Theres A Sleazy Side To Business. I know it. You know it.

More importantly, Generation X employees that do now or will in the near future comprise most of your workforce know it too. There has been continued erosion of American business ethics on a grand scale. Thats not to imply all the apples in the capitalistic bushel have gone bad. But each year, the percentage of bad apples continues to grow.

Theres a sleazy side to business. Getting ahead is not always the result of fair play and hard work. I know it. You know it. More importantly, Generation X employees that do now or will in the near future comprise most of your workforce know it too. There has been continued erosion of American business ethics on a grand scale. Thats not to imply all the apples in the capitalistic bushel have gone bad. But each year, the percentage of bad apples continues to grow. Over the last few years, preparing to write Whats Wrong With Your Small Business Team?, I collected a sprinkling of media clips that attest to this worrisome trend. Here are a few:
Citigroup Inc. and JP Morgan Chase & Co., the largest and second largest US banks respectively, reached an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to pay a combined $255 million in fi nes in connection with their involvement in the fraud perpetrated by Enron. The US Justice Department charged JGC Corp. Houston with one count of conspiracy and one count of aiding and abetting violations of the Foreign Corruption Practice Act. JGC agreed to pay $218.8 million and criminal penalties to avoid prosecution. Garrett Bauer of New York and Matthew Kluger of Oakton, VA have been charged with multiple counts of insider trading and obstruction in addition to single counts of conspiracy and

money laundering. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, once considered among the nations most powerful and feared lawmakers, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for a scheme to infl uence elections that already cost him his job, leadership post and millions of dollars in legal fees.