Do Hewlett Packard (HPQ) printers tell the truth or lie? Do they print out what is actually there or what we actually want to be there?

In fact, HP printers do not print out what they are given; they make the image deeper, darker and richer than it really is. I was a little surprised when I read that. When asked, HP admitted they improve the photos and they are giving the customers what they want.

While in an airport bookstore recently, this title caught me eye: How to Build a Business Warren Buffett Would Buy: The R.C. Willey Story.

How could I resist? I bought a copy and read the whole thing on my flight (OK, the book is only 192 pages).

The author of the book, Jeff Benedict, tracks the entrepreneurial career of Bill Child, who transformed a furniture business -- R.C. Willey -- into a retailing giant (he came on board the company in the mid 1950s when his father-in-law died).

In the classic comedy Rush Hour 2, Chris Tucker explains his method of detection to Jackie Chan:

James Carter (Chris Tucker): Lee, let me introduce you to Carter's new theory of criminal investigation: follow the rich white man.
Lee (Jackie Chan): Follow the rich white man?
James Carter: Behind every big crime there's a rich white man waiting for his cut.

And sure enough, according to MarketWatch, most hedge funds made out like bandits in February, as they had correctly forecast the subprime lending crisis that led to the collapse of companies like Novastar Financial.

In the mind-boggling world of credit derivatives (Incidentally, go pick up a copy of Traders, Guns, and Money), even the experts can't quite seem to figure out who was bearing the risk that allowed the funds to succeed. Some suggest pensions funds and overseas investors, but no one really knows.

I was privileged to read an article in my latest Forbes newsletter which addresses honesty in business practice. Most especially, the article points out the inherent value that clear, honest book keeping and deliberate management transparency impart upon any business. To illustrate its point, Forbes utilized the analysis of Audit Integrity, an independent Los Angeles firm that does research on corporate governance best practice (and which is a data supplier to Forbes.com). Audit Integrity developed its first list of 100 companies which exhibit the highest degree of ethical and business standards when dealing with their investors.

What brings the value of Audit Integrity's analysis closer to home is the cross reference of stock performance as relates to inclusion on the integrity list. Forbes reports that the group of 100 companies that made Audit Integrity's list of good guys provided an overall return of 33% on shares, double the return of the market on average. Forbes cites higher equity growth, reduced litigation costs and a reduction in regulatory interference as some of the reasons why the wonderful one hundred out performed their peers.

So, if you want to simplify your hunt for stock value and reduce your research burden, you might want to give the Audit Integrity list of 100 do gooders a long hard look. In this game of stock picking there are a lot of angles to consider. If Audit Integrity is willing and able to provide a clear pre-assessment of business integrity in such a comprehensive and easy to understand format, I think you owe it to yourself to consider the data. Investment based on information devoid of even a cursory view of honesty in business practice is investment made blind.