Is "business ethics" an oxymoron? A laughing matter?

[Previously posted on Google's BlogSpot by Keith Murray, August 25, 2009]

On August 12, The Daily Show with John Stewart ran a clip with John Oliver, where he enlists the help of a former convict to compell business students from outstanding MBA programs to sign an ethics oath. In this vignette, John goes from highlighting the seriousness of and the need for recognition of a code of ethics in business by more people, to an interview with a professor who says that this is not a new idea and that it's been taught and talked about for a long time, to some actual business students who draw back from committing--and, in the end, actually convincing an ex-con that their way is more attractive than he first thought.

As the truism goes, it's the element of truth in all good jokes that makes humor funny, and this is no exception. It's a cute clip on a serious topic that gets exploited for laughs--all of which highlights a matter that more ought to give thought to on how life in commerce ought to be played out!

Check out the streaming video of this for yourself: You'll laugh, you'll wince, maybe you'll see the matter differently in the end. This topic is one that's on a lot of people's minds these days!