The Right Thing: An Everyday Guide to Ethics in Business

Ethics in business have always been important. This is especially true now when there is an urgent cry for ethical working following the collapse of the banking system, a decline in trust in politicians and business leaders and an increasing desire from consumers to buy from ethical organisations.

Ethics and trust are both fundamental to excellent leadership and great organisations but they are often overlooked. They are invariably only treated as a priority when something goes wrong. Unethical practices in the workplace can cause irreparable damage to individuals and to the organisation. Reputation, morale, productivity, loyalty, quality of work, the ability to attract the right employees and customers and ultimately profitability are all at risk in an organisation that does not operate to high ethical standards. Despite these clear risks there is still not enough urgency placed on the subject. Compared to, say, the attention that executives give to the performance metrics of their organisation, ethics is definitely a poor relation.

The research for this book revealed that the majority of people want to work for and do business with ethical organisations. However, most organisations don’t teach their people how to recognise and tackle ethical issues. They are usually left to their own devices thus putting themselves and their organisations at risk.

The Right Thing is a practical and accessible guide to handling ethical issues in the workplace. It is for anyone who works in organisations and wants:

  • To understand ethical issues better and how they can deal with them
  • A simple and effective set of tools and techniques to use
  • To avoid doing the wrong thing and thus risking their own personal reputation
  • To avoid problems and therefore negative publicity

It is an insightful and accessible book that can be read from cover to cover or kept on your desk and referred to when you encounter a tricky issue.

Reviews of The Right Thing

“Today, business leaders must think about more than just the bottom line when building their companies for the long term. “The Right Thing” tackles the challenges of managing a modern company and ensuring you treat employees and customers as priorities.”
Richard Branson

“Useful, common-sense advice to help navigate the complicated world of ethical choice. The Right Thing makes you feel that a sensible and trusted friend is on hand to help settle confusing problems. This book should be distributed widely among the managerial classes.”
Stefan Stern — Management Writer, Financial Times

“This is a timely book. It’s a user’s guide, rooted in practical examples. It is a handbook for good management —in every sense— and worth its place on every manager’s, or would-be manager’s shelf.”
Michael Buerk — BBC journalist and presenter of Moral Maze

“This book is well written and strikes the right balance between the analytical/intellectual and the practical. I strongly recommend it to anyone who thinks ethics matters in business. And for those who don’t yet think so, beware; the empirical evidence is growing that people prefer to work for and do business with ethical companies.”
Paul Moore — HBOS Whistleblower and Senior Partner at Moore, Carter & Associates

“This book is described as “an everyday guide to ethics in business”, but it is anything but ‘everyday’ – it is quite exceptional.  I commend it most highly to anyone in business, in any role… take my advice, get hold of a copy, today.”
Jeremy Thorn —  Click here to read the full review at HRZone.co.uk

“A hearts and minds, root and branch perspective on ethical business.”
Katie Alcott — Founder, Frank Water

“Providing a useful roadmap for developing a more ethical culture and corporate code of conduct The Right Thing is a “must” read for any aspiring or seasoned executive from the Business School to the Board Room.”
David Cox — former SVP and CFO of Economist Group, Americas

“Sally Bibb gives you practical, real-world advice on how to identify an ethical dilemma and, more importantly, figure out what the right course of action is for you.”
Andy Maslen — author and business owner

“This book explores the practical realities of ethical behaviour its driving forces and implications — in these times understanding ethics has never been more important.”
John Harris — former CEO of Calor

The Right Thing shines a much-needed light on the world of ethics; it clarifies some ethical issues you might have tussled with and provides practical advice. It is a valuable resource both for businesses and educational institutions alike.”
Kate Saunders — Film-maker