Students are so quick with devices, mechanisms, and modes for cheating … Continue reading

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What Penn State and MF Global Had in Common

Organizations that experience ethical lapses that bring them front-page/Huffington Post headlines have common practices and issues. Penn State is now grappling with the departures of its president, athletic director, longstanding head football coach Joe Paterno, and a vice president following … Continue reading

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Dividend Stocks Become the Heroes

So read a Wall Street Journal headline yesterday – the former dogs are now the darlings. (Jonathan Craig, “Dividend Stocks Become the Heroes,” Wall Street Journal, Dec. 19, 2011, p. C1.) Well, the Barometer had a little book a few … Continue reading

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The Folks in Pittsburgh Must be Proud — $400 of $100,000 Returned

The back doors of a courier van carrying $100,000 flung open whilst said van was traveling along the highways of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 30, 2011. Those bags of cash, along with $20- and $50-dollar bills floating in the air, … Continue reading

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Wall Street Arrives at the “Everyone Gets a Soccer Trophy” Compensation System

MF Global, the hedge fund run into the ground by former senator/New Jersey governor, Jon Corzine, is in bankruptcy. For the record, New Jersey nearly experienced the same fate when Mr. Corzine was at the helm there. The ignominious collapse … Continue reading

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