Kindle
$13.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$21.48
Paperback
$14.19
Buy new:
-23% $21.48
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$21.48 with 23 percent savings
List Price: $28.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, May 14. Order within 16 hrs 56 mins
In Stock
$$21.48 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.48
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Shipped fast and reliably through the Amazon Prime program! Book may contain some writing, highlighting, and or cover damage. Shipped fast and reliably through the Amazon Prime program! Book may contain some writing, highlighting, and or cover damage. See less
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, May 14. Order within 13 hrs 26 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$21.48 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.48
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Susan Liautaud
+ Follow
Lisa Sweetingham
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Power of Ethics: How to Make Good Choices in a Complicated World Hardcover – January 5, 2021

by Susan Liautaud (Author), Lisa Sweetingham (Contributor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.48","priceAmount":21.48,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"48","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"0rhF4j14jbXkZ9iViGSfU9XLl%2FCa6rgyq8y%2Baym7VnxNYvhy6Cb%2FiWb5OQtui8X%2FBAkM015AOqAjQCVKHnED2KsjpHEqHjJvnNKBsVsAwgjxnxWag7jjowHZKH6nroNfr44irFScARnmXma1uDgFeQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"0rhF4j14jbXkZ9iViGSfU9XLl%2FCa6rgy3Giu3R1KpBsv5wJyTFM2m853qWH%2BszXEUYIs%2Ba%2FLuUYlcpqqlNyNlAoKvyTNCsxO%2BxQqFqfNZqbOkdyx%2FuE64OAhAb44s5s%2BZeXXwHMkFQ%2B7c52GTgT2%2F3Mn15uvKcWSEq83VpONR9KXz44Zh3s5j40itSLo9%2FVD","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The essential guide for ethical decision-making in the 21st century, The Power of Ethics depicts “ethical decision-making not in a nebulous philosophical space, but at the point where the rubber meets the road” (Michael Schur, producer and creator of The Good Place).

It’s not your imagination: we’re living in a time of moral decline. Publicly, we’re bombarded with reports of government leaders acting against the welfare of their constituents; companies prioritizing profits over health, safety, and our best interests; and technology posing risks to society with few or no repercussions for those responsible. Personally, we may be conflicted about how much privacy to afford our children on the internet; how to make informed choices about our purchases and the companies we buy from; or how to handle misconduct we witness at home and at work.

How do we find a way forward? Today’s ethical challenges are increasingly gray, often without a clear right or wrong solution, causing us to teeter on the edge of effective decision-making. With concentrated power structures, rapid advances in technology, and insufficient regulation to protect citizens and consumers, ethics are harder to understand than ever. But in The Power of Ethics, Susan Liautaud shows how ethics can be used to create a sea change of positive decisions that can ripple outward to our families, communities, workplaces, and the wider world—offering unprecedented opportunity for good.

Drawing on two decades as an ethics advisor guiding corporations and leaders, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and students in her Stanford University ethics courses, Susan Liautaud provides clarity to blurry ethical questions, walking you through a straightforward, four-step process for ethical decision-making you can use every day. Liautaud also explains the six forces driving virtually every ethical choice we face. Exploring some of today’s most challenging ethics dilemmas and showing you how to develop a clear point of view, speak out with authority, make effective decisions, and contribute to a more ethical world for yourself and others, The Power of Ethics is the must-have ethics guide for the 21st century.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1982132191
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1982132194
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

The Power of Ethics: How to Make Good Choices in a Complicated World
$21.48
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Ethical Educational Leadership in Turbulent Times
$46.39
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 12 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Apex_media🍏 and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Professional Responsibility: New Horizons of Praxis
$54.95
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Philosophy can be abstract and frustrating to read. In The Power of Ethics, Liautaud attacks ethical decision-making not in a nebulous philosophical space, but at the point where the rubber meets the road. Reading it is a pure joy.”
—Michael Schur, producer and creator of The Good Place

“Trust is the currency of ethics. Susan Liautaud distills her twenty years of experience advising companies to democratize ethics and make it accessible to all. It is inspiring. It is practical. It is more timely than ever.”
—Emmanuel Lulin, Chief Ethics Officer, L'Oréal

“Absolutely brilliant, engaging, and very timely cri de coeur. Follow Liautaud’s instructions and you will be a better decision-maker—and person.”
—Ruth Chang, chair and professor of jurisprudence, University of Oxford

"With gripping storytelling, Susan Liautaud makes ethical decision-making approachable and easy to apply. The Power of Ethics is an invaluable tool to empower individuals and businesses to make ethical decisions to build competitive and trustworthy organizations."
—Omid Kordestani, former executive chairman of Twitter and former senior VP at Google

“Actionable and ready to use by all, The Power of Ethics makes ethical dilemmas clear instead of leaving you to agonize over impossible choices. A must-read.”
—Joanne Liu, former international president, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontiéres

“Accessible, deep, and a compelling read, Liautaud’s book explores many of today’s and tomor­row’s ethical issues . . . A useful and practical guide for individuals and organizations as they navigate their way through ethical challenges.”
—James Manyika, CEO, McKinsey Global Institute

“Brilliantly effective, truly visionary . . . an essential reminder of how each of our decisions impacts the stories of others around us. So get reading now, and don’t let ethics happen to you: Always be an actor—and never a spectator—of your own life.”
—Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor

“A 21st century ethics classic, The Power of Ethics delivers with stories of modern, big world integrity fails. Susan gives us a practical framework for making ethical decisions in what is an increasingly complex environment. A book for leaders to read and keep close at hand.”
—Rob Chesnut, former Airbnb General Counsel and author of Intentional Integrity

"Approachable...Readers will appreciate Liautaud's logical guidance."
—Booklist

“An easy-to-use manual for determining ethical behavior in our bewildering times... the simple-to-understand narrative encourages deliberate reflection, an ethical act in its own right.”
—Kirkus Review

"For anyone hoping to both be good personally and do good in the world, The Power of Ethics from Stanford’s Susan Liautaud is a must-read."
—Next Big Idea Club

About the Author

Susan Liautaud is the founder and managing director of Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited, which advises clients from global corporations to NGOs on complex ethics matters. Author of The Power of Ethics and The Little Book of Big Ethical Questions, she also teaches cutting-edge ethics courses at Stanford University and serves as chair of Council of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Liautaud is the founder of the nonprofit platform The Ethics Incubator and chairs a number of global nonprofit boards. She divides her time between Palo Alto, California, and London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (January 5, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982132191
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982132194
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 83 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Lisa Sweetingham

    Lisa Sweetingham

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
  2. Susan Liautaud

    Susan Liautaud

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I am Founder and Managing Director of Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited, which advises corporate and non-profit organizations and leaders on complex ethics issues. I teach cutting-edge ethics courses at Stanford University and serve as Chair of Council of the London School of Economics and Political Science. I also founded the non-profit platform The Ethics Incubator. I serve on a number of global non-profit boards.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
83 global ratings
A Good Beginner Book for Ethics
2 Stars
A Good Beginner Book for Ethics
Very repetitive. Examples used of corporations were the only interesting parts of the book. Quite a bit of personal bias and opinion.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Ilan
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Practical Guide - Must read for both investors and high executives
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Power of Ethics. For someone with no real background in philosophy or ethics, I found the book fantastically easy to read, clear, and a page-turner from the start with the examples of Boeing, artificial intelligence, robotics, and gene-editing to name only a few.

I plan to deploy Liautaud's frameworks in the strategic decision-making process of the Boards that I am fortunate enough to serve on as an investor, and will encourage my peers to do the same. The time to become better, more responsible corporate leaders is now.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
MsBB
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
Prompt response. Book is brand new rather than 'used.'
Helpful
 Report
Wang Xiaodong
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for stakeholders of startups and established companies
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
I will have to say this is one of the best books I've ever read. It tells so much important information in such an easy-to-understand but powerful way. All the cases are so up-to-date including a lot of the entrepreneur companies and startup ideas. It is definitely a must-read for everyone who needs to make good choices related to ethics, business decisions and social impacts, esp. the stakeholders of startups and established companies.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dave
3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven treatment of ethics, with some useful frameworks
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2023
The author provides useful frameworks within which ethical decisions can be made, and offers many helpful examples illustrating where someone hasn't used these frameworks resulting in unethical conduct. Some of that conduct can be seen in the moment, and some only after reflection.

That said, throughout the book, the author herself fails to make use of these same frameworks - at least transparently. For example, she assumes distributed power is undesirable, but subsequently also indicates that concentrated power is undesirable -- but only if concentrated in the hands of a corporation, instead of the government. She proceeds to offer at least three examples of the government abusing its power. It would've been helpful if she had walked through these seeming contradictions using the "when, and in what circumstances" approach she advises, but she fails to do so and instead leaves us wondering how she arrived at these very different conclusions.

Similarly, she (correctly) indicates how absurd it would be to grant a change of birthdate based solely on someone "feeling" younger, primarily due to the use of an accurate date of birth as a means to provide different benefits, protections, and government identification. However, she implies that this isn't like gender identity, as if that's a given. Whether or not one distinguishes between "feeling" younger and "feeling" a different gender aside, she again fails to walk us through how the two are different. Based strictly on the criteria she used to argue against "feeling" younger, both would seem to pose the same ethical concerns. But again, we're left with examples that don't clarify her point, but rather leave it more muddled than not having used examples at all.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
VH
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read about ethical discussions in our complex world
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book’s discussion of new ethical decisions the global community is faced with because of increased technology and innovation. The author compares clear choices e.g. safety over profit with these new and more complex decisions with many pros and cons e.g. genetic testing.
Helpful
 Report
Sheri
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, so true, so true
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. I even learned a few things I didn't even know, thank you to the writer for taking the time to write this, very educational if you like ethical knowledge. Good writing, to the post, very very truthful. Keep you reading
Helpful
 Report
Fi Fi
4.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't pull punches
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Grabs you from the start. Really liked this book because of the true company examples.
Helpful
 Report
Kristen Borland
5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Ethics Brilliantly Explained
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
In all aspects of the present day society it seems the topic of ethics has never been more important and in the Power of Ethics Susan Liautaud provides excellent guidance on how to effectively make better, and ultimately the right decisions.
Very well written, one can only hope some of today's politicians and big tech get their hands on a copy.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!!
Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Bought 2… it is a must.
Report
K R V Hari
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent work
Reviewed in India on August 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book digs deep into how behavior and thought processes have become completely divorced from ethics now. At the edge where no regulations exist anything goes, as long as I make money, is the common perception.
But the book misses the ethical base of human civilization which has survived all those millennia mainly due to the ethical actions of a few. If those few - the religious, spiritual and political leaders - had not been around humanity would have sacrificed itself for personal gains long back.
The book also misses entirely - either deliberately or inadvertently - the root cause of unethical behavior - which is greed. All the examples given including CRISPR, 23andme, 3D gun bluepint and all other rogue actions on the edge are purely done for personal profit - money or name or both. As this is not brought out, all the sermonizing in the book serve no purpose.
Report
Simone Goodman
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely written book to inspire better choices in business and personal decision making
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
An insightful - and wonderfully illustrative - read about why it's so difficult to stay informed, avoid unintended consequences, be successful, kind and good, and navigate unprecedented levels of choice and information in an increasingly complex world. Well written and beautifully peppered with interesting real-world challenges, Susan doesn't pretend to have all the answers and instead pragmatically sets out a framework that supports making the best possible choices available. This book is for anyone who seeks to understand how and why we sometimes make decisions that don't have a desirable outcome, and how we can improve our chances of getting it right for ourselves and others in the future.
One person found this helpful
 Report
VH
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is such an interesting read, because all the topics in the book are relevant to our every day living and reflect the problems in the modern world. Susan Liautaud raises important questions and gives wise answers. The language is very accessible, so you don't need to be a student in the ethics course of prof Liautaud at Standford to understand it, it is very enjoyable, clear, logical and easy to follow , yet deep writing. I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
 Report