New column takes dilemma by the horns

That’s why we’re debuting a brand new monthly column, Ethics Matters, to address ethical issues in business.

Ethics Matters is written by John D. Copeland of John Brown University, a Christian university in Siloam Springs, Ark.

Copeland had initially planned to run Ethics Matters in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but, fortunately for SBJ, the Gazette changed its mind.

In search of a new publisher, Copeland spoke to Ron Bottin, dean of the College of Business Administration at Southwest Missouri State University, who suggested he try Springfield Business Journal.

Thank you, Ron Bottin!

Copeland’s first article for SBJ appears below and addresses whistle blowing. He outlines the ethical guidelines for the employee who knows of wrongdoing but is torn by the conflict between loyalty and morality.

I think SBJ readers will find his work enlightening and affirming.

Who is John D. Copeland?

Copeland is an executive in residence at the Donald G. Soderquist Center for Business Leadership and Ethics and professor of business at John Brown University.

He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada, where he teaches in TWU’s Master of Arts in Leadership program.

Copeland holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University, a Master of Laws in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas, and a Doctor of Education from the University of Arkansas.

Listed in Who’s Who in American Law, Copeland is a member of the state bars of Texas and Arkansas.

Copeland previously served as executive vice president for ethics and compliance at Tyson Foods Inc. in Springdale, Ark., 1998-2003, and he has researched and written on a variety of legal, business ethics and corporate governance issues.

In addition, his comments on law and ethics have appeared in Business Week, The New York Times, Leadership Wired, Inc. e-zine and The Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

As a professor, Copeland teaches courses in business ethics; applied business ethics; insurance and risk management; business law; strategic management; mission,vision and values; and corporate social responsibility. He hosts a weekly radio program on ethics, and he has consulted with and done ethics training for Wal-Mart, Sam’s Clubs, Tyson Foods and the Arkansas Bar Association.

A popular public speaker, Copeland has given more than 300 seminar and symposium presentations to universities, organizations, and businesses throughout the United States, Canada and Scotland.

Clarissa French is editor of Springfield Business Journal.