The Ethics Hour™

Our guidance on ethics comes from the AICPA and other groups, but it does not fully address the “why” behind ethics. Understanding what motivates people and understanding those people are key to both solving ethical dilemmas and workplace issues that can lead to greater job satisfaction and efficiency. To correct an issue, you need to delve into the root cause – the why?

Objectives: Gaining a broader understanding of human behavior and ethics beyond the regulations. If we can better understand why unethical actions occur, we can develop a greater practice of our own ethical leadership and assist in growing one’s ‘ethical intelligence.

You may have read all sorts of stories in books about how bad people steal and make their coworkers and organizations miserable. Come hear veteran Internal Auditor Rob Berry and veteran CFO John L. Daly discuss situations they have seen in the real world.

Objectives: Gaining a deeper understanding of taking the time to understand the impact of our decisions.

What if being nice, or specifically being a positive best version of yourself, made you a more effective leader?   Ethical leadership is effective leadership.  That’s what Dr. Cohen, noted psychologist, transformational speaker, executive coach, and author of Be The Sun, Not The Salt, has been teaching organizations to do for years. Dr. Cohen’s work is based on scientific studies of human behavior broken down into simple, easily digestible pillars structured around the Heliotropic Effect.  In this webcast we will discuss Dr. Cohen’s path to this work, what the Heliotropic Effect is, and how Be The Sun, Not The Salt is the perfect reminder to Do More of That every day.

Objectives: To understand the ‘Heliotropic Effect’ and how to use it to be more ethical in our profession and in our life.

Presenters:  Dr. Harry D. Cohen, PhD and John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM

Professional Codes of Conduct make Ethics seem easy and clear cut. However, this is not so in real life. This session discusses five cases where the ethics is not so clear cut.  What should be considered?  We will explain how you can be more diligent and maintain awareness of ethical issues to become more effective and enhance the reputation of the profession.

Objectives: To gain a stronger understanding of ethical concerns and understand how to effectively deal with ethical dilemmas.

Presenters:  J. Michael Inzina, CPA, CGFM, CGMA and Don Minges, MBA

This discussion outlines situations where ‘legal’ and ‘ethical’ are not necessarily in alignment.  How should you handle these issues?  We will detail a better thought process to help you avoid ‘crossing the line.’

Objectives: To realize that ethics is not merely following the law. Compliance is not necessarily the same as being ethical in practice.

Presenters:  Robert Berry, CPA and Bob Mims, CPA

What would you do when ___? Is would the same as should? Examples; Rashmi Airan-Pace and Yale Law School. What should you do when a vendor offers to give you tickets to the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament and your organization will permit it? Prepare for ‘situations’ before they happen to you.

Objectives: To understand that ethical struggles arise more frequently than we would like them to. We must be prepared and have a plan of action.

Presenters:  Alison McLeod, JD, LLM, CPA, and Don Minges, MBA

There are multiple facets to ethical choices, including should you use your ‘head’ or your ‘heart’? What are the pros and the cons?  How can we balance these opposing views?

This seminar outlines the value of; trust, courage, fairness, sensitivity, persistence, honesty and gracefulness – to help us make better ethical decisions.

Objectives: Ethics is not merely words; Ethics is thoughts and thoughts in action. Ethics has an impact and value both at work and at home.

Presenters:  Robert Mims, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

What happens when businesspeople think they can lie and cheat at work, as long as it makes a profit? Some believe that business is like war, and there are no rules!  Do you really want to behave differently in business than in your personal life? Can, or should, ethics be ‘switched on’ or off?

Objectives: To understand that ethical behavior is always ethical behavior.

Presenters:  John Levy, MBA, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

Ethical situations occur more often than many realize. We must stay vigilant. Sometimes a seemingly simple situation may seem innocuous at first, but it can lead to large complications in the near future. In today’s competitive environment, one error posted on social media can damage a reputation forever. Social media posts can cause havoc.

Objectives: To realize that ethics is intertwined in what we do, how we behave and how we influence others.

Presenters:  Richard A. Karwic, MBA and Don Minges, MBA

If ethics were easy, then why do so many professionals have a Code of Conduct? Some Ethical decisions are easy, others are not. We will discuss several troubling ethical issues and the ramifications.  What are the considerations and evaluation criteria to use? The need to carefully deliberate alternatives – is paramount. Be aware.

Objectives: To accept that ethics is not merely a Code of Conduct, but ethics has impact and value in today’s interconnected world.

Presenters:  Bob Mims, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

You and I have a responsibility to our organizations and to the public to be ethical. We cannot forget this responsibility and this responsibility is constant. One lapse can cause profound issues that last. Ethics and trust are intertwined, no one follows a ‘leader’ who is not trusted. We will not focus on the negative and show the problems caused – rather, we focus on what and how to set the example for others to follow. This seminar outlines the seven components of trust, and how we should use these components daily.

Objectives: To better understand that it is our duty to always be ethical. Ethics cannot be switched on or off – it is intertwined with every action, or inaction, we take.

Presenters:  Richard A. Karwic, MBA and Don Minges, MBA

The best leaders are always ethical. Every great leader has heart and readily shows that they care. What is the true value of a trustworthy leader? Why do we need trustworthy leaders?  How do we examine ethical issues – what is the process? Trust provides a safety net that enables innovation to flourish. Be the best leader you can be by caring about others and remaining ethical.

Ethics is fundamentally how we treat others. Do we measure up to that standard?

Objectives: To realize that heartfelt leaders care about their teams and how strong that makes the entire organization.

Presenters:  John Levy, MBA, CPA, and Don Minges, MBA

Ethics is grounded in leadership and the finest leaders are always ethical. Every effective leader is ethical, in words and actions. The best leaders communicate effectively. Being trustworthy is more than being honest and fair. In today’s turbulent environment, leadership matters more than ever as the talented staff will readily move to ethical leaders.  We must enhance our leadership skills to remain valuable. Simple stated – we all want to work for, and with, an ethical leader.

Objectives: To understand how ethics is intertwined in what we do, how we lead and how we trust each other.  To understand that anyone who is not ethical – is not a leader.

Presenters:  Bob Mims, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

The staggering volume of accounting scandals is a scandal. What has happened and what were the root causes? Why do many financial professionals choose to do the wrong thing?  What has been the cumulative impact on the profession? What can we do to enhance our professional reputation? We will discuss the many ‘fixes’ imposed to address previous accounting scandals, including COSO; were they effective? We must understand that accounting fraud is prevalent and what should we look out for? Be aware. We do not want history to repeat itself.

Objectives: To grasp the breadth of accounting scandals, the root causes and what steps we can take to address them.

Presenters:  Tracy Cooper, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

Every organization claims to be ethical, but words and deeds do not always jibe. How do you assess the real Ethics of an organization?  What are the key factors and behaviors to be aware of? Many organizations lack prescriptive policies, but is that an excuse to deviate from the spirit of doing the right thing?

How can professionals abuse ‘what is right’ and circumvent policies for their personal benefit. What are some egregious examples of violating policies? How allowing exceptions invites abuse. This seminar outlines steps to gauge the ethics of an organization.

Objectives: To realize that some will abandon ethics for their own personal gain. Using tools to assess the ethics of an organization.

Presenters:  Joe Oringel, MBA, CPA, CIA and Don Minges, MBA

We believe in fairness. When others do wrong, and their action hurts us – the natural reaction is to fight back and seek retribution. Simple human nature and we all are human. We want fairness and want to fight back, but this is one of the toughest ethical dilemmas we all face.  What should we do and what we do are not always the same.

Objectives: To better understand the human desire for justice and how it can lead us to unethical choices.

Presenters:  Bob Mims, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) can do and does amazing things, but there are myriad ethical issues involved with AI. We will discuss the many ethical questions that AI raises and how to prevent them from having an adverse impact. We must be more diligent and aware of the ethical issues.  AI has severe ethical pitfalls that we should understand clearly. AI is here to stay and we must understand how to mitigate the ethical issues.

Objectives: To gain a stronger understanding of the ethical issues of artificial intelligence, and how they impact us daily.

Presenters:  Tracy Cooper, CPA, and Don Minges, MBA

The best leaders are always ethical. Every great leader has heart and readily shows that they care. What is the true value of a trustworthy leader? Why do we need trustworthy leaders?  How do we examine ethical issues – what is the process? Trust provides a safety net that enables innovation to flourish. Be the best leader you can be by caring about others and remaining ethical.

Ethics is fundamentally how we treat others. Do we measure up to that standard?

Objectives: To realize that heartfelt leaders care about their teams and how strong that makes the entire organization.

Presenters:  John F. Levy, MBA, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

Ethics is grounded in leadership and the finest leaders are always ethical. Every effective leader is ethical, in words and actions. The best leaders communicate effectively. Being trustworthy is more than being honest and fair. In today’s turbulent environment, leadership matters more than ever as the talented staff will readily move to ethical leaders.  We must enhance our leadership skills to remain valuable. Simple stated – we all want to work for, and with, an ethical leader.

Objectives: To understand how ethics is intertwined in what we do, how we lead and how we trust each other.  To understand that anyone who is not ethical – is not a leader.

Presenters:  Bob Mims, CPA and Don Minges, MBA

The staggering volume of accounting scandals is a scandal. What has happened and what were the root causes? Why do many financial professionals choose to do the wrong thing?  What has been the cumulative impact on the profession? What can we do to enhance our professional reputation? We will discuss the many ‘fixes’ imposed to address previous accounting scandals, including COSO; were they effective? We must understand that accounting fraud is prevalent and what should we look out for? Be aware. We do not want history to repeat itself.

Objectives: To grasp the breadth of accounting scandals, the root causes and what steps we can take to address them.

Presenters:  Tracy Cooper, CPA, CFE and Don Minges, MBA