So, is Donald Trump a tough, visionary deal-maker? Or a lying, cheating scumbag? Neither? Or both? Some politically engaged readers have challenged me to get off the fence and to give them an answer. In honor of the upcoming Jewish New Year, I'll answer their question with a question: was Gordie Howe an ethical hockey player? "Mr. Hockey" played professionally for 32 years. He was known for elbows, slashes, and fighting. A player's having one assist, one goal, and one figh

Dear EthicsTalk: My company’s hiring manager checked the Facebook pages of three job candidates. She found a photo of one female candidate with three small children. The hiring manager eliminated her from consideration, assuming that she was a mother of three who couldn’t meet the job’s demands for long hours, frequent travel, and last-minute projects. Is the hiring manager allowed to do this? What should I do? Signed: Fear of Facebook Dear Fear of Facebook: Thank you for con

DEAR ETHICS TALK: My company recently contracted for technology-related services. The service provider offered our head of procurement a substantial discount if we provided a video testimonial for the provider’s website. Is this OK? Signed: SKEPTICAL CHECK OUT ETHICS TALK'S ANSWER ON SEPTEMBER 29!

You can tell a female CEO is in trouble when Vanity Fair publishes an unflattering photo of her. Marissa Mayer, the woman who seemed to have everything, just got something she never wanted -- an ethical scandal. Yahoo recently disclosed that a half a billion user accounts have been hacked. What did Mayer know and when did she know it? Lawyers are no doubt wading through several feet of representations and warranties to assess the impact on the Yahoo-Verizon deal of this rec

The first EthicsTalk column appears in America Cities Business Journals on September 29, 2016. Look for it in front of the paywalls of 43 U.S. metropolitan business journals! #EthicsTalk

So, Colin Kaepernick doesn't want to stand for the National Anthem. That's his right as an American citizen But it's not his right as an employee of the San Francisco 49'ers. Every Sunday, he makes his statement at his place of work, during working hours, in his employer's uniform Neither League rules nor the players' collective bargaining agreement requires him to stand. The 49'ers have discretion and have chosen to let him do his thing. No doubt team ownership finds its

In addition to regular fees, Wells Fargo CEO grilled by Senators over special "feas": misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance. http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2016/09/20/wells-fargo-ceo-john-stumpf-to-apologize-to-senate-banking-committee/#45e6a3b660da

Here is a "game" I use to start my Business Ethics course at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis. An ocean liner has hit an iceberg. A small lifeboat has launched and is now on its own. It is uncertain when help will come, or how far away land is. The lifeboat has 10 people in it, but can only hold six. You have 15 minutes to decide which four passengers to throw overboard. If you fail, the boat swamps, and all 10 passengers drown. Whom do you throw ov