Theos-Talk Archives (August 2010 Message tt00072)

Some members may have noticed that recently the TSA Board of Directors
adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy. In the 990 Tax Return filed by tax
exempt organizations, there is a question about it and this may have spurred
the adoption after all these years. I have not seen the Conflict of Interest
Policy in the TSA website and anywhere else.

Today there was a news announcement about the ouster of the Chairman of
Hewlett Packard, a very large electronic firm in the USA. The Chairman
resigned in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. The acting
Chairman/CEO released a statement which partly says:

âBased on the investigation it was determined that the former contractorâs
claim of sexual harassment was not supported by the facts. The investigation
did reveal, however, that Mark had engaged in other inappropriate conduct.
Specifically, based on the facts that were gathered it was found that Mark
had failed to disclose a close personal relationship he had with the
contractor that constituted a conflict of interest, failed to maintain
accurate expense reports, and misused company assets. Each of these
constituted a violation of HPâs Standards of Business Conduct, and together
they demonstrated a profound lack of judgment that significantly undermined
Markâs credibility and his ability to effectively lead HP.â

It is significant that HPâs Standards of Business Conduct has a section
dealing with âHarassment Free work environment,â which of course includes
sexual harassment.

HP also provides a handy visual reference in the same Standards of Business
Conduct for those who prefer more linear models to make sense of ethical
business dilemmas.

<
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/sustainability/hp-ousts-ceo-hurd-fails-the-headline-test/1126?tag=mantle_skin;content>


It is a well known adage that human nature is the same everywhere, and this
includes those within and outside TS. While we do not need to go into
failures of human nature in TS in the past, it would be a good idea to
explicitly address the issue â Harassment Free work environmentâ , if this
has not been addressed in the Theosophical Sections world-wide. Taking a
pro-active role in this will provide greater credibility to TS avoid
problems.

MKR

There is no religion higher than Truth


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