About Mark Faris

My purpose is to communicate and teach the values of ethical business practices through accountability, honesty and integrity to business people in ways that improve their lives and the lives of others.
Author Archive | Mark Faris
Value of Ethical Training MVPEthics

The Value of Ethical Training in Companies

A friend of mine recently said to me that companies hesitate to spend money on ethical training because they feel it is difficult to demonstrate the value and benefits.  Furthermore, he suggested what the business community needs is another Enron to occur that would force company’s hands into preventing a crisis from happening.  For over twenty years, […]

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Business Ethics- Morals, Principles, & Values

As we approach the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, there will be plenty of reflection on what happened and why.  To the families who lost loved ones, they will rightfully remember, some will grieve, and others will find a way to smile. John DeVito remembers things a bit differently with his thoughts about life and ethics […]

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Business Ethics and Leadership

A friend of mine has been a successful national sales manager in a major division for a multi-billion dollar international company.  Business Ethics and leadership matters big time for him. Why the void of quality leadership in management today?  As I know his demeanor and temperament, he clearly falls in the bucket classified as a quality […]

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Business Ethics And Bribes-Alive And Well

I participated in a recent global discussion on business ethics to answer a hypothetical question:  Would you or your company pay a bribe to do work in another country if this were the industry norm?  How would this affect your company’s ethic code? This was my take and specific response…. it is my view that […]

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Personal & Business Ethics

A suburban Rotary Club in Minneapolis invited me to speak on personal and Business Ethics.  Check out these stats. 1) According to the Education Testing Service in a survey of 12,000 high school students, 74% admitted to cheating to get ahead.  2) 55% of these students didn’t see a problem with cheating as others were doing […]

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The Ethics of Politicians by Mark Faris

The Business Ethics of Politicians

When will our politicians finally act ethically and demonstrate good Business Ethics? How much contempt for the truth can they continue to exhibit and flaunt the voters of this country? Their poor behavior and lack of Business Ethics needs to stop immediately.  What a horrible signal to send to us, our children included, and the […]

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Simple Thoughts in Business Ethics

Yesterday was the greatest…….  presented to 160 high school students at St. John’s University located about sixty miles northwest of Minneapolis.  It was all about simple thoughts in Business Ethics. Minnesota Business Venture is a week-long residential summer enrichment program that brings high school students and business professionals together from across the state to spend […]

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Business Ethics/News Corporation Scandal

Man alive, can our Business Ethics get any worse? When is the last time you can remember either a government leader or a business leader taking full responsibility for a problem, apologizing for the problem, fully dissecting and discussing the problem, and then laying out a plan to fix it? It is literally the equivalent […]

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Lessons Learned From Ethical Lapses- Business Ethics

I would like to share with you some of my lessons learned from ethical lapses in a recent speech given to over three hundred financial professionals in Minneapolis. Personal ethics and business ethics are tied together. Co-presenting with me was Hank Shea, a former Federal Prosecutor for twenty years in Minneapolis who now teaches at […]

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Principles, Morals & Values- Business Ethics

Pick up your newspaper and turn to the business or the local news sections.  Seems like you’ll find business ethics and formal indictment charges against someone.  Are you kidding me?  Just yesterday I found three examples of this:   First example– local business man avoids paying sales tax for two consecutive years running.   Second example–  two […]

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