Working relationships

Excerpt:
The board of Boeing Co. didn't take any chances a few weeks ago when it learned that the company's chief executive officer, Harry C. Stonecipher, was having a consensual, extramarital affair with another executive. Stonecipher, who was credited with steering the company out of a scandal over government defense contracts, was promptly dismissed.

David Gebler, president of business ethics consultancy Working Values, said the Boeing board made the right decision in ousting Stonecipher before the affair fermented into a scandal.

"They basically sent the message, 'We're paying you $200,000 a year to be the CEO, but we're paying you $2 million a year to be a beacon of integrity," Gebler said.

"The trend is going to be that companies will increasingly author policies on this issue."

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