Course Description

The downfall of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, has been told in many formats (books, podcasts, television). However, the story of Theranos, the company, the employees and other stakeholders have not been examined in-depth, especially from the perspective of ethical decision-making and organizational culture.

In this on-demand, we will explore the Theranos fraud and key stakeholders using IESBA’s (International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants) five fundamental principles of ethics as the framework for our investigation:

  • Integrity
  • Objectivity
  • Professional competence and due care
  • Confidentiality
  • Professional Behavior


We will also examine how a lack of psychological safety and a toxic organizational culture compromised the ethical decision-making process of numerous stakeholders.

Course publication date:  January 1, 2023

Learning Objectives

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify elements of the fraud risk triangle
  2. Identify behaviors that violate the IESBA Code of Ethics
  3. Identify characteristics of an ethical organization
  4. Describe characteristics of effective governance
  5. Describe the relationship between psychological safety and ethical decision-making
  6. Differentiate between the four quadrants of the productive conversation matrix
  7. Identify characteristics of ethical leadership

Course Information

  • Program Level: Basic
  • Program pre-requisites: There are no prerequisites for this course
  • Advance preparation: None
  • Delivery method: QAS Self Study
  • CPD credits: Participants will earn 2.0 CPD credits in the field of study of Behavioral Ethics
  • Enrollment Period/Expiration Date: One year from date of purchase
  • Refund Policy/Complaint Resolution Policy: Our policies can be found in our FAQ
  • Registration & Attendance: To register for this course, please click the "Enroll Now" button. Full attendance and completion of all course materials are required to receive CPD credit.

Course curriculum

    1. Course Instructions and Learning Objectives

    1. Introduction

    1. Theranos - Who, What, When, Why and How

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Review Question #1

    1. Designing an Unethical Organization

    2. Review Question #2

    3. Review Question #3

    1. Psychological Safety and Theranos

    2. Review Question #4

    3. Review Question #5

    1. Ethical Leadership

    2. Review Question #6

About this course

  • $130.00
  • 15 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Ready to get started?

Enroll today