Privacy International has released a study concerning privacy issues when talking about some of the biggest Internet companies, and it seems Google ranked last. You can find more on the report here and even more details here. But the main idea is that Privacy International has performed the study over a six months period following the privacy practices of some of the Internet's biggest players.
(more…)

A Google search for "fair trade jewelry" will bring up numerous companies, many of which sell ethnic jewelry produced in small villages in the developing world. The concept draws the socially responsible shopper, yet the third party labeling organization, Fair Labeling Organization (FLO) - of which Transfair USA is a member - does not currently list jewelry. Apart from that, some large players in the mainstream jewelry industry are beginning to tout concepts such as "fair trade diamonds" and "fair trade gold." So how does one make sense of these jewelry claims, especially as they relate to the $150 Billion mainstream jewelry industry?
(more…)

Discrimination in the workplace takes many forms. It can be related to either race, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation. This was previously driven by moral or ethical grounds and public relations. In the past, many people who don't fall into the common bracket have found it difficult to actually find jobs, then to cope with the opposition they face once their diverse lifestyle is public knowledge.
(more…)

Background check is a very important and essential element of making yourself comfortable with people you might be looking forward to having a relationship with as an employee, business partnership or even personal. A background check can be diverse in its nature, from a simple check to a due diligence investigation, however, most background checks involve the following:
(more…)

You have probably heard of examples of behavior at work that seem unbelievable. Imagine a case where an employee in a landscaping business is found to have been ordering extra plants and other supplies from a vendor to use at their home and their families' homes. You think to yourself, and maybe have conversations with co-workers, "WHAT was she thinking?" It is an interesting question. Based on thought leaders, my own experience, and research results I offer the following to try to explain the seemingly inexplicable.
(more…)

You can help minimize the dangers of working with concrete by adhering to a few simple concrete safety guidelines. Most of the injuries that occur as a result of contact with concrete occur because people do not know how the properties of concrete can affect them, or even when they are at risk.
(more…)

In 2002 the Sarbanes Oxley Act was passed into federal law after the American nation was shocked by scandals that rocked large businesses from Enron, WorldCom, and Adelphia to name a few. These scandals all related to businesses and firms using insider trading to get ahead resulting in the loss of share value to many individual investors and drastically reducing the American's faith in trading and investing in the stock market in general, but most noticeably in the securities market as they were all centered on businesses there. If you remember the Enron scandal in 2002 you will remember the amount of press coverage it received and how many top businessmen ended up in jail.
(more…)

Despite concerns about the viability of ethical consumerism in a recession, many ethical retailers are reporting growth in the fourth quarter of 2008, with further growth projected for 2009. So will the global economic downturn hit ethical retailers, or will consumers spending continue to favour products with a conscience?
(more…)

The probability that he will go to jail for what he did is almost zero. His lack of personal leadership resulted in thousands of people feeling violated, cheated and betrayed. If his patrons trusted him before, his impersonal approach to leadership shredded that trust in a matter of milliseconds. We won't give our support to leaders we don't trust.
(more…)

When it comes to the use of office furniture there are several etiquette rules that should be observed and these rules will differ from office to office. What is acceptable in one place will be your downfall in another. Suss out the rules of your new office early on and you will be welcomed with open arms if you observe them in the decent way.
(more…)