Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do

Each Monday at 8:40 AM ET Lucy Ann and Dr. Mielke discuss business ethos as it pertains to current events. Dr. Mielke says, “Making ethics the backbone of teaching makes sense not only because it’s the right thing to do but also because ethics is good for business.”

Ethics education has long been an important component of Eastern Michigan University’s College of Business curriculum. Ethos however, pertains to a culture and environment that not only fosters ethics but is also is based on a strong set of professional and personal values. The students, faculty and staff of the College of Business want to encourage and foster a professional business environment to serve as the foundation for business education.

A gift by the Merlanti family in 2001 provided the impetus to raise awareness of ethics in all we do. The gift was first used to establish the Merlanti Ethics seminar for students . In March 2006, the faculty of the College of Business decided that they wanted to develop a strong statement of the ethics and values that represents the foundation of the college. The resulting Ethos Statement is the first adopted by any business school in the country. It lists six values as the core for the college and is attached to every syllabus for every course offered by the College of Business.

College of Business Eastern Michigan University 300 W. Michigan Avenue 473 Gary M. Owen Building Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734.487.4140

Previous Business Ethos Interviews:

 

January 21, 2013:  Business Ethos:  Did You Get the Best Deal Online? – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – A Wall Street Journal study shows that online prices vary for the same product.  Dr. Mielke shows us how this differential pricing system works and why it’s the right thing to do, despite the fact that there is no way to tell if you are getting the best price.
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January 14, 2013:  Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do:  Is ‘Free’ Money A Good Thing? – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Ann Arbor City Council last week voted to accept federal grant money for a wind turbine project that involves a partnership between a New York company and the Ann Arbor Public Schools.  Dr. Mielke says there are too many questions revolving around the deal with an industry that still needs government support after two decades.  Read Dr. Mielke’s blog here, and listen to his interview at the link below.
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December 31, 2012:  Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do:  Closing Loopholes to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff:  Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – With the fiscal cliff still a cliffhanger in Washington, D.C., Dr. Mielke puts the controversy into terms we can all understand.
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December 17, 2012:  Business Ethos –  Cashing Out: Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – As we get ever closer to the impending fiscal cliff, it appears individual tax rates are poised to increase.  But there are other tax increases due on dividends, capital gains, and a new surcharge for Obamacare, which means many are starting to cash out to prevent further payouts.  Click here to read Dr. Mielke’s blog.
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December 10, 2012:  Business Ethos – Free Markets versus Subsidies: Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Government subsidized energy companies have been fraught with failure.  Dr. Mielke argues the Right Thing to do is let the free market play out, as is evident by the success of the natural gas industry. Click & Listen:

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December 3, 2012:  Business Ethos – Lots of Debt, No Degree: Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – For the last year the student loan market has been run by the U.S. government.  President Obama is encouraging “easy to get loans”, but half of these students will never achieve a degree.  Are we just saddling students with massive debt that will be impossible to pay back?  Read more about this on Dr. Mielke’s blog here, and listen to our conversation at the link below.
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November 12, 2012:  Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do:  The Myth of Income Inequality – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU: The argument of increasing taxes on the so-called wealthy (a couple earning more than $250,000 a year) has been based on the premise that there is a growing divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”  Dr. Mielke argues that we should be looking at consumption, rather than income, to determine what’s fair.  Read Dr. Mielke’s blog here.
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November 5, 2012:  Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do:  Hire 100,000 More Math & Science Teachers?  -   Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU:  If President Obama is elected for a second term, one of his ideas is to hire tens of thousands of math and science teachers.  Dr. Mielke says it wouldn’t make a big impact and more teachers don’t necessarily mean better results.
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October 29, 2012: Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do:  Michigan’s Six Ballot Initiatives  - Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU:  Next week Michigan residents will decide on six statewide ballot proposals.  Dr. Mielke explains what’s at stake and gives his take on how to vote on each one. Click & Listen:

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October 22, 2012:  Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Unemployment Rate:  Precise & Bias Free???  -  Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU: Looking at the government calculated unemployment rate, you would think the economy is recovering and President Obama’s economic policies are working.  The administration says the method to determine the rate is “precise and bias free”, but Dr. Mielke shows us why we should be questioning those numbers.
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October 15, 2012:  Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Shipping Water to China During a Drought – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU:  A new export market to China has cropped up and it illustrates what’s wrong with the water policy in the U.S.  Click here to read Dr. Mielke’s blog, and click the link below to listen to our interview.
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October 1, 2012:  Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: The Fed is Playing the Stock Market – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU - A $50 billion bailout of GM gave the U.S. government stock in the company. GM is now healthy and wants to buy back its stock from the government, but Treasury officials won’t sell. Why is the government holding onto General Motors?
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September 24, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: The Fed to the Rescue? Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – It’s called QE-3, or “Quantitative Easing”, and this is the third time the Fed has intervened in the bond markets to try to get the economy on track by buying $40 billion a month of mortgage backed securities. But Dr. Mielke says the rationale is flawed and he explains why it won’t help ease the unemployment lines.
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September 17, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: When Is Enough, Enough? Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – The Chicago teachers’ strike is a good illustration of what’s wrong with unions today. With the average Chicago teacher making $71,000 a year, the union is fighting for a 29% increase over two years. Dr. Mielke shows us how the numbers say it all.
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September 10, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Too Taxing To Be Competitive – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Why are so many U.S. companies moving their headquarters abroad? Dr. Mielke argues that the U.S. corporate tax structure is driving them away.
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August 20, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Corn: Food or Fuel? Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Corn production is at the lowest level since 2006, thanks to the heat and drought across the nation. World leaders are even asking the U.S. to do something to avert another wave of food shocks. But is anyone in our government listening? Dr. Mielke says the EPA and President Obama are doing nothing.
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August 13, 2012:
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August 6, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Need for Health Care Exchange – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Michigan’s Republican-controlled legislature is balking at setting-up a Health Care Exchange, which is a major part of Obama Care. Dr. Mielke argues despite the cost and confusion over the plan, creating the exchange is the “Right Thing to Do.” Read his blog here, and listen to our interview below.
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July 30, 2012: Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing: Another Student Subsidy? Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – The Obama administration is proposing to change the private loan market for students, giving them greater ability to declare bankruptcy and take away the ability of financial institutions to provide such loans. Dr. Mielke says this is not the “Right Thing to Do.” Click the link below to listen to our interview, and click here to read his blog.
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July 23, 2012: Business Ethos – The Right Thing To Do: Taxing Online Sales: Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – If you live in a state like Michigan, which doesn’t require online sales to be automatically taxed, you still have to declare those sales when you do your taxes at the end of the year. Dr. Mielke says it’s time to level the playing field and tax all online sales.
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July 16, 2012:  Business Ethos – Do The Right Thing:  Health Reform Law Quiz – Dr. David Mielke, Retired Dean of the College of Business at EMU – Take the quiz with us and see how much you actually know about what the Affordable Health Care Act and how it will change your life.
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