Latest Articles
A R1.2bn pot of toxic soup at EOH
Eight people. That’s all. Eight people out of EOH’s staff of 11,500 put the entire company in jeopardy through a systematic process of …
Forensic probe uncovers R1.2bn in suspicious transactions at EOH
According to an update today, law firm ENSafrica found evidence of and is investigating R1.2bn in suspicious transactions at ICT group EOH….
The neuroscience of trust
Creating a culture of trust is good for business. Employees in high-trust organisations are more productive and engaged, have more energy a…
4 Ways Lying Becomes the Norm at a Company
Many recent corporate scandals such as Volkswagen or Wells Fargo have been cases of wide-scale dishonesty. But how could lying and deceit h…
Medical aid schemes caught in a vice between fraud and claims of racial profiling
Fraud against medical aid schemes is a big problem worldwide. But in South Africa, there is another aspect to the issue. And that is race. …
The 3 elements of trust
People are more likely to trust leaders who understand and embody the 3 elements that underlie trust. These are:
Positive relationships…
Are you ready to fight fraud?
Strengthening the internal control system and the control environment will help reduce the likelihood of fraud happening as well as the imp…
This is a WhatsApp whistleblowing message. I don’t know how else to do it
In 2016, out of desperation while on a pilgrimage in France, former South African Airways (SAA) treasurer Cynthia Stimpel sent a WhatsApp m…
KPMG fallout: cheating allegations raise new questions
After new allegations at KPMG of cheating on internal training tests, audit committees now have questions about their external auditors’ ow…
Managers aren’t doing enough to encourage whistle-blowing
If something was seriously wrong at your company, would your staff tell you? The article prompts managers to ask themselves some hard quest…
Record number of CEOs fired for ethical lapses
A record 18% of CEOs were replaced in 2018, with more top execs forced out for ethical lapses than were fired for poor performance or disag…
10 tips to avoid common financial scams
Data breaches, identity theft, online scams – every year, a destructive flood of fraud sweeps the world, leaving countless victims in its w…
Create a workplace where everyone feels comfortable speaking up
It’s vital for employees to voice their concerns when they see something worrying or unethical. But how do you make everyone understand t…
Why is whistle-blowing important?
Whistle-blowing is the most effective way of exposing wrongdoing. In 2 scientific studies (ACFE and PWC), whistle-blowers uncovered over 40…
Fraud causes financial loss in almost half of firms
Occupational fraud and abuse are causing financial losses in almost half of all firms, a survey from Mazars finds. The average loss per com…
Bullying and sexual harassment rife in the legal field
Bullying and sexual harassment are rampant in the legal profession. This is according to a new study on nearly 7,000 legal professionals in…
Can we ever get rid of corruption worldwide?
Ask citizens why their countries aren’t developing, ask investors why they choose not to invest in some regions, and corruption is almost…
The psychology behind unethical behaviour
Three psychological dynamics lead to crossing ethical lines: omnipotence, cultural numbness and justified neglect. These come into play whe…
If your company is going through a public scandal should you leave?
If you’re working at a Gupta-tainted company like KPMG, and they’re going through a public scandal, here’s the big question: should you sti…
Theranos whistleblower Erika Cheung on what went wrong and what’s next
Many people were involved in the spectacular downfall of once-buzzy Silicon Valley blood testing wunderkind, Theranos. But perhaps one of t…
Sterling’s dark, dirty secret: a culture of sexual harassment and unequal pay for women
While the #MeToo Movement shone a global spotlight on the entertainment industry, it’s painfully clear that the problem is just as wides…
P&G puts ad platforms like Facebook, Google on notice for fraud, harmful content, etc.
Procter & Gamble Co., one of the most important advertisers for Google and Facebook, ramped up criticism of internet platforms, saying …
Are patents worth it? Lessons from the $9bn Theranos fraud
The world is buzzing about Elizabeth Holmes. Her $9bn+ biotech company Theranos promised low-cost tech able to detect health ailments with …
Protect yourself against white-collar crime
Thanks to research from GIBS (the Gordon Institute of Business Science, South Africa), companies can use the insights of convicted white-co…
Check out our new EthicsDefender video!
Our new EthicsDefender video is live. Take a look and let us know what you think!
P.S. Big shout-out to our voice-over and video…
Today is World Voice Day
Today 16th April is World Voice Day. Your voice matters! This is your day to make your voice heard, to not keep quiet about fraud and wrong…
Telling the truth: dangerous but vital
Looking at the recent protests in South Africa around the launch of Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s book Gangster State, one thing is clear: tellin…
Assange arrested after Ecuador withdraws asylum protection
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was expelled from his hideout in Ecuador’s embassy in London today and quickly arrested by London police…
Why open secrets exist in organisations
In 2017, the New York Times broke the now widely-known scandal of media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s apparent decades-long pattern of sexual …