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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Voting for Ethics: A Guide for U.S. Voters

“Voting for Ethics” is a non-partisan, how-to guide for U.S. voters. It will help you identify the hallmarks of an ethical candidate and make a more informed decision -- whether for your local school board or a national election.

Purchase "Voting for Ethics"/Access Voting Ethics Resources

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Two-Thirds of Americans Surveyed are Concerned With AI’s Impact on the Human Race

Eighty-three Percent Believe AI Should be Government Regulated

A new report, Ethics in the Age of AI,  outlines how Americans feel about artificial intelligence (AI) from an ethical standpoint. The Markkula Center and its Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC) surveyed 3,000 Americans aged 18+ and found that they have concerns about the technology’s impact on the human race.

Access Report Findings

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Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap

By José Roger Flahaux, Brian Patrick Green, and Ann Skeet

"Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap,” or, more briefly, the “ITEC Handbook,” offers organizations a strategic plan to enhance ethical management practices, empowering them to navigate the complex landscape of disruptive technologies such as AI, machine learning, encryption, tracking, and others while upholding strong ethical standards.

Download the ITEC Handbook

All About Ethics: Perspectives From Across the Center
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, moderated by ABC's Rachel Scott, speaks at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, July 31, 2024, in Chicago.

At the NABJ convention in Chicago on July 31st, Donald Trump Asked Rachel Scott To Define DEI. She Should Have.

Pro Palestine protest and encampment in White Memorial Plaza in Stanford University in late April 2024, during the Israeli Hamas War. Photos taken on April 28th 2024 Suiren2022, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

While free speech is a right that has been embraced in the United States for several centuries, ethical issues about the process and limitations of free speech and protest behavior, like some of those seen on college campuses this Spring, are in question and are debatable.

A ramp worker walks near one of two CFM International LEAP-1B engines on a Boeing 737-9 Max airplane Monday, March 1, 2021, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. Photo by Ted S. Warren_AP Photo.

Stockholders pay the price when executives and directors choose profits over ethics.

Featured Ethics Spotlights
Two groups of protesters carrying Palestinian and Israeli flags facing off during an outdoor protest. Photo by Ted Eytan 2017.03.26 Anti-Israel Protest, Washington, DC. Used with permission under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 4.0.

The attacks in Israel on October 7th 2023, have reignited tensions, including intense combat in the Middle East and protests around the world. Ethics Center staff and scholars unpack some of the many related ethical dilemmas in this Ethics Spotlight.

Generative Artificial Intelligence including text, computer generated images.

Throughout history, new technologies have disrupted society in different ways–some positively and some negatively–from steam-powered engines and electricity, to the Internet, and now again with artificial intelligence (AI); generative AI in particular in this instance. The creation of art, journalism, education, and the very truth itself have all been tested by the use of ChatGPT and other generative AIs. Markkula Center staff and scholars unpack some of the many related ethical dilemmas in this Ethics Spotlight.

The U.S. Flag and Constitution, semi-automatic guns, a shooter with AR-15, and a human hand held in the air to block or stop the action.

The gun debate has again reached a fever pitch in the shadow of several horrific mass shootings. Ethics Center staff and faculty interrogate the moral and ethical issues associated with gun use and regulation.

An Industry Leader in Ethics Consultation

For more than 35 years, the Ethics Center has helped individuals and organizations make better decisions and includes offering fee-for-service options for organizations that want a customized approach to building training programs, case studies, and other materials.

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Georganne Perkins, Ethics Center Advisory Board

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics welcomes former Senior Advisor at Fisher Lynch Capital and investment management veteran Georganne Perkins to their advisory board.

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‘Voting for Ethics,’ the Non-Partisan, Practical Guide from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Empowers U.S. Voters to Make Informed Decisions in Any Election

A rendering of a blue globe with white vertical and horizontal lines. The words

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics reaffirms its support to the United Nations Global Compact and its Ten Principles in the areas of Human Rights, Labor, Environment, and Anti-Corruption.

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ESG Resource Center

Ethics Helps Companies Operationalize ESG Reporting

Companies are under extreme pressure from customers, investors, and the government to begin accounting for how they are performing in these non-financial matters, and this new set of resources will help them more efficiently operationalize ESG reporting.

Explore the Ethics and ESG Resource Center

Teaching Note: Interview of Theranos Whistleblower, Tyler Shultz

This teaching module for business ethics, leadership and management courses includes two videos, homework assignments, and class discussion, all designed to spark conversation about ethical issues associated with whistleblowers and corporate governance.

View the Teaching Module

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Evaluating Culture for Ethics

Our Culture Self-Assessment Practice recommends approaches to evaluating culture for ethics within companies and other types of organizations. The materials are primarily for members of an organization’s leadership team, including human resources and legal, but designed to engage a cross-section of leaders from various disciplines.

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Media Commentary
KTVU Fox 2

Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics, interviewed by KTVU Fox 2.

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Joan Harrington, fellow, quoted by CNN.

Like Birds, Ethical Issues Are Everywhere...

...often difficult to spot, but noticed by those in search of them.

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University exists to help people see, understand, and work through ethical problems.

As an introduction to thinking ethically, we have created a framework for ethical decision making.

Learn About Our Framework

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