...Organizational Behavior in the Case of the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal Kelley Griffin OL-500 Human Behavior in Organization Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Wright March 23, 2013 Organizational Behavior in the Case of the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal In 2012, “former Penn State defensive coordinator Gerald “Jerry" Sandusky was found guilty of sexual abuse. . . . He was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that has rocked the university's community” (Chappell, 2012, para. 1). When the story of Jerry Sandusky broke to the press, the University board believed the investigation currently underway at their university was solely concerning Jerry Sandusky, but unbeknownst to them, the organizational breakdown of Penn State was involved in the investigation as well. The investigation analyzed documents and conversations from Penn State’s leaders that spanned from 1998 to 2011. What came to light was that Sandusky, a renowned alumni of 32 years, ex-Penn State football coach, and an active member in youth charity programs, had been sexually harassing minors on and off university property. In addition, at various points during this time frame, leaders in various positions within Penn State’s organization knew of these accounts and did nothing about it. This report aims to focus on how the organizational culture as well as the breakdown in leadership responsibilities, aided in the allowance of such acts to continue...
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...UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY Crisis Communications A Class Paper Submitted for SAM 551 Public Relations in Sports Professor: Dr. Tim Newman Timothy J Hawkins Daphne, Alabama March 19, 2013 PR professionals don't anticipate crises, rather they, take the opportunity just as athletes, to "train and prepare" for a crisis and the ensuing need for a communication strategy. Well at least some do. The scandal at Penn State University shows not all are prepared for a crisis when it arises. When something of this magnitude hits a college campus the fate of the school lies in the hands of the public relations professional at the school. All sport teams and colleges should have a crisis communication plan and plan of action in place. Hopefully one they never have to use but the exercise of getting your event team together or your staff and going through a "what if" scenario for several key or major milestones in the event, is essential. The time to prepare for a crisis might seem like time that is not well spent. With lots of little details to manage, taking time out to put into place a plan, just in case, seems almost trivial to some event planners and marketers. The Penn State University officials handled the situation poorly. The mistakes that they made were many. The public relation reps should not have delayed a response to allegations. What the reps and the athletic department should have done was to face the public promptly clarifying misconceptions...
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............................................................Page 4 Important Ingredients in the Code of Ethics………………………………….Page 4 Administration of the Code of Ethics………………………………………….Page 6 Cases of Nonprofit Ethics Issues………………………………………………..Page 6 Minimizing Unethical Behavior…………………………………………………Page 7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...Page 9 References…………………………………………………………………………Page 11 & 12 2|Page Irony & Ethical Execution: Introduction In wake of the Pennsylvania State University recent scandal, the United Way indiscretions, NAACP payout for sexual harassment, Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara, California embezzlements and even the debacle of The American Red Cross’ lack of attention on the donor’s intentions during 9/11 along with a near endless list of other the of quality ethics in nonprofit organizations is illuminated as a topic needing acute attention. The supposed intent of a nonprofit organization is to do something in good faith for the sake of mankind. It seems, though, that increasingly the ethical standards have lessened over time. More and more, there are reports of nonprofit personal albeit staff or members of the administration are committing dubious acts of indiscretion. Interesting enough, the common thread appears to be monetary gain. “From banking scandals to Wall Street, elementary schools to universities, the scramble to succeed in dollar terms, to bring in ever more money has led individuals and organizations ignoring visible, powerful, and...
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...billion deal for the television rights to the NCAA’s men’s basketball national championship tournament (a.k.a “March Madness”). And what does the labor force that makes it possible for coaches to earn millions, and causes marketers to spend billions, get? Nothing. The workers are supposed to be content with a scholarship that does not even cover the full cost of attending college. Any student athlete who accepts an unapproved, free hamburger from a coach, or even a fan, is in violation of NCAA rules. Nevertheless, the NCAA prohibits any form of payments, beyond scholarships, to any athlete who is responsible for producing the revenue. The NCAA also restricts the ability for any college athlete to earn income from an outside source. In a study sponsored by the NCAA, they discovered that college players have less money than non-athletic students, and almost fifty-eight percent are not even provided the education they are promised (Branch). Players are not stupid. They look around and see jerseys with their names on them being sold in the bookstores. They see 100,000 people in the stands on a Saturday afternoon. During the season, they can end up putting in fifty hour weeks at their sports, and they learn early on not to take any course that might require real effort or interfere...
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...Comparative Literature 153: “International Cultures: Film and Literature” Dr. Thomas Jay Lynn * Penn State Berks * Fall 2015 * MWF 12:00-12:50 Franco 101 * Office Meeting Period MWF 1:15-2:15 (For an office meeting during this or a different time, please e-mail, phone, or speak to me in advance, if possible.) Office: 117 Franco * Office Phone: (610) 396-6298 * E-mail: TJL7@PSU.EDU Please note: This syllabus and various other course documents (including essay guidelines) will be posted online at our ANGEL course site. “I am proud of my humanity when I can acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as my own. Let me feel with unalloyed gladness that all the great glories of man are mine.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore Course Overview Official Penn State description of CMLIT 153: “Comparison of narrative techniques employed by literature and film in portraying different cultures, topics may vary each semester.” This Fall 2015 offering of CMLIT 153, “International Cultures: Film and Literature,” focuses on cultural tensions in varied parts of the world. Among the tensions that these films and novels explore are ones that arise in relation to poverty and wealth (class tensions); changing female and male gender roles; concepts of love and marriage; family dynamics; traditional and modern identities; work and education; and shifting political realities. In your approach to the works considered in this course, moreover, please consider how such tensions...
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...Chapter 1 Ethical Reasoning: Implications for Accounting Ethics Reflection PENN STATE CHILD ABUSE SCANDAL: A CULTURE OF INDIFFERENCE What motivates an otherwise ethical person to do the wrong thing when faced with an ethical dilemma? Why did Joe Paterno and administrators at Penn State University look the other way and fail to act on irrefutable evidence that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had raped and molested young boys, an offense for which Sandusky currently is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence? According to the independent report by Louis Freeh that investigated the sexual abuse, four of the most powerful people at Penn State, including president Graham Spanier, athletic director Timothy Curley, senior vice president Gary Schultz, and head football coach Joe Paterno, sheltered a child predator harming children for over a decade by concealing Sandusky’s activities from the board of trustees, the university community, and authorities. The Freeh report characterizes the inactions as lacking empathy for the victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and wellbeing. Not only that, but they exposed the first abused child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity, of what assistant coach Mike McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001.1 McQueary testified at the June 2012 trial of Sandusky that when he was a graduate assistant, he walked into the locker room and heard sounds of slapping...
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...Case Study: Bernie Madoff Eric Ranzinger Organizational Behavior – OL 500 Jascia Redwine Abstract Bernie Madoff was one of the top dogs on Wall Street for over 20 years. He managed tens of billions of dollars in client’s funds. His firm was one of the most consistent with profitable returns. When most others were reporting losses during the recession, his firm was consistently reporting net gains. Many celebrities even entrusted their money with Madoff because he was such a reputable name on Wall Street, being the former head of NASDQ. In December of 2008, Madoff turned himself into the authorities because his operation was just a giant Ponzi Scheme. His investors were scared of losing more money in the recession so they tried to cash out. Since he had been defrauding investors for years he was not able to keep up with demand. He ended up losing a total of 17 billion dollars by providing his clients with false reports. There were many red flags dating back to the late 80’s that should have tipped the authorities. Many Wall Street executives knew that Madoffs firm was fraud and did not try to bring him to justice. This is unacceptable. His scheme should have been shut down years ago before it got this bad. There are several solutions available to assure that this type of fraud does not happen again. In my case analysis, we will dig into each option in depth. It will be clear that the best option that needs to happen is to make the SEC adhere to their responsibility...
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...neglect of a child (Britannica). In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and he Department for Children and Families (DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that result in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (Leeb , Paulozzi, Melanson, Simon, Arias, 2008). The abuse of children has come to be a major social problem and a main cause of many people suffering and personal problems. Child abuse is a social problem that affects millions of children each year. Not only does child abuse have multiple society effects, but it also effect has individual effects that can create lifelong scars. There are many forms of child abuse, sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional. The most widespread form of child is sexual child abuse also known as incest. A study showed that about 27% of the women in every state of the union, and 16% of the men said they been sexually abuse as children. Child abuse is not always obvious, but the earlier it is caught the better the changes of recovery and appropriate treatment for the child. Knowing some of the warning signs of child abuse and neglect, a person can catch the problem as early as possible and get both the child and the abuser the help they need. Child abuse in the United States is principally the responsibility of state and local government. Each state has enacted laws defining child abuse and maltreatment...
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...negligence, illegal booster involvement, and a general lack of University oversight are all problems that continue to mar the once highly regarded reputations of academic institutions across America. These transgressions, which occur at shockingly consistent rates around campuses nationwide, (committed by faculty, coaches, players, administrators, and alumni), are effectively compromising the sacred amateurism college athletics has maintained to define its culture and provide credence for its illustrious traditions for over a century. Ethical questions of this magnitude have been pondered by academics and legal stalwarts alike with great depth both at the local and global level for years. Several studies reflect that a substantial percentage of the “major” NCAA recruiting violations and cases of egregious academic misconduct occur typically at institutions where local administrators and financiers have created a “win at all costs” culture pertaining to BCS (Bowl Championship Series) football and the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. A handful of local schools sanctioned by the NCAA in the last few decades for recruiting violations and academic misconduct include the University of South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Each year the NCAA collects its constituents: college presidents, athletic directors, and compliance directors (among others), to discuss the current “integrity climate” of college...
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...Chipotle's CSR: Mission or Marketing? Megan Rehkemper Webster Abstract Companies with CSR stated standards tend to make the headlines when their actual business practices are contrary to those standards. Chipotle, one of the fastest growing chain restaurants, is no stranger to this controversy. The company has made great strides in offering “Food with Integrity” yet it still lacks in credibility. This paper will analyze Chipotle’s CSR and how its standards have led many to question the company’s core values. Chipotle's CSR: Mission or Marketing? The heightened media attention on CSR is at least partially in response to society’s interest in socially conscious businesses. Consumers are willing to pay a premium price for environmentally-friendly brands. At the same time, there is much skepticism as to whether companies are intentionally or accidently misleading consumers. Chipotle, one of the fastest growing fast-casual restaurant chains in the world, declares it serves “Food with Integrity”. What does that mean? The company’s reputation has taken some hits in recent years due to lack of transparency. Lessons have been learned along the way yet there is still a credibility gap. Many wonder if Chipotle is telling the public a feel-good story or the truth. This paper will take a look at the company’s CSR: intent vs. execution vs. depiction. Genetically Modified Organisms GMO’s are plants or animals who have been inserted with a gene from an unrelated species...
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...GAME CHANGE OBAMA AND THE CLINTONS, MCCAIN AND PALIN, AND THE RACE OF A LIFETIME JOHN HEILEMANN AND MARK HALPERIN FOR DIANA AND KAREN Contents Cover Title Page Prologue Part I Chapter One – Her Time Chapter Two – The Alternative Chapter Three – The Ground Beneath Her Feet Chapter Four – Getting to Yes Chapter Five – The Inevitables Chapter Six – Barack in a Box Chapter Seven – “They Looooove Me!” Chapter Eight – The Turning Point Chapter Nine – The Fun Part Chapter Ten – Two For the Price of One Chapter Eleven – Fear and Loathing in the Lizard’s Thicket Chapter Twelve – Pulling Away and Falling Apart Chapter Thirteen – Obama Agonistes Chapter Fourteen – The Bitter End Game Part II Chapter Fifteen – The Maverick and His Meltdown Chapter Sixteen – Running Unopposed Chapter Seventeen – Slipping Nooses, Slaying Demons Part III Chapter Eighteen – Paris and Berlin Chapter Nineteen – The Mile-High Club Chapter Twenty – Sarahcuda Chapter Twenty-One – September Surprise Chapter Twenty-Two – Seconds in Command Chapter Twenty-Three – The Finish Line Epilogue – Together at Last Index Author’s Notes About the Authors Copyright About the Publisher Prologue BARACK OBAMA JERKED BOLT upright in bed at three o’clock in the morning. Darkness enveloped his low-rent room at the Des Moines Hampton Inn; the airport across the street was quiet in the hours before dawn. It was very late December 2007, a few days ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Obama had been sprinting flat out...
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...Development through globalisation in Nigeria. An analysis of Shell & the IMF Structural Adjustment Programs Leif Linnskog, Ph.D. Tutor: Research Question: Can globalisation be seen as positive or negative for the Economic Development of Nigeria? A focus on Shell and the International Monetary Fund Research Issue: Globalisation in its current form is viewed in the Western world as a positive influence for the Economic Development of under developed countries. However these views on the benefits brought to developing countries have been frequently disputed. The research we are undertaking is a pilot study based on documentary research. Our source of information is secondary data such as books, articles, newspapers and journals. The study employs a qualitative approach. Even though globalisation is often viewed as positive we have discovered that this is not always the case in relation to its effects in Nigeria. Judging from our analysis, globalisation through the IMF and Shell has had an overall negative impact on Economic Development. However, Shell is attempting to act more responsible by adjusting its position in order to have a more positive impact on Economic Development. On the other hand, the IMF has not adapted to Nigeria but...
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...China’s Economic Growth 1978-2025: What We Know Today about China’s Economic Growth Tomorrow Views of the future China vary widely. While some believe that the collapse of China is inevitable, others see the emergence of a new superpower that increasingly poses a threat to the U.S. This paper examines the economic growth prospects of China over the next two decades. Extrapolating past real GDP growth rates into the future, the size of the Chinese economy surpasses that of the U.S. in purchasing power terms between 2012 and 2015; by 2025, China is likely to be the world's largest economic power by almost any measure. The extrapolations are supported by two types of considerations. First, China’s growth patterns of the past 25 years since the beginning of economic reforms match well those identified by standard economic development and trade theories (structural change, catching up, and factor price equalization). Second, decomposing China’s GDP growth into growth of labor and other variables, the near-certain information available today about the quantity and quality of Chinese laborers through 2015, if not several years after, allows inferences about future GDP growth. Short of some cataclysmic event, demographics alone suggests China’s continued economic rise. If talent is randomly distributed in the world population and if agglomeration of talent is important, then the odds are strongly in China’s favor. Introduction The rapid economic growth of China since the...
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...“Deconstructing Independent Directors”(*) María Gutiérrez Maribel Sáez Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and ECGI Universidad Autónoma de Madrid January 2012 Abstract In this paper we argue that boards of directors lack the mandate, the incentives and the ability to control insiders, especially in jurisdictions where the main agency problem arises between controlling and minority shareholders. We analyze the problems that render independents an inefficient monitoring device for companies with concentrated ownership structures and conclude that the current focus of the regulators and codes of best practice on empowering independents is ineffective and companies would be better off choosing their board members at liberty. Nevertheless, we also present two different proposals for reform: independents as gatekeepers for the regulator and independents as surrogates of the minority. Both proposals are based on the idea that if independent directors are expected to monitor controlling shareholders their most important characteristic should be accountability rather than mere independence. JEL Classifications: G32; G34; K22 Keywords: Independent directors, Board of directors, Concentrated ownership, Monitoring, Corporate Law (*)The authors wish to thank, Jesus Alfaro, Magda Bianco, Fernando Gómez Pomar and Assaf Hamdani and seminar audiences at AEDE 2010 and SIDE 2011 for many useful comments. The contents of this paper are the sole responsibility of...
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...MODULE LEADER : Dr.Vidu Soni MODULE LEADER : Dr.Vidu Soni MODULE NUMBER : MBA7002 MODULE NUMBER : MBA7002 MODULE NAME : Strategic Management MODULE NAME : Strategic Management CARDIFF ROLL NO. : st 20076710 CARDIFF ROLL NO. : st 20076710 BATCH : CMBA’4 BATCH : CMBA’4 ROLL NO. : 1423 ROLL NO. : 1423 STUDENT NAME : DIVYESH KUMAR STUDENT NAME : DIVYESH KUMAR N I K E N I K E Table of Contents Chapter 1…………………………………………………………………...….3 Introduction…….………………………………………………………………...4 Nike’s Journey…….……………………………………………………………...5 Financial Overview…….…………………………………………..……………...6 Chapter 2…………………………………………………………………...….7 Internal & External Environment Analysis…………..……………………………….8 SWOT Analysis………………………………………………………….…….….9 Challenges faced by Nike………………………………………………………….11 Strategic Implemented for Rectification………………………………………….….13 Chapter 3…………………………………………………………………..….16 Leadership Hierarchy……………………………………………………..…...….17 Chapter 4…………………………………………………………….…….….21 Nike Core Competencies…………………………………………………..………22 Value Chain Analysis……………………………………………….…………….24 Chapter 5………………………………………………………………….…..26 Cooperate Governance……………………………………………………………27 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………..………………………….….30 C C hapter hapter 1 1 Introduction “Everything you need is already inside. Just do it” * Bill Bowerman (Fabrega, n.d.) “NIKE”, one of the most synonymous names with the sporting world, was initially established as Blue Ribbon Shoes in...
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