The ABCs of Ethics Published to Assist Corporations with Boosting Profits

Pompano Beach, FL, February 26, 2008 --(PR.com)-- According to a 2001 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners survey, businesses in the United States lose $400 billion annually as a result of unethical and illegal behavior. Michael L. Buckner, an attorney, private investigator, and ethics professional development trainer, sees present-day lessons for understanding business ethics in the ABCs of the English alphabet. Buckner is the author of The ABCs of Ethics: A Resource for Leaders, Managers and Professionals, which was published by iUniverse. In The ABCs of Ethics, Michael L. Buckner answers the age-old question: “Does the end justify the means?” Using stories and anecdotes from his own work as an attorney and private investigator, Buckner concisely defines the issues surrounding this topic while encouraging contemplation regarding common questions of ethics and integrity.

Buckner wrote The ABCs of Ethics to assist organizations with promoting ethical behavior and addressing unethical misconduct. According to a 1999 Business and Society Review article, the average market value added (MVA) of corporations in the United States with a strong public commitment to a management strategy tied to a code of ethics was $10.6 billion, which was almost three times the MVA of businesses whose annual reports did not contain a public ethical commitment.

In The ABCs of Ethics, Buckner discusses examples of corporate piracy, privacy issues, and commonplace dilemmas to create a newer, more modern definition of ethics for use in today’s society. Chapters in The ABCs of Ethics use a framework of the English alphabet to stimulate and facilitate discussion around the meaning of ethics. Questions at the end of each section provide a template for additional analysis and study.

The ABCs of Ethics provides an understanding of both the legal and philosophical foundations of ethics, while keeping the discussion relevant to today’s business, political, and legal environment. By considering the role that “gray areas” play in ethics violations, and how an active pursuit of character development leads to more ethical behavior, this invaluable guide will help leaders and managers assess and successfully navigate potentially unethical situations in their business and personal lives.

Buckner also developed a professional development workshop to be used in conjunction with the reading of The ABCs of Ethics. The ABCs of Ethics workshop is an entertaining, informative, and hands-on half- or full-day session conducted in-house by Buckner.

“The goal of The ABCs of Ethics is to provide an easy-to-read, fun, and informative book on ethics,” observes Buckner. “The ABCs of Ethics teaches readers that an ethical person is not a perfect person (no one is perfect), but someone who acknowledges their imperfections, yet refuses to surrender in the ongoing battle to improve themselves, as well as their surroundings.”

For more information on The ABCs of Ethics, please visit the book’s Web site, www.abcsethics.com.

Buckner is shareholder of the Michael L. Buckner Law Firm, which assists organizations with addressing allegations of non-compliance with regulations, ethical misconduct, and academic fraud, as well as providing solutions to professional development needs. Buckner, a licensed attorney and private investigator, advises organizations on compliance, investigation, ethics, training, and management enhancement issues. Buckner also is an author of a book on NCAA internal investigations and currently is working on a leadership book.

Trade paperback, 6 x 9 inches, 106 pages, $12.95. Publication date: September 2007. ISBN: 0-595-42987-4. On demand printing. Copies are available at Amazon.com, the Barnes & Noble online bookstore (www.bn.com), BooksaMillion.com, or directly from the publisher, iUniverse (phone toll-free 1-800-AUTHORS or visit their Web site at www.iuniverse.com).

Notes: Facts in this release were found in the following sources: John D. Copeland, “Business Ethics: Three Critical Truths,” The Soderquist Center for Leadership & Ethics (n.d.), 9-10, 13, http://www.soderquist.org/resources/pdf/Copeland_ThreeTruths-publication.pdf (accessed September 24, 2007) (a company’s market value added (MVA) “measures the excess value a company provides its shareholders over the total amount of their investments”) and Curtis C. Verschoor, “Corporate Performance is Closely Linked to a Strong Ethical Commitment,” Business and Society Review (Winter 1999), 407-08, 410-11.

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