http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com Business ethics, litigation risk management, apologies Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:37:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let's take another story directly from the headlines. Heather Peters drew national attention when she successfully sued Honda in a California small claims court. The car manufacturer had reportedly advertised its Civic Hybrid as delivering 50 mpg. ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/dont-promise-what-you-cant-deliver This may be the post that brings the world down on my head, but I have to wonder why everyone seems to be madly shoving each other aside for the opportunity to vilify Paula Deen. For those of you who've been vacationing on Mars for the last week or ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/whats-the-big-deal-about-paula-deen Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let's focus on a mistake that too many businesspeople make. On the theory that "the best defense is a good offense," some people make it all too clear to their contractors, suppliers, and consultants that, if a single ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/dont-threaten-to-sue-unless-you-really-mean-it President Obama's State of the Union has stirred up a hornet's nest in Washington. It'll be awhile before the dust settles enough to know who's coming down where on his various proposals. However, I want to focus on one aspect of his speech that seems to me to ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/can-we-afford-corporate-tax-breaks Righteous indignation often strikes me as misplaced and sometimes even a little silly. When people start posturing they usually stop listening, so it can be very hard to have a real conversation with someone who's up on his or her high horse. Nonetheless, I'm about to climb onto ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/theres-no-place-for-poison-in-juice-boxes Yesterday's blackout of Wikipedia and other highly trafficked websites must have put quite a dent in a lot of people's time online. The blackout was, of course, to protest Congressional proposals to enact tough new laws against online piracy. The entertainment industry, the publishing industry, and other providers ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/if-people-wouldnt-steal-we-wouldnt-need-internet-piracy-laws The Wall Street Journal reported today that Tropicana orange juice producer Pepsico Inc. didn't notify the Food and Drug Administration that there was a fungicide called carbendazim in its orange juice. According to the Journal, another juice company reported to the FDA that it found low levels of the ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/whats-in-americas-orange-juice In April of last year, I reported on the efforts of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to call to account the Feld Corporation, the company that operates the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. At the time, Ringling had been accused of abusing its elephants and allowing ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/270000-may-not-be-enough-to-stop-animal-cruelty Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, I want to touch on a subject that's been bugging me of late. Recently, I've been called upon to deal with a group of professionals who didn't handle a sensitive situation particularly well. Their behavior offers a ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/dont-manage-impressions Friends know that the oldest decoration in my office is a little ceramic figurine of Jiminy Cricket, Pinnochio's "conscience" in the classic Disney film of the same name. I bought the figurine shortly after graduating from law school, and keep in where it's never far from my sight. ... http://www.thebusinessethicsblog.com/whatever-happened-to-jiminy-cricket