 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ethics in Business...A Lost Art
While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Whatever happened to going into business to provide a needed service, being loyal to employees, and keeping promises. It seems like no one today is concerned about doing good business or being ethical in the process. Our forefathers would be ashamed at what this society has come to. I know I am. Chuck and I teach our students how to run a good business, by being ethical, and making sure that everyone is happy. We run our business using the adage, "The customer is always right". We know, however, from looking at others in business both on and offline, that we are in the minority. For most it is all about making money. They don't care who they have to step on, how many lies they tell, just "show them the money". As I pointed out in my article regarding "The Almighty Buck", this should not be your only incentive for going into business, and if it is, you won't be in business long. We see sites every day that you can't find a telephone number on, an address for, they just want you to take it on faith that they are on the up and up. Years ago, a business would never even think of operating this way. Their name, address, phone number, slogan etc. was very prominent on everything they did. Unfortunately today, you can't take people on faith anymore. It's very sad, but it seems if you do so, most of the time, you will get burned. Years ago, companies were known for their honesty, their integrity, and their good products. They had to be to stay in business and keep the good image they wanted to project. This gave their company a good name. As many of you know, we come from New York. Kodak, Grumman, and IBM were major companies in down and upstate NY. If you got a job with them you had a job for life, and once you retired you didn't have to worry. Today, people are losing their medical benefits, their pensions, their life savings; due to businesses thinking of only the bottom line. Every time you open a newspaper or watch the news today you hear about another business' unethical business practices. They cook the books, take bonuses they don't disclose, while they expect employees to work for less. There is something very wrong with this picture. It also says to our future entrepreneurs, that this behavior is alright, just don't get caught. Like Bob Schiffer, I'd much rather go back to the time when businesses dealt with us in an ethical manner and didn't only concentrate on lining their pockets, like today. Also, like Bob, I think what we need are different teachings in our business schools. The philosophy of today's teachers, needs to re-vamped to reflect the philosophies of old. What we need is to "throw out the new, and bring back the old". As Bob said, if his mom was teaching today, students would get a completely different view?an old fashioned one. Kudos to Bob's mom!
Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Only Thing You Get for Free in Life is Hungry! My grandfather was a very wise man. Simple but wise. The Deception Perception: Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain The Deception PerceptionWithout a doubt, people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust. Credibility is critical. Business Ethics There is much talk today about ethics in business - as there should be, but there should be more than talk; there should be a high moral code for all executives who are responsible to both their customers and their shareholders.I have been the president and CEO of one publicly owned company and also was president of another that was responsible to customers who traded equities. MacDonalidisation: Braverman, Taylor & Mayo Background: George Ritzer defined McDonaldization as ".. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Diversity And Success, In The Workplace This article relates to the Diversity in the Workplace Competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency explores whether your organization provides understanding and supports interaction among diverse population groups while respecting individuals' personal values and ideas. Laws and Ethics?. Who's Kidding Who? Years ago I read an article by a renowned psychologist wherein he wrote his studies found one percent of all human beings would never lie, cheat or steal. One percent would always lie, cheat or steal and given the right set of circumstances, the rest of us would likely lie, cheat and/or steal. Mind Your Own Damn Business Sexcess You have certainly heard the expression "mind your own damn business" used in a multitude of contexts. The most typical being the don't kiss and tell type statements, often uttered by responsibly private individuals about their love life. Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics This morning, I read about a company using on-line auctions to defraud customers. Last week, I consulted on an ethics complaint where a business coach betrayed a client's confidentiality. Ethics in Business - Please Have Some Is your business ethical?What I mean is "Does your business do the right thing when faced with that decision?" It's a simple question, which many businesses struggle with. I just don't understand the struggle part?I have worked for companies that believed they were ethical, and really have no clue. Ethics In The Workplace Workplace Ethics is a subject that we have all heard of. In fact, the subject of Ethics in general is something that most people are familiar with. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Work Ethics and the Customer This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency, commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how employees and customers consider ethical behavior and sound values an integral part of your organization. Dont Hate Them Because Theyre Beautiful Tonight I'm going out with two extremely impressive ladies who I am introducing to one another. They are both GORGEOUS, in their mid 20s and both incredibly intelligent. The Everyday Business Ethics Crisis Or Im Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore Breaking news may feature the Enron debacle, WorldCom activities, or accounting problems but we live our everyday business life making ethical choices that affect our employment and businesses. Consider the ethical choices made in these situations:-A restaurateur hired a firm, used the firm's ideas, benefited from them and refused to pay for the services rendered. Private Carrier Pepsi Embraces Diversity Amongst Employees Many companies claim to be committed to diversity, but private carrier Pepsico has proven their desire for a diverse employee base. With the progression of globalization in the world, Pepsi continues to embrace and value diversity in customers, suppliers and employees. Is Good Neighborliness Good Business? [Note: This story is not a criticism of Buddhism. It is a story of neighborly love. No Credit is Due: Bad Telemarketing Just a few minutes ago I was debating what to write about this week -- something interesting, perhaps, or maybe it was about time to give some credit to snails, I thought. Then, by some random stroke of luck, fate or writer's lightning (a term I created just now), I received a phone call from a credit card company. Business Ethics: Functional Choices Years of experience have taught me there is no such thing as "Business Ethics". If a person isn't ethical in the rest of their lives, their business ethics aren't worth the shoe leather they've worn out either. Do Organizations Serve Us Or Do We Serve Organizations We have seen an erosion in the confidence that society has in organizational leadership and its integrity recently with the numerous accounting scandals that have become public.Clearly this has led to the demise of several large organizations. The Need to Survive; A Death Knell For Organizations Changing the driving force upon which business decisions are based is crucial in order to not only restore ethics in business but to truly improve the lives of those whom they were meant to benefit: executives, employees and consumers. After all, weren't business activities meant to improve the state of existence of human beings on this planet?So what is this driving force that I am referring to? Well its the "fear of not surviving". Business Ethics: How The Sales Function Can Transmit Company Values I recently got a "thank-you" call from a man who read my new e-book Buying Facilitation."Boy," he said, "this method sure helps me close more deals and make more money.
|
|
|
 |
 |
