Here’s a conversation I’ve had many times over the years with colleagues in business ethics and related fields. I’m at, say, a conference and someone will profess disgust at something a large corporation has done: Colleague: Look at this bad thing that Microsoft/ Walmart/Facebook/Amazon did. Corporations have way too much power in this country. Me: […]
Get rid of real monopolies? Ummmm …. Read More »
Ontario’s financial debts, as of 2018: “Ontario’s debt has ballooned to $312 billion, the biggest debt held by a subnational government anywhere in the world. Ontario owes twice as much as California, which has a population bigger than all of Canada.”[1] Enron’s debts as determined by its bankruptcy proceedings: “The company paid its creditors more
The Moral of Two Scandals — Enron and Ontario Read More »
Beware the compromisers — a lesson from this generation’s history. In 1998, President Bill Clinton announced: “We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say Government is the problem and those who say Government is the solution. My fellow Americans, we have found a Third Way.” Third Way politics became popular in the
Third-Way Politics and Its Bitter Fruits [Good Life series] Read More »
Interview conducted at Rockford University by Stephen Hicks and sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship. Hicks: I am Stephen Hicks, executive director of CEE, and with us today is Dr. William Kline, who is Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies at the University of Illinois in Springfield. Professor Kline is a Philosophy professor, primarily
Video Interview with Professor William Kline — Transcript Read More »
Coisas ruins acontecem no livre mercado. Algumas pessoas mentem, utilizam atalhos, cometem fraudes e passam cheques sem fundo. Outros não cumprem contratos, oferecem ou aceitam suborno, pagam propina, roubam e assim por diante. Frequentemente isso se traduz em argumentos em prol da regulamentação governamental. O livre mercado maximiza a liberdade, diz o argumento, dando mais oportunidades
Corrupção — a regulamentação governamental ajuda? Read More »
New transcription: Dr. William Kline spoke at Rockford University on business ethics. My follow-up interview with him on the main points of his talk are below in video and transcribed-text form: Interview with William Kline, Ph.D., on Business Ethics Interview conducted at Rockford College by Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship Hicks:
Transcript: William Kline on market-based business ethics Read More »
In 1998, President Bill Clinton announced: “We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say Government is the problem and those who say Government is the solution. My fellow Americans, we have found a Third Way.”[1] Third Way politics became popular in the 1990s after the final collapse of the Soviet Union. Socialists
“Third Way” politics and its fruits Read More »
My full interview with Dr. Robert Bradley is now posted at the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship site. Most journalistic accounts of the Enron mess focus on the accounting manipulations toward the end and miss the politicized business strategy and public-relations corporate culture that got Enron into trouble in the first place. Robert Bradley worked
Enron and political entrepreneurship Read More »