You would imagine a survey of “ethical violations” in fictional portrayals of business on television would have a lot of raw material. From the evil deeds of JR Ewing in Dallas to the compulsive roguery of George Bluth in Arrested Development, scriptwriters find it annoyingly convenient to equate the businessman with the crook.

Yet an organisation going by the rather Orwellian name of Global Compliance has missed the point. It describes breaches of its own notions of “diversity”, “equal opportunity”, and “process and policy integrity” as ethical violations. Ironically, the show that offends most against these peculiarly leftist ideas of ethics, the brilliant 30 Rock, is fronted by two actors, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, with impeccable leftist credentials.

Global Compliance must be a joyless place to work. A dynamic organisation should encourage, within broad limits, the free expression of ideas. Workplace banter is a sign of organisational strength, even – no, especially – when it is challenging or passionate. It should be part of a broader corporate culture of flexibility and openness.

Such a culture is itself ethical. Yes, ethics matter – but real ethics, not the pseudo-ethics of a Global Compliance. At this time of New Year’s Resolutions, here are the principles that should be monitored: -

1.   Truth. The business world is an increasingly small place and reputation is easily lost. It may be possible to get away with lies for a little while, but not for long, and then a business career is finished for good. It is therefore good policy to be careful to speak only the truth, and certainly never be caught telling lies.

2.   Financial Probity. Again, it might be tempting to fiddle a little cash here and there, but a reputation for scrupulous honesty with money is far better for business in the longer term. You might listen politely to someone boasting of over-claiming on expenses, but you would make a mental note never to employ him.

3.   Loyalty. Go out of your way to look after your customers, your employees, and your suppliers, and they are more likely to go out of their way for you.

4.   Courtesy. This is not the same as the notion of “respect” being pushed by the likes of Global Compliance. Old fashioned good manners were designed to make people comfortable in social situations, but the “political correctness” of Global Compliance makes everyone uncomfortable. Lead by good example, not fear.

As we get older, we have to make a positive effort not to turn into the bore who is always complaining how much better everything used to be.

Such complaints are unwise not only because they are tedious but because they are usually wrong – most things are much better than they used to be.

That said, it can’t be denied that progress in some areas has been accompanied by deterioration in others. In particular, we may be wealthier in financial terms, but is that at the expense of something more important?

In over a quarter of a century in business, this contributor has seen a definite decline in honesty in the daily transactions of commercial life. Where we could usually proceed on the assumption that most people would make an effort to keep their word, and be fair and reasonable in their dealings, it is now almost expected that big organisations in particular will try to chisel and evade their obligations.

Of course, there have always been chancers, but the worst offenders are now the pillars of the Establishment on whose reliability the whole economy depends: insurance companies, banks, pension funds, even government.

It is increasingly rare for insurance companies to pay promptly, and in full, money to which the premium payer assumed he was entitled. Insurers claim that this is, at least in part, because they are themselves increasingly victims of fraud – which is, of course, true – but we are entitled to ask if the chicken came before the egg in that sector?

The same is true of banks. They may claim to be the victims of bad loans, but they made those loans. There would have been no 2008 crash if bank managers were still reactionary but scrupulously honest old fogeys – think George Mainwaring in the British comedy Dad’s Army – instead of City wide boys looking no further than their annual bonus.

Yet government is the worst offender – because those at the top set the example for everyone else. Public service – once considered honourable because it was underpaid – is now a cash cow, and bureaucrats regularly misuse laws passed for legitimate purposes in order to raise revenues.

Public office is now an office of profit, as it was in the 18^th Century. So far from progressing, we seem to have regressed to the time of Oliver Goldsmith: “Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, where wealth accumulates, and men decay.”