BOOK REVIEWS
Reviewed by Douglas Beyer
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Temple City, CA

Street Smart Ethics: Succeeding in Business without Selling Your Soul
By Clinton W. McLemore (Westminster John Knox: Louisville, London).

Dr. Clinton McLemore brings to this important subject wisdom drawn from a career as a professional psychologist, seminary professor, and consultant to over twenty-five Fortune 500 companies.

Street-Smart Ethics combines ancient wisdom from the Book of Proverbs with modern thought from everyday life to shed light on the ethical conundrums of contemporary business practices. Clearly organized and free from technical jargon, Clinton McLemore gives very practical guidance to prevent the business disasters that plague our society.

He begins with a no-nonsense “Primer on Ethics,” looking especially at Global Crossing, Enron, and WorldCom. He considers the relationship between Law and Ethics and when not to be a “team player.” He distinguishes between simple and complex conflicts: self versus others, self versus institution, self versus society, organization versus organization, person versus person, and gives specific guidelines for survival.

The second part takes a practical look at the Book of Proverbs where he finds ancient wisdom for modern times. The book concludes with challenging exercises in ethical decision making.

Highly praised by such people as James Thomson, President and CEO of RAND, and Tony Campolo of Eastern University, Street-Smart Ethics fills an urgent need in the outrage and confusion following recent legal, moral, and ethical failures of some of America’s leading business executives.

Updated Wednesday, October 15, 2003