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The Ethics Coach on Verbal Agreements, Ghostwriting and More Digging into the nuances of verbal agreements, the scary side of ghosting and working for the competition.

By Gael O'Brien

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Do you have an ethical dilemma?
Write to The Ethics Coach at ethics@entrepreneur.com.

Q: When you close a deal verbally, shake on it and confirm the conversation by e-mail, are both parties legally, morally and/or ethically bound to it? What is one's word worth?

A: The worth of a person's word is revealed over time. Reneging on a promise drives the value of reputation down.

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