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I think the sanity checking works better the other way round: how much of this is just corporate norms that apply to most companies above a certain size, includ
by notahacker 3y ago
I think the sanity checking works better the other way round: how much of this is just corporate norms that apply to most companies above a certain size, including ones with no particularly significant ethical challenges? One of the bullet points starts off by pointing out that 47% of companies have one type of conflict of interest!
CEO being higher profile and a generation older than [some of] the people sounds like a pretty normal company tbh, and probably only a major issue if the ethical issues are caused by the CEO
(it technically doesn't apply to SBF, although his reports were even less experienced and in awe of him)
CSR and diversity initiatives and other corporate do-good messaging? Most companies do that to some extent, and it's not like the ones who don't even attempt to launder their reputations tend to be squeaky clean rather than too cynical to even try to look like they care.
And sure, KPIs and stretchy sales targets can definitely cause bad behaviour and lying, but they're also extremely common, and can be beneficial when companies actually get them right.
- finite_depth 3y ago[dead]
- whatshisface 3y agoI am not sure if that is an objection because "50% of companies are involved in one or more ethical violations," sounds plausible.
- suoduandao3 3y agoI don't think "Purchase or sell insider services" necessarily means a conflict of interest, insiders could be winning the bidding process honestly as well.
- paulryanrogers 3y agoInsiders are usually disqualified from bidding because of an inherent conflict of interest.
- notahacker 3y agoIt does render the notion of "ethical collapse" and supposed comparisons to Enron a bit meaningless if we're also counting the sorts of ethical violation most companies are guilty of though. It's a bit like if a study of "criminality" makes a point of honing in on everyone who's broken a speed limit before...
- akoboldfrying 3y agoExactly. The usefulness of criteria for predicting anything depends on both false positive and false negative rates, and this article doesn't seem to care about false positives (what fraction of companies do trendy, visible ESG stuff but are also honest behind the scenes?) at all. Might as well add an 8th point, "Companies that sell a good or service", and really bring that false negative rate all the way down to zero.
- tessierashpool 3y agoyou’re right, it’s like inverse survivorship bias
- causi 3y agohow much of this is just corporate norms Evil is the corporate norm, or at least psychopathy. It's even enshrined in law ever since Dodge v. Ford Motor Co.
- fireflash38 3y agoTreat it like the DSM: a single symptom is not enough to diagnose, you need X/7.