HR Professional - February/March 2009 - (Page 67) OFF THE SHELF WHAT’S WORTH READING Above the Board: How Ethical CEOs Create Honest Organizations By Patrizia Porrini, Lorene Hiris and Gina Poncini McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2008 B Y J AY S O M E R S E T hushed voices. Above all, the book stresses how setting the ethical tone is a one-person job fit for the CEO, and how the rest of the company, especially HR, can help shape the CEO’s vision and trumpet it throughout the business, to customers and other stakeholders. Enron Enron, HewlettPackard, Tyco, Mart tha Stewart and Conrad Blac ck—all these nam conjure up mes as single truth: companies, in ncluding top br rass, are c corruptible. A And with corruption comes downfa downfall. Long-term success and growth relies on an integrity-rich company culture i l led, of course, by the CEO. Ethical CEOs create honest c corporations by making h honesty a core company value, a argue the three co-authors, a all of whom teach some form o of business or management at U U.S. universities. Yes, honesty should be a given for any o organization, but candour isn’t a always promoted from the top down—as a corporate strategy l linked to finance as well as HR. I In other words, ethics isn’t an a add-on, or a nicety, but rather a key element to financial success. With examples ranging f from Whirlpool to Xerox to W Walgreens, this book helps show not only why ethics are i important to a company’s survival, but also how real c companies have made widescale transparency a reality, not j just something to talk about in w w w.H RThoughtLeader. c om LABOUR RELATIONS EMPLOYMENT LAW WRONGFUL DISMISSAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS UNION ORGANIZING/ CERTIFICATION PENSION AND BENEFITS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS INJUNCTIONS WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT LAW PRIVACY LAW EMPLOYMENT CLASS ACTIONS INVESTIGATIONS OF INCIDENTS OVER 40 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYERS MANAGEMENT LAWYERS MANAGEMENT LAWYERS TORONTO: 416.862.1616 • BARRIE: 705.727.0808 WWW.SBHLAWYERS.COM 356253_StringerBrisbin.indd 1 F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 11/22/07 0 9 67 6:58:06 PM http://WWW.SBHLAWYERS.COM http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com
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