REVIEW: "Better Ethics Now", Christopher Bauer

BKBEETNO.RVW 20071118

"Better Ethics Now", Christopher Bauer, 2005, 978-0-9765863-3-3,
U$21.99/C$29.99
%A Christopher Bauer chris@bauerethicsseminars.com
%C 1604 Burton Ave., Nashville, TN 37215
%D 2005
%G 0-9765863-3-9 978-0-9765863-3-3
%I Aab-Hill Business Books
%O U$21.99/C$29.99 615-385-3523
%O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...bsladesinterne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...bsladesinte-21
%O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...bsladesin03-20
%O Audience n Tech 1 Writing 2 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P 171 p.
%T "Better Ethics Now: How to Avoid the Ethics Disaster You Never
Saw Coming"

A note on the title page of the book states that the text is intended
to educate and entertain in regard to ethics, and that the material is
neither comprehensive nor tested. (It is ethical to let the reader
know that, although my initial reaction was that the "entertain"
aspect might have been a bit of an abdication of the author's
responsibilities to the readers.) The introduction asserts that the
focus of the work is on how a lack of personal responsibility creates
the foundation for corporate ethical disasters, and that having
individuals improve their own ethical standards will enhance the
integrity of the company. There is, of course, something to this,
although it does fly in the face of a great many studies identifying
the "tone at the top" as the major determinant of corporate ethical
standards.

Chapter one notes that ethical breaches in companies have serious
financial ramifications, and reiterates the position that assessing
your own morals will improve those of the company, primarily by
forcing you to determine if the normal business behaviour you are
asked to follow is ethical. (This does tie back to the issue of "tone
at the top": if your ethics stand up to scrutiny and you feel
comfortable in your working environment, the tone is probably OK.)
Ethics are guiding principles, chapter two tells us. It isn't just
following (or even breaking) rules, says chapter three. Chapter four
seems to repeat this last, in slightly different wording, properly
taking issue with the subject of "compliance," which has become
something of a buzzword and panacea in recent years. Using cute
expansions of "ethics" as an acronym, chapter five tentatively
introduces the idea of personal responsibility and decision. A simple
tool for personal assessment is described in chapter six. Chapter
seven examines the issues of reporting or otherwise dealing with
ethical violations that you discover.

Chapter eight moves the discussion to the corporate level, noting the
importance of policy statements, processes, and procedures. Ethical
behaviour involves achieving positive actions, we are told in chapter
nine, rather than merely avoiding negative ones. Chapter ten does
promote the importance of the "tone at the top," noting that sometimes
you, as an employee, may need to walk away from an intolerable
situation. Chapter eleven suggests that those in management and
leadership need to communicate ethics directly and openly. The idea
that the moral standards of each employee are important is again
stressed in chapter twelve. Proper ethics are not always easy, says
chapter thirteen. Chapter fourteen repeats encouragement to be
proactive about promoting ethics, and suggests various procedures for
the corporation.

There are other books on ethics, and business ethics as well.
Johnson's "Computer Ethics" (cf. BKCMPETH.RVW) is a classic and
Tavani's "Ethics and Technology" (cf. BKETHTCH.RVW) adds depth and
intellectual rigour. Bauer's work is very different: there is little
academic or conceptual background, but the brevity and practicality of
the work may make it more suitable for the general work environment.
While it doesn't add much to the debate, it could certainly be used
for training and the promotion of ethical standards, and is probably
more accessible for the general population of employees and managers.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2007 BKBEETNO.RVW 20071118

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======================
rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@computercrime.org
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