Ethical Brand

Ethical Brand Identity®

Majority of Public and Executives Agree: Corporate America Needs New Moral Direction

Most Americans give their corporations poor or failing grades for honesty and ethics and rate the country's business leadership as poor according to a Marist Poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus. Among the American public, 76% believe that corporate America's moral compass is pointed in the wrong direction and 58% of executives agree.

read more | digg story

McDonald's again! Leaked Plan to Hike Working Class Prices

Another distasteful corporate strategy at McDonalds in Australia may soon be on the international menu too. The cost of menu items used to be based on restaurant overheads but this heartless multinational giant is now using socio-economic factors to determine price under a new "demand-based pricing" scheme that hits poorer neighbourhoods hardest.

read more | digg story

Australian man in wheelchair not allowed to board Jetstar flight

Glen McDonnell travelled with Jetstar from Darwin to Thailand, but when boarding at Bangkok for his flight home, "I checked in my luggage and went through customs and all that," he said. "Then the station manager asked me if I could walk... I said no and he said I wasn't allowed on board. He was quite arrogant..."

read more | digg story

Elected official among those arrested for looting investment funds for personal luxuries

Paul Greenwood, 61, of North Salem, N.Y. is an elected official. He and Stephen Walsh, 64, of Sands Point, N.Y. were owners of a company that managed hundreds of millions for universities and charities. Both have been arrested Wednesday accused of looting their investment funds over a decade to buy horses, collectibles and other personal items.

read more | digg story

Everyday Products Are Filled With Toxins & We Doing Nothing

There's a vast array of harmful chemicals and additives in toys, cosmetics, plastic water bottles and countless other products. And just in case that isn't bad enough we're doing nothing about it. The presence of lead and phthalates in cosmetics and personal care products are of particular concern as they link to many bad outcomes in all ages.

read more | digg story

Parents: Big Food is chasing Big Dollars for School Food Program

How much influence do American parents have over what their kids are fed at school? If a recent conference held at the National Academy of Sciences is anything to go by then the answer may be 'not much'. The event appeared to be another mundane scientific discussion on childhood nutrition, otherwise known as the National School Lunch Program, which serves lunch to over 30 million students all over America and it’s worth a whopping $10billion in contracts.  The program is also reviewed and re-authorised by the US Congress every five years and this meeting represents the progression of that process.

Parents take note: This is where the Institute of Medicine, HMOs and USDA rubbed shoulders with multiple members of the Grocery Manufacturers of America or GMA, which has lobbied in opposition to efforts to remove junk food from schools. Also presents were lobbyists for the soy, dairy and egg industries as well as representatives of bakers, food processors and many of these interest groups had members of their law firms in tow. Other attendees included representatives from Sara Lee, Pepsi, Campbell's Soup and McDonald's PR firm Porter Novelli, Berners Communications, while law firm Powell Tate - which once counted RJ Reynolds as a client - was there with the National Pork Board.

BBC News: Food crisis is engulfing developing world farmers

Farmers in developing countries are struggling despite rising prices of commodities they produce. Some 450 million small farms around the world are home to a third of all humanity. Some have even sold their land because they can no longer afford to farm it or buy fertilisers to keep up production. Global agricultural imbalances need urgent action.

read more | digg story

60% employees leave with company data - 88% of IT admins

An even more sobering statistic for business owners and executives is the fact that one study indicates that 88% of information technology (IT) system administrators would steal sensitive company data if fired. 20% of former employees say they still had access to their former employer's computer systems more than a week after vacating their jobs.

read more | digg story

Being a Hero Is Out of Scope of Employment at McDonald's

Nigel Haskett was working at a McDonald's in Arkansas when he went to the rescue of a customer being beaten up inside the restaurant. He was shot 'multiple times' for his trouble and collected $300,000 worth of medical bills. Company insurer, Ramsey, Krug, Farrell and Lensing are attempting to deny his claim for workers compensation.

read more | digg story