Rotten

Alas, the scale and persistence of corporate malfeasance probably doesn’t surprise you. Laws, regulations, fines, jail sentences for offenders and ethics courses in business schools to the contrary, illegal actors, bad players, toxic organizations and unprofessional corporate cultures inflict quite a toll. Marc J. Epstein and Kirk O. Hanson – experts and pioneers in the study of corporate misconduct and ethics – argue that corporate corruption will worsen unless schools, churches, parents, governments, and especially corporate leaders, boards and CEOs take ethics more seriously.

Most corporations believe the company exists for the shareholders alone; only a very few embrace genuine concern for a broader set of stakeholders. Marc J. Epstein and Kirk O. Hanson

Epstein, a prolific author, taught at Harvard, Stanford, INSEAD and Rice University business schools. Hanson taught at the Santa Clara and Stanford schools of business. They don’t waste time wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth over how terrible corporate bad actors can be; instead, they recite this litany of corruption to inspire you to spur those who can do something about it to do something. And if you are among those who can take curative action, all the better.