I really never thought I would have to put this into writing. I actually assumed that everyone using the Internet understood this. But hey, I am a big thinker, I do not spend my time thinking about or sweating the small stuff. Until it came to my attention how harmful this is to the real business marketers out there and how silly it is for this to even be an issue.

So what is it? It is search engine results advertising, or pay per click advertising.

A couple of years ago, I took an Internet marketing class, although it was basically a waste of my time, there is one thing which really stands out from that class.

We were taught “”when advertising on the Internet, find something that is really hot and connect your keywords to it”" to generate more traffic and greater results. The example we primarily used was “”who is hot in entertainment”". For example, if Britney Spears is in the news, use her as a keyword and link your site and your ad to anyone who is searching for information on her.

Well, at the time, I thought it was silly and actually unethical, so I never used that technique. After all, people searching for Britney would never be looking for a way to improve themselves or even a home based business.

But today, I find this tactic is being so badly misused in Internet Search Marketing. Google any legitimate business or person and what you will find is paid advertising, ads that blast or slam the company only to bring attention to another company.

I find this especially true in home based businesses, but don’t just take my word for it. Google any legitimate business, businesses where people are having amazing success and results and see for yourself what those with no ethics are doing.

You will find things like “”Why I did not join”", Why I quit”", “”This is a scam”" and the disgusting antics go on and on and on.

Most Internet marketers would NEVER pay any attention to ads such as this. Marketers know these people are just using unethical approaches to ride the tide of success of other legitimate marketers. But the inexperienced public does NOT know this. Unfortunately they believe what these guys are saying. All they really have to do is click on the ads and see that it is actually an ad for another company. Duh! How hard is this to figure out??

Why do you think advertising always slams the other guy? If the other guy is hot, then jump on the bandwagon. That is all these sleazy people are doing, is jumping on the bandwagon of success. Making a disgusting attempt to legitimise themselves by disenfranchising the real marketer.

So, what do I suggest? Do your homework. Talk to people who are ACTUALLY involved in the opportunity so see what they think. Talk to the Attorney General of the listed home state, talk to the Association of Home Business, talk to the State Incorporation offices, they will tell you all you need to know. BUT, do not listen to unethical, sleazy people who do not know how to advertise without slamming another company.

Anyway, why would ANYONE want to get started with a business who bases it’s advertising on slamming other businesses? That would certainly be a red flag to me and businesses started with this technique are surely going to have little success. It is the law of nature, the Law of Reciprocity”".

And one more thing I absolutely must add here…

Adults have to be responsible for their own results in life. If someone fails at any business opportunity, it is because THEY failed. Either they did not follow the already proven systems (trying to reinvent the wheel), or they were waiting for someone else to do the work for them, or maybe even they never expected to succeed anyway. I truly believe this is why most failures occur, there was never a level of expectation for success.

You should also trust your feelings in these cases as well. If a product feels right, if it is hot, if it is cutting edge, and if others are having success, then there is no reason why you can not as well as long as you are willing to do the work.

So get out there and find what you are looking for, but stay away from paid advertising slamming your company and let those who are practicing this know, it DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU!

To your success…

Wanda Grindstaff is recognized in the Direct Sales industry as a true leader. She teaches a very simple system to assist people in accomplishing major income goals. Serious entrepreneurs are invited to request information on starting a home based business. For more information, visit her here.

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Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

“In a surprise move, Texas wildcatter Oscar S. Wyatt arrived at a plea deal with the Department of Justice and plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on October 1.

The Houston gas and oil maverick magnate Oscar S. Wyatt was being tried for wire fraud and prohibited transactions. It is alleged that he paid kickbacks to the Iraqi government to obtain vouchers allowing him to purchase oil through the UN sanctioned “”Oil for Food Program. Ben Berry, head of the FBI white-collar crime unit, said Wyatt was also guilty of “”terrorist financing”" because he violated a Bush order prohibiting these dealings with Iraq.

Wyatt, 83, explained his decision to accept a plea deal by saying that at his age he could “”not …waste any more time fooling with this operation.”" He will serve 18 to 24 months and pay a $11 million fine.

A few others have been indicted for paying kickbacks to Iraq, and there is no way of knowing if Wyatt is innocent or guilty. It seems that the US did not object to people buying oil under the Oil for Food program until 2002, when some went to Syria. It that year, Saddam started demanding kickbacks for vouchers in 2000. Some American firms refused to pay but others continued to do business with him. There is a 2004 CIA report on these operators that runs 918 pages, but the names of firms and individuals were redacted. It is estimated that Saddam may have garnered $10 in illegal profits and that Wyatt may have ponied up a little less than $4 million for $23 million in profits over 7 years.

Few Americans were indicted; although, various sources identified many persons and American firms being involved. Neo-Cons, anxious to discredit the UN, obtained a report by Paul Volcker that showed that many corporate interests were involved. Chevron, which had named a tanker for former employee Condi Rice, was named, along with Mobil Exxon. Marc Rich, whose pardon by Bill Clinton was denounced without end by conservatives, was also named but was not indicted.

What is interesting is the manner and intensity with which the Department of Justice went after Wyatt. The prosecution made Wyatt’s patriotism the issue. His lawyers are trying to exclude from the evidence the diary of an employee of Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization. It states that Wyatt bragged on January 27, 2003, while in Iraq, that he persuaded a US Senator to speak against the proposed invasion. Reuters claimed the senator was Edward Kennedy. The diary also stated that Wyatt warned of a US invasion and estimated the kinds of US forces the Iraqi were likely to face.

The government does not claim he told them anything that was classified. An intelligent reader would assume Wyatt wanted Saddam to back down so that oil would continue to flow. He was probably trying to prevent the war the Bushies were determined to launch.

The prosecution insists upon making him appear a traitor. His attorneys claim this information will prejudice the jury but they admit that Wyatt was no fan of George W. Bush. They add that he flew bombing missions in World War II. Reactionary columnist helped along the government’s case, writing that Wyatt is “”lucky he isn’t charged with treason.”"

Apparently Wyatt’s communications were being monitored since 2001. His former business partner David Chalmers, was also inducted. Chalmers has been described as a big Republican donor, but the fact is that he gave more to Democrats. Since 1989, he and his wife have given more than $500,000 to Democrats. Wyatt has angered the Bushes because he questioned the senior Bush’s claims to have risen in the oil industry from humble origins. In 1990, he and John Connally incurred the wrath of the Bushes again when they negotiated the release of 22 oil workers being held by Saddam Hussein as “”human hostages.”" Mrs. Bush signaled him out in her autobiography for placing “”gain above honor.”" He has frequently been a thorn in the side of the big Texas energy interests, most recently leading a stockholders revolt against El Paso Corp., which had acquired his Coastal Corp.

It has been said that the touch and free-wheeling Wyatt is not even afraid of the devil. He will need every ounce of courage to face up to two years in a federal prison at his advanced age.

Some may draw the conclusion that it is not prudent to make large donations to the Democratic Party. There is a growing body of evidence that the Justice Department could be engaging in selective prosecutions for political purposes. In Mississippi, Paul Minor was sent to prison for donating to the campaign of a state supreme court justice even though Mississippi law seems to open the door to contributions by lawyers and companies. In Wisconsin, Georgia Thompson went to jail for awarding a contract to the lowest bidder. Fortunately, an appeals court reversed her conviction. In Alabama, former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman was sent to prison for appointing a contributor to a state board. In this case, there is compelling evidence that that charges were brought for political purposes.

The author is a retired history professor. Sherm has just released African-American Baseball: A Short History, which can be purchased through Internet book sellers.

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Tags: ethical, issues, articles, business, decision

“Dilemmas that require an ethical explanation are quite common at work. Both employers and employees have to face dilemmas in an organization. Conflicts are bound to arise when an organization has people who are diverse in nationality, age, education, race, religion, sex, socioeconomic status and employment experience. The most common ethical dilemmas at work include power, authority, confidentiality, honesty and loyalty. While resolving these dilemmas, both the employer and the employee have a different perspective.

Employers are often found to be stubborn. According to them, their actions are in the best interests of the organization and are according to the legal code of conduct in the company. Employers never tend to disclose the reasons that lie behind their behaviors. However, they need to develop the skills and experience required for tackling ethical dilemmas. They should assess the situation while taking a neutral stand. Analysis would be proper if they are able to locate the root cause of the conflict. Decisions should be taken after consultation with the affected parties. The consequences of the decision should be analyzed and explained to the management.

The perspective of the employees in an organization is always in a dilemma. The employee does not even know how to work since organization beliefs and values are often kept confidential and are not revealed to the employees. However, it is the responsibility of employers to clearly describe the goals, objectives of the organization to the employee if they are expecting to create a harmonious and acceptable working environment. Employees should be trained to resolve conflicts.

Check Out More Articles :

Student Cheating & Moral Dilemma – Cheap Quick Easy Dinner Recipes here.

Recipes For Making Hot Chocolate Mixes – Holiday Gift Food Baskets, click this link to read more about this topic.

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Tags: ethical, dilemmas, workplace, list, problems

The Equal Employment Opportunity commission (EEOC) defines Sexual Harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when submission to such conduct is made, whether explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual’s employment, submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions, or when the conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

Sexual harassment can include a wide variety of behavior and occurs on various levels, ranging from:

- occasional comments, jokes, touching or gestures

- behavior that persists even after being issued a light, informal
warning or an isolated behavior that is more severe,

- repeated or persistent offensive behavior even after being issued
formal discipline, aggressive touching, or any behavior that is clearly intended to cause offense, even if isolated.

There are two type of harassment under the legal definition:

1/ Quid-Pro-Quo Harassment

This is the when the employer makes sex a prerequisite to getting something in the workplace. For example: ” sleep with me and you’ll get the job.” That’s illegal. This type of sexual harassment is the “casting couch” cliché. Quid-pro-quo can also include negatives. For example, “sleep with me or you’re fired” is also illegal.

Obviously, the woman who is fired because she wouldn’t sleep with the
boss can sue.

Take for example a situation where the boss asks one of his assistants to sleep with him in exchange for a promotion. She does it and gets the promotion. Under the law, she has a claim, because her agreeing to his sexual demands was a condition of the promotion. She also has a
claim if she refused and didn’t get the promotion.

However the conduct must be “offensive”. If two employees have a good time exchanging sexual jokes, it would not be sexual harassment. If one employee kept telling another employee sexual jokes that the second employee found offensive, it would be sexual harassment. If two employees dated and engaged in consensual sex, this would not be sexual harassment. If one of the two then wanted to terminate the relationship, and the other used the unequal relative terms and
conditions of employment of the work place to further the relationship, this would be sexual harassment.

Jokes, pictures, touching, leering, unwanted requests for a date have all been found by courts to be sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be between people of the same sex. Sexual harassment can be awoman harassing a man.

Anyone who is offended by a sexually harassing environment may theoretically sue. However, that employee’s offense must be reasonable. An extremely sensitive person might not be able to
maintain a claim, because her feelings of having been offended were not reasonable.

The reasonableness is evaluated by a standard that is the same as a person in the victim’s circumstances. For example, what a reasonable woman might think is a hostile environment is not necessarily the same as what a man might think is a hostile environment. If it’s a woman
who was harassed, it’s the woman’s point of view that counts.

Victims of sexual harassment can recover for their lost wages, future lost wages, emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys fees.

2/ Hostile Workplace Environment

Hostile environment sexual harassment is a situation in which the employer, supervisor, or co-worker or customer does or says things that make the victim feel uncomfortable because of his or her sex.

Hostile environment sexual harassment does not need to include a demand for an exchange of sex for a job benefit. It is the creation of an “uncomfortable environment”.

If a fellow worker is the one doing the discrimination and harassment, you should follow the company policy and report the conduct to your supervisor and Human Resources. Report it in writing to have proof of the date you reported it, and be sure to be specific about the exact
nature of the discrimination or harassment. Saying things like Joe is bothering me or harassing me is not sufficient. Also, saying that Joe called me the “N” word once is insufficient. Don’t retaliate back, or you can be fired.

Anyone who is offended by a discriminatory or sexually harassing hostile environment may theoretically sue. However, that employee’s offense must be reasonable. An extremely sensitive person might not be able to maintain a claim, if his or her feelings, that have been
offended, were not reasonable.

Again, victims of discrimination or sexual harassment can recover fortheir lost wages, future lost wages, emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys fees.

There are steps that employers are advised to take to protect themselves from employee sexual harassment cases. They should:

· ensure that sexual harassment policies and procedures are in compliance with current state and federal laws.

· Circulate their sexual harassment policy, reinforcing commitment to eliminating and preventing harassment in the workplace.

· Obtain written acknowledgments from employees regarding their receipt of policies.

· Provide sexual harassment training for managers.

· Update sexual harassment investigation pro-cedures for compliance with state and federal law.

· Train human resource’s staff regarding appropriate techniques.

· Conduct an audit of personnel files involving past sexual harassment and discrimination complaints

· Update hiring policies and procedures

It is necessary for all employers to have a detailed policy statement, to protect both themselves, and their employees.

William Meikle is a Scottish tech author, with 20 years experience in IT management. He is available for all freelance writing work. Visitt him and read more free advice at this site.

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Tags: ethical, issues, list, moral, value

Customers are what business is all about. Yet they are too often taken for granted by those who provide services and goods. How the consumer views the marketer is critical to successfully promoting their products.

Yet many marketers try to deceive or hide the truth from the very customers that they depend on. Some marketers look on their potential customers as sheep that are too stupid to see when they are being misled. Got news for you people are not sheep and are a lot more intelligent than they are given credit. The only difference between the seller and the buyer is that one has something to sell and the other seeks purchase certain goods or services.

Both the marketer and the consumer are human beings with varied views and beliefs. No one in this world wants to be deceived, conned, or mistreated. Then why would someone who is in business for themselves want to tarnish their name and reputation by misleading customers because someday down the road the consumer will become aware of this and discontinue using said merchant. Sometimes the authorities of the merchant’s location may find such practices harmful and bring legal proceedings against them.

Businesses that want to be long standing and successful should be ethical in their dealings with the public. Just because someone appears to be getting outstanding results from doing things less than ethical does not give the good business person some green light to do the same. Following in the footsteps of those that are less than honest may seem glamorous to some but the final outcome may be not too favorable to those who choose such a path.

Anything in life worth doing takes commitment and dedicated work. A good merchant seeks to provide the best services and goods to those they serve. A good merchant is always concerned about their customer needs by offering great customer service when a problem arises. The merchant should seek to provide complete and honest details about the services they provide and the goods that they sell.

When sales and service procedures change for those you service be as detailed as possible about changes and how it will affect the consumer. The more open and forthright you are with your customer the fewer problems and misunderstandings there should be. You will never satisfy everyone no matter how upfront and honest you maybe that are just something that happens from time to time. Treating those you serve with kindness and respect will help smooth the way when some misunderstanding does arise. Be quick to respond to problems your customers may present to you seeking to find solutions to remedy their problem. Their problem may seem silly to you but to the one who has the problem it is serious matter that demands your full attention.

The bottom line is the more you are able to make your customers happy the end result is that your life should be more successful and that makes you happy. The merchant’s main goal is to provide the best benefits to the potential consumer and convert them into life long customers of your products and services. How your customers and potential customers perceive your character and ethics has a direct bearing on how you will succeed or fail in your business pursuits.

William R Brandenburg. Visit him here

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Tags: ethical, value, moral, issues, ethics

“Sexual harassment is degrading, inappropriate and embarrassing and has absolutely no place in the modern workplace. This article considers some practical ways of dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace from the organisational perspective.

Adopt a Clear Sexual Harassment Policy.

Any organisation will have a general policy about how employees should behave in the workplace, but a specific sexual harassment policy is becoming an increasingly popular means of communicating clearly to the workforce that inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature, towards colleagues will not be tolerated. Remember sexual harassment whether in a verbal or physical form is a violation of another persons intimate space, which should never occur in the workplace. Organisations should strive to create a safe respectful working environment for staff.

Encourage Reporting

It is the organisation’s responsibility to encourage staff to report incidents of sexual harassment by making the process accessible to all and by being approachable and dealing allegations in a sensitive and confidential manner. Some organisations worry that this inflates sexual harassment incidents, but the reality is that very few employees would report such a serious matter unduly, although it can happen. However, fostering a culture where staff are actively encouraged to report incidents will quickly encourage staff to think before they speak or act in a sexually inappropriate way.

Take Allegations Seriously

It can be a difficult and anxious experience for a member of staff to bring an allegation of sexual harassment to the attention of their employer. Often employees have to overcome a number of internal barriers to do this including concerns about how they will be perceived by staff for reporting an incident and concerns about the effect reporting sexual harassment might have on their long term career within the organisation. All these are real fears for an employee and it is exceptionally rare for an employee to report a sexual harassment incident just for the sake of it. As such the organisation’s response should always be one of taking the allegation seriously and providing support to the alleged victim to make it easier for them to discuss what has happened.

All allegations should be investigated thoroughly by staff who are trained to do so and should be reported to the police with the permission of the victim where required in more serious cases. Remember slapping or patting someone’s bottom or touching another person without the individual’s consent is considered an act of assault in the eyes of the law. As such it is important that the organisation does not try to cover up sexual harassment allegations in a vain attempt to safeguard its reputation.

Educate Staff

Organisations should seek to spend time producing and communicating information about sexual harassment and about what is deemed inappropriate behaviour. Policy documents concerning sexual harassment should be provided to all staff and followed up with presentations to communicate salient points. Get staff discussing the topic in small groups so that they can learn from each other why sexual harassment is inappropriate as peer learning is an effective learning strategy.

Organisations should use posters around the office to highlight inappropriate behaviour. These can be a very powerful tool as it allows staff to challenge inappropriate behaviour or comments easily by drawing the attention of staff to the posters. This often addresses issues quickly and easily and guilty staff are left in no doubt about the organisation’s attitude towards inappropriate behaviour, without it being seen as an individual employee just trying to cause a fuss. This approach takes the emphasis off the employee and places it firmly onto the organisation to create a safe respectful environment.

Suspend the Alleged Offender During Investigations

If an allegation of sexual abuse is bought to the attention of the organisation then always suspend the alleged offender. Whilst this may seem severe in the absence of actual proof, it is unfair to ask the victim to continue to work alongside the person who may have committed the sexual harassment. Suspending the alleged offender gives them time to reflect on what they have done, if they know they are guilty and send a clear message about the seriousness in which sexual harassment in the workplace is viewed. If they are later found to be innocent then they will have lost nothing as they can return to their post.

Never suspend or remove the victim from the workplace, unless they decide they don’t want to be there, as this sends out the message that if you report sexual harassment you will be punished. Alleged victims should never be punished for reporting an incident.

Appoint a Competent Investigator

It is never appropriate for an individual with daily involvement with either party to investigate a sexual harassment allegation. It should always be undertaken in a sensitive manner by a trained member of staff, ideally from the human resources department.

This article was written by J Dawkins who created Friends and Money in March 2007. His site is dedicated to providing reviews of paid survey, social networking, and cash back shopping communities. His aim is encourage visitors to Make Friends, Earn Money online.

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Tags: Ethical, problems, employer, harrasment, law

“Just for a day, given endless possibilities to act without limit and control and with no rule and boundaries I could be!

I could be a chemist; I see water that provide us life, yet its abundances and importance still in trivial stage.

I could be an educator; I see myself, years from now reenacted once again as a reward for my service, yet it’s from the lives of other.

I could be a writer; I see event with no reference to time, a marriage of time and collaborative thinking to write without rules and boundaries, yet find aspiration from my readers.

I could be a doctor; I see lives in abundance; yet find it as unique in any aspect at any form.

I could be a Scientist; I see the nakedness of the atom, yet it is invisible in its natural state.

I could be a Leader; I see my self-alone, yet when I look back, others are walking to the trail of my path.

I could be a potter; I see clay as an object in its dynamic form, yet its unique and static when subjected to fire.

I could be an artist; I see changes of character without hesitation, yet retain the identity of their owner.

I could be a painter; I see color in my hand, yet find inspiration from my subject

I could be an explorer; I see the straightness of the horizon from the level ground and darkness of the deep sea, yet reaching the peek of the mountain reveal the curvature and at the deepest sea a life with light in unbelievable panorama.

I could be a coach; lifting the life of others, yet find inspiration from other world.

I could be a master key maker; opening the doors of opportunities for my self and others yet find simplicity through accessibility.

I could be a navigator; venturing to unfamiliar and yet to be discovered places and territories that other man will be willing to give the remainder of their lives just to conquest their search, yet the searched are with endless possibilities.

I could be a farmer; I see sand as a grain of rice and I could turn desert to a planting field, yet my tools are hands and shovel.

I could be a physicist; I see greatness at full magnitude from the bending of Starlight, yet am able to appreciate the color of the rainbow.

I could be a sword man; I see the outcome of my action through the sharpness of the blade, yet my action is only a focused collaboration of potential thought.

I could be a racecar driver; I see my soul driven apart from my body as I accelerate; yet my whole being is well intact.

I could be a Diamond miner; I see the stone in their rough fess form, yet it has an estimable value.

I could be a Pilot; I see path of line in the sky, I break speed and barrier; yet I have to plummet on ground to fly once again.

I could be a Tactician; I see result of the battle on hand in the core of my collaborative mind, yet everything is virtually and in the state perception and assumption.

I could be a child; I see and seek the warmth embrace of a mother’s arm, yet I will be ages up by time and seek no more, my childhood existence will be forgotten but the memories will still remain until I die.

I could be myself; I see life as dynamic changes with no direct pattern and reference to follows, yet were living as miraculous machines with embedded life instruction manual.

I could be an architect; I see the limitless design through my hand, yet its lay down with steel, concrete, glass, wood, marble and stone.

I could be a Bad Boy; I see and seek trouble through my roughness and arrogance; yet the warrior is just a boy, an oversize kid waiting to be accepted.

I could be a Monk; I see holiness through isolation and discipline in its outmost extend, yet my body is mortal to embrace the crown of life.

I could be a black smith; I see sharpness through reflection of the tough fess sword, yet find contentment through the result of the battle.

I could be a soldier; I see battle as an act of two methods of attack, the direct and indirect approached to win; yet its combination makes an endless maneuver.

Every one can reach their highest potential yet it resides in its normal stage in a kinetic form. The approach of thinking is somewhat define within the box. And outside the realm of possibility is not in the normal stage of recognition. Nor it has reached the view from business perspective and remains a Pandora’s box that no one had tried to open. Through my searched for the business phantom, it seems its identities might be in number that will exceed more than one.

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Tags: ethical, implications, moral, internet, information

- Indira Gandhi

The most significant gesture in business and in life is a handshake. In many cultures it is the unspoken message that accompanies our words. A handshake often takes place when you meet someone new, when you are greeting someone you haven’t seen in a while, when you leave a party or meeting, when you offer congratulations or when you agree on a contract or working arrangement.

Historians agree that the handshake was most likely developed several hundred years ago in England as a method to communicate that you were empty-handed and unarmed during a meeting. Weapons were often concealed in the left sleeve so shaking was done with the left hand. As more people began to travel without weapons it became common to shake with the right hand. Certain historical figures took liberty with shaking hands and created their own custom. George Washington decided that shaking hands was for the common people so he bowed when greeting people in public.

The intent in shaking hands is to make contact “”web-to-web”" with the other person’s hand. The web of your hand is that part between your thumb and forefinger. Extend your hand with your fingers together, in a vertical position, with the thumb up and slightly to the side. Once you make contact with the web of the other person’s hand, close your thumb over the back of the hand and give a slight squeeze with your fingertips. Here’s where so many people go wrong. Some move in for the kill and give a bone-crushing handshake that brings tears to the eyes of the other person. Then there are those who stop at the first hint of contact and never add the little squeeze that indicates there is life and energy in the body. The result is the “”wimpy”" or “”limp”" handshake, sometimes referred to as the “”dead fish.”"

Every country in the world has its own customs for meeting and greeting. Most cultures encourage handshaking more often than the United States. As always, you need to do your research on meeting and greeting before you embark on an overseas trip. If you are a woman, this is critically important since certain cultures do not allow women to touch a man who is not related to them.

Here are some of the most common handshaking rituals around the world:

* In Japan it is normal to shake hands frequently. Sometimes a bow is included or substituted.

* In Europe you shake hands whenever you meet someone even if you know them well.

* Russians tend to shake hands frequently but never while wearing gloves.

* A strong handshake and good grip are appreciated in South Africa.

* A vigorous, pumping handshake is normal for the Chinese.

* Men in Arabian cultures encourage a long and limp handshake along with a specific verbal greeting.

* People in Panama greet each other with eye contact combined with shaking hands.

* The French always shake hands in business meetings but all other greetings involve kissing the cheeks.

* In Kuwait shaking hands is only used for male strangers who meet the first time. Shaking hands with an unrelated female is considered inappropriate.

* Residents of Indian and Pakistan shake hands by grasping your hand in both of their hands and holding your hand briefly.

It is considered impolite to refuse to shake hands but be prepared in case you meet someone who says “”No”" to handshakes because of arthritis, joint problems or a communicable illness such as a cold. The person who is unable to shake hands should always offer an apology and a brief explanation so that the other person does not feel shunned.

You may occasionally encounter someone who does not respond in any way to your outstretched hand. When that happens, simply withdraw your hand and ignore the snub. It’s the other person’s problem, not yours.

Knowing when and how to shake hands is an important business skill whether you are working in your own office or if you are traveling to a meeting 5,000 miles away. Always give the impression of someone who is polite and confident by cultivating a firm, but not crushing, grip and always offer your hand when appropriate.

(c) 2007, Lydia Ramsey, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprint rights granted so long as article and by-line are published intact and with all links made live.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author. Learn from Lydia by using her four LIVE business etiquette broadcasts on DVD or by reading her newest book “”Lydia Ramsey’s Little Book of Table Manners”". You can purchase these business etiquette tools here.

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Tags: ethical, decisions, social, work, behaviour

“Years ago, people in the workplace had a much clearer picture of business ethics and having personal integrity within the workplace. Today, given a recent survey just released by PopCap Games, this traditional definition has been lost and probably forever.

Did you know that 10% of your white collar workers waste their work time playing video games anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour each day? For the average American worker being compensated at $30,000 who is playing video games on company time is costing the bottom line anywhere from $375 to $3750.

For years people complained about smoker’s in the office wasting time and affecting other employees’ productivity. Yet, many of these same complainers see nothing wrong with engaging in activities that are not within their job description. Being someone who was educated to have high work ethics, this behavior is frankly astounding not to mention arrogant and entirely disrespectful.

How can any company function when employees believe that they are entitled to playing a video game to take the edge off their day? Of course, I am sure that these employees including top level executives do not believe that they are costing the company anything. Given the culture of the times, the employees’ beliefs that companies have endless bank accounts and what the heck it is only 15 minutes seem to take over good common sense.

Simply speaking, when employees play video games on company time unless of course they are video game programmers, they are demonstrating extremely poor work ethics and a total lack of personal and professional integrity. There are no excuses for not delivering an hour of work for an hour of pay.

With a shrinking workforce and an expanding economy, business owners will continually face this challenge of poor work ethics or what I called attitudes toward performance. Take the time to review your values statements and create the necessary policies to ensure that your employees play those video games on their own time.

Simply speaking, leaders are readers. If you enjoyed this article, you may find the Leadership Audit of interest here.

Visit me, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, The Chief People Officer for people and organizations or want to improve results here to explore everything from how my solutions double results to articles and resources including the Simply Speaking series.

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Tags: business, ethics, training, course, ethical

“If you’ve watched The Sopranos you know one of the most sacred honors that bind this family organization together is trust. To become a member of this family you must prove yourself, and if accepted, cement this relationship through a blood covenant.

Afterwards your new family becomes your number one priority. Twenty-four hours a day. Everyday. And once you’re in—there is only one human way out.

Your new family becomes the highest priority in your life. They become more important than your own family. You do everything the family leaders want you to do without question. Every action hinges on loyalty and trust.

How would this family handle a breach of trust? They have many solutions depending on the severity of the crime. And punishment is usually harsher than a slap on the wrist.

Yet in today’s I, Me and My society people casually commit multiple breaches of trust. Relationships, partnerships and contracts are violated without an ounce of regard to the other party or to the consequences. Which creates overflow in the courthouses.

As honest business people I know we’re in agreement when I say you don’t want to become a victim of unscrupulous practices, jealous partners or the ever-common business parasite who bleeds your creative juices without compensation. This can happen to the best of us, and unfortunately, the perpetrator normally gets away without penalty. You can vent all you want at the Better Business Bureau, but they don’t have a lot of teeth.

So how can you protect yourself from these kinds of business deal breakers?

Put everything in writing. This is your proof. Avoid oral agreements, as they can backfire on you. You don’t want to be dragged into court saying, “”But your honor, she promised me she would do…”"

(Here’s my disclaimer: I’m not an attorney and this isn’t legal advice. Consult your attorney about legal documents and forms.)

Let’s take a look at how you can protect yourself:

1) A proposal basically shows the potential client what you will do for her. It can include ideas, strategies, your fees and if approved—what the next step will be for both parties.

2) A work-for-hire credits you, the hiring party, as the author of a published work. If you hire a ghostwriter to write your book, a work-for-hire credits you as the author. Other variables may credit the actual author as the co-author or as the inspiration for your work.

3) A deal point memo is a pre-cursor to the actual contract. It summarizes everything in the contract and must be signed by both parties. This makes the contract crystal clear for both parties and saves the expense of lawyers’ fees in case one party backs out at the contract signing.

4) A copyright automatically protects all your written works, expression of an idea or information regardless if you display the © symbol or not. A similar (P) inside a circle means Phonorecord and protects audio recordings. It’s a great idea to file copyrights for revenue-producing products.

Many people ask what they should do if they see their published work pirated into different languages. Here’s my take: you may lose lots of revenues, but you may also reach markets you never would have in record speed. I suggest you have signposts in your work that always point back to your phone number, your address and especially your website.

5) A contract is a legally binding agreement or promises between two parties. It basically details both parties’ responsibilities, the compensation and what happens when one party backs out of the deal. You should include non-compete clauses, rights, waivers, warranties, arbitration and attorney fees. These are usually drawn up, or at least proofread by an attorney.

6) A signed audio/video release gives you certain rights to produce, publish and promote your recorded materials without compensating the participants. This is ideal if you give seminars and teleseminars, which you want to package into CD or DVD albums. You may bar individual participants from attending your event who won’t sign this release.

7) A trademark ™ distinguishes its products or services from those of other entities. It adds a great deal of credibility and tells the world you stand by your products. It’s typically made up of a name, slogan, phrase, logo, design or image. If your trademark is not actively used or promoted for a period of time, you may lose it due to abandonment.

In an ideal world, all we would need is to shake hands to complete a deal. If that’s impossible due to long distance, your word will do. But this isn’t an ideal world. Get together with your attorney to protect yourself from all breaches of trust.

Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy’s Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today here.

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Tags: ethical, issues, training, business, corporate

With the continuously surfacing scandals in Corporate America, the idea that any form of ethics exists in business is suspect. We are also seeing similar situations within the ranks of government and religious leaders. And, the lack of ethics is not confined to America. It’s global!

By definition, ethics reflect the type of morally permissible standards of conduct a group places upon themselves. It is basically a contract with the society an entity serves. Greed, the desire for power, and blind ambition are some of the factors that have all but eliminated ethical standards. We have lost our conscience. It seems that anything one can get away with to reach their defined pinnacle of success is becoming more and more acceptable.

But the truth of the matter is that a society without rules is a society that is on the brink of chaos and self destruction. Likewise, a society with the wrong kind of rules will ultimately suffer the same fate. Now I’m not sounding the doomsday bell. We still have much residual ethics left in the world to overcome the current trend. But, like a natural resource, our supply is getting lower and we must reverse this downward spiral otherwise a valuable fabric of human society will disappear.

What about you? Do you have your own personal code of ethics that form the core of your decision making process? Allowing a small slip today, without a checks and balance system, can ultimately lead to a major spill. Bad habits start small and can quickly grow into an unethical monster. Without conscience serving as a standard of measurement, ethics disappear.

Once we could say that a strong religious orientation was a good standard to govern our ethical conduct. But today, when religious zealots kill in the name of their god, they taint the idea that religious beliefs always produce ethical behavior. Patriotism was once considered a driver of ethical behavior. In my lifetime, I have witnessed a sharp decline in the loyalty to the American ideals of yesteryear. We now have leaders in America speaking out against these ideals almost to the point of being treasonous. These are scary times.

Call me a sentimentalist or a fool but I believe that eventually good triumphs over evil. The lackluster presence of any kind of ethical standards simply means that the effort to turn the direction of our global society must be increased. There has always been unethical behavior in the world. Apathy and acceptance of behavior blatantly unethical must be replaced with a commitment to return to sound principles of conduct. As a starting point, let me suggest that if we simply all began to follow the mandates of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, we’d be very much on the path of corrective action.

Start with yourself. Hold “”you”" to high standards and morally sound ethical principals centered on the eleven rules just mentioned. By your example, others will begin to see the soundness of your actions. Your life can affect the life of friends and family. Don’t underestimate the power of one. Make a difference by teaching the world to return conscience to decision making.

The next time you face a particularly difficult decision, try answering these questions:

* Can I share my decision with everyone?

* Is it legal?

* How does the decision make me feel about myself?

* Who does this decision negatively impact?

* Why am I making this particular decision?

* Have I clearly defined the problem requiring a decision to be sure I’m addressing the correct issue?

* Does this decision serve the company or me personally?

* Is the decision based upon facts consistent with fair play?

* Is the decision consistent with organizational values and culture or my own personal system of ethics?

* Is the decision fair and balanced to those it impacts?

The answers to the above list of questions will clearly identify the ethics of a decision relative to your own personal standards. By being very clear on our five to ten core values, we establish the ground rules for running our life. We know when we act contrary or incongruent to our values. Ignoring this feeling usually gets us in trouble. Most understand the difference between right and wrong. They just choose to follow wrong!

Some Final Thoughts on Ethics

Everyone has moral autonomy. We have the power to make individual choices, important to us, as we move through life. Choices are based upon the personal set of values we’ve established as rules for how we will live our life. Most understand that all choices are not necessarily ethical. But most know when such choices are made.

Whatever ethical standards we’ve established for ourselves are with us twenty-four hours a day. There is no different set of business ethics. Our personal ethics come to work with us.

We need to be more keenly aware when we have ethical lapses and continuously strive to make them less frequent. Life is not perfect and we are not perfect. Placing a high moral standard to govern our actions is the right thing to do. The question to answer is, “Do we have the moral courage to do so?”

Billy Arcement, MEd.,-The Leadership Strategist, is a seasoned professional speaker, author, facilitator and coach. Learn more about his services at his website

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Tags: ethics, decision, making, ethical, leaders

“As soon as the schools return this serious matter of bullying quickly returns to take up our attention. It is like a virulent virus in these present days.

It is epidemic in proportion in some places, and not only epidemic, but also demonic. A spirit of bullying can infect a school or business. O yes, this is not limited and restricted to young people. Adults can be adept at bullying. How many bosses are regarded as bullies and that ought not to be. Know that it can be dealt with and stopped. More than one method may be needed to produce the desired result.

Twice during his lifetime and ministry, Jesus Christ cleansed The Temple in Jerusalem of all unscrupulous trading.

He stopped the opportunistic bartering, and within the week God closed down the Temple, opening up a better way.

This greatly upset the religious authorities, and they began to put pressure on Jesus.

They started bullying Jesus.

Bullying can arise when people get away from God. They forget that God sees their every action and hears each word.

Rebels are slippery cunning characters and they will do anything to avoid being discovered. When rebels resort to bullying it is serious and sore. Have you found that where you work? Most large establishments have someone who for some peculiar reason likes to through his or her weight around. Yes, it can be a woman too. Women are not exempt from such activities.

Satan is a bully. He will go for those who are weak. He always does. He looks for those who know they are vulnerable and he attacks suddenly and surprisingly. His shock tactics can throw a person if he does not know is happening.

Might this be why we are currently hearing so much about bullying? As people move further away from the Word of God, something or someone else takes over.

Before Jesus began preaching and teaching, God raised up John, who exercised a brief, but powerful, ministry beside the Jordan River. All kinds of needy people came to him and he dealt with various problems and issues. Crowds clamoured to hear John speak and preach, but John was not an open air entertainer.

He was a man of God, and when people wanted to do something about the way they had been living John took them into the waters of the Jordan and baptised them. It was like a bath for those who were morally and spiritually dirty. God was getting people to clean up their act.

Some Roman soldiers, who realised they were behaving badly, asked John, “”What should we do?”"

John replied, “”Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely.”"

In other words, “”Don’t bully.”"

Having a bully around at school, or work, or in the home, is horrendous. A bully is a horrid person.

These soldiers knew what they were like and so did God’s man, John.

People who are aware that they are bullies do not like themselves, and they do not like what they are doing. Something or someone else takes over!

It can be sorted out. Most do not want to continue living that nasty way, and there is no need to.

There is an effective cure.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at this site, entitled “”Word from Scotland”" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.

His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.

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Tags: ethical, issues, contemporary, business, companies

It’s all about a stock company where pump and dump and take no prisoners is the way to the ten thousand square foot Hamptons house and everything else. It’s just about the worst example of business ethics run amok that Hollywood has ever captured. It makes “Wall Street” look like “”Breakfast At Tiffany’s.”

The thing the movie did well to point out is the time frame that comes with a lack of business ethics. It’s beyond short. And for good reason.

You go to the video store with a crisp twenty dollar bill and rent a video for the kids. As you pay for the rental (which by the way has gotten outrageous in price) you get your change back and all you see in your hand are three dollars and eighty-one cents. You politely tell the manager that there must have been a mistake, as you handed him a twenty, and he tells you that you only gave him ten.

Oh, boy.

You saw the twenty move into his till. You only had a twenty and there he is telling you that it was a ten. And his inflexibility is astounding. Quick inquiry here…no matter how close in proximity this video place is to your house, are you headed back there any time soon? More than that, will your friends and neighbors hear of your little encounter?

You’d better believe it.

Business ethics is a MUST. An absolute have to have to survive element.

And while it is easier to lose sight of that while operating online, no where else is it more important. Talk about irony.

When I write my autoresponders for my clients, I have one goal in mind…theirs. Period. And if possible, over-delivering is a smart way of operating. Writing emails campaigns affords a lot of people shelter from the ethics that they should be putting into everything they do. From experience, I can assure you that I’d be holding a tin cup filled with pencils feigning blindness for cash if I wasn’t being ethical as I craft my campaigns.

Do the right thing.

Kevin Browne is a former Creative Director and Senior Copywriter at agencies including J Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson and Young and Rubicam. Kevin now runs this site where he shows web owners how to FINALLY best way to make my site profitable.

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Tags: business, ethics, survive, ethical, company

Many people wonder if business ethics is just a buzzword that has been tossed around lately, due to some of the aggressive tactics we have seen them as we enter the 21st century. I assure you, it is here to stay. What needs to be done is for more people to brush up on their ethics, as they relate to business, to make sure they always operate with a high standard of moral conduct. In this article, I will discuss with you why this is important to help you with your business.

Business ethics training comes in two forms — one for the employer and one for the employee. For the employer, a good sense of what type of ethics are required as a business owner is needed, because the owner is the one who makes all the final decisions. They need to be a good leader and a representative of somebody who has strong moral and ethical ideology, if they are going to expect the same from their employees.

For the employee, business ethics training is even more important. Especially for somebody who is new on the job. If you start early, and instill a good sense of ethical conduct within your employees, or as an employee cultivate these ethics within yourself, then you can be assured of working in a company that will not fall prey to deceptive practices and fraudulent processes.

It is important that you take the time to develop your own sound business ideology, as it relates to ethics. You must consider what is acceptable, and what is not, as far as practices are concerned. On your own, you can only do so much. But, if you consult with professionals to help you design your own code of ethics, you will be that much better off.

Consider the facts — every day there are certain ethical codes in business that are being violated, even by people who otherwise have been upright and outstanding citizens. How does this happen? How can a three to seemingly honest person one day do something stupid, and jeopardize the company, or even worse — get thrown in jail?

It was because they did not have a well developed ethical business code, which you can receive with the proper training. So consider this type of training a valuable resource, if you want to build a strong solid foundation and business environment.

Want to learn more about Business Ethics? Steven Ross has written many more fascinating articles here

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Tags: business, ethics, training, course, ethical

Money one of the most sought after things in the entire known universe. Money is nothing more than a tool that is needed to survive in this planet. Without it you do not eat in most cases, you do not have a roof over your head, and other essentials that are needed to survive require someone’s money either your own or those who provide for you.

We work to earn or gain money so that we are able to purchase those things we deem needed. If you desire and expensive car or a piece of junk they both require money to purchase and to operate. To provide for your family, religious organization, government, and charities you must supply them with a source of money for their existence and well being.

Yet you hear people claim that money means nothing to them but that it is a means to an end. The end is something that they desire or need so they are not being true to themselves about how they value money. The more you have the more you may purchase or the more that you can contribute to what you find value in.

The poor are just dependent on money as those who have much. If there is no one to provide for the poor their very existence is in jeopardy. No person can survive without food and if no one provides a way for the poor to be fed they cease to exist. With out money to provide for bandages and medicine those who need such things will suffer greatly.

There is nothing in the world wrong with desiring to have nice and elegant things or to go on exotic trips. If you earn or make money by providing goods and services honestly and ethically you are actually assisting others by your spending and purchases. The more you are able to spread around helps numerous people obtain those things they need and desire.

If you belong to a religious organization as many people across this world, that organization likes it when you have more to give them to use in their activities. The charities across the world like those who give to their causes so the more you can give the more their causes can be met. Governments love to tax those who have much so they can sponsor their payrolls and provide the services they fund.

The love or obsession of money can and does lead to a multitude of evils that plague the world such doing harm to others by fraud, stealing, and murder to name a few things that can and do happen when people let the lust for money control their thinking. Money is not evil it is just a tool but the lust for it has cause many to stray from the road of honesty and values of human existence.

To not participate in today’s economies and let other people take care of you when you have the means to support yourself does a disservice to those who provide for your needs and the world as a whole. Those who are in poverty through no means of their own need and deserve the assistance of those who have the means. Just as those who horde all that they have and give no assistance when able appear to give no value to the world or themselves.

Money is a great tool that used wisely adds to the value of human life and those who use it wrongly take away from the true values of this world which is human beings. So making money and using it wisely is a very good thing for the whole world.

Remember these few things that take lots of funds to operate, hospitals, medical research, providing food to the needy, police forces, fire departments, schools, and the roads you travel upon. So get out there and devise ways to make more so that you can do your share in aiding in these and other establishments plus providing the best for yourself and those you love.

William R Brandenburg
Visit him at his Website

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Tags: ethical, issues, contemporary, business, companies

Is it possible for a business to be concerned about anything apart from making money? The idea does not seem to have any sense. We associate the word “”business”" with profits, losses, money, success, and failure. It is true that a sustainable businesses must make more of a profit than a loss – unless it has an exterior source of funding. However, there is a subtle difference between this and the idea that a business must make a maximum profit, and focus on this at all costs.

Maximum profit at all costs

Without doubt there are businesses – perhaps the majority – that would fit under this category. However, there are also a number of businesses that have alternative goals. Increasingly, there are businesses that see the importance of maximising benefits in addition to their goal of maximising profits.

Corporate social responsibility

Many businesses now highlight the fact that they are “”caring”" businesses, with other focusses than profit-making. This is seen when large corporations donate a percentage of money to charities, or run their own aid scheme. Some may question whether this is truly altering a business’ goals or whether the business is reacting to increase its attraction to potential or existing customers.

A clever ploy or real

So is there a way to tell if a business is truly motivated by doing good, or whether they are conning their clients into believing they are? It should be possible with sufficient research and analysis of the business in question, to identify where the goal of the business came into being. However, the opaqueness of many corporations may make this next to impossible. Regardless, the question must be asked whether the motive is important in this case, if the outcome is benefitting society.

A special case: charities and non-profit organisations

Although these would be seen by many as the prime example of a business not about making money, there is a caveat. Some non-profits are so focussed on gaining funds from grant-giving organisations or donations, that the difference between them and profit-focussed business is blurred.

Conclusion

Businesses may or may not be motivated by anything more than making a profit. However, in recent times, businesses have been focussing on increasing their corporate social responsibility, and at least in effect not operating as entities with the sole goal of profit-making. The result has a been an increase in funds directed to social causes. Customer demand is likely to be at least part of the reason for this development, and so for this trend to continue and increase, customers should shop where they see businesses operating in an ethical manner.
Ben Coleman is the CEO and owner of Real Free Websites. He has been designing websites and working on website technologies since 1999. Real Free Websites was created to fill a niche: to offer free or low-cost customized websites and top quality hosting combined with an ethical approach.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

It seems that whenever internet marketing is discussed, business ethics and moral issues form background issues. Starting an online business is well within the price range of every person who has a modem and a computer. The fact that its is so cheap to get in, many people have lowered the standard of the entire industry.

The goal is sometimes to make customer paralysed until expiry of the guarantee period. During this period the customer has the power if they bought through a trusty payment processor.

The ethics come into play from the minute the idea pops in the brain of its creator until the business closes down and the last share holder has been paid his or her share. There is no single place for integrity and ethics in a business just as there is no place for playing around in a business.

When a customer contacts you and wishes to demand an unnecessary activity from your business or employees, and they cannot be reasoned with. There is room to terminate contact with that customer and bar them from any further interaction with your organisation. This is also part of ethics towards yourself and your staff, because the customer may not always be right.

How do you deal with a customer who feels that the product was misrepresented? You ask them if they are happy with the product and make yourself or company available to support them until they are happy. FAQ’s and auto-responders are there to deal with frequent queries but ideally you should try to limit them down by improving the product or the delivery of that product so that the query becomes a irrelevant.

I have seen websites with FAQ’s that were pages long and they were actually proud of it. Who has the time to wade through all that mess and read some question that might not be related to them? If you disagree try and get assistance from that website and see how you feel when they direct you to their FAQ’s. Would you buy their next product?

The best marketing presentations cover all those questions that a customer might have before they buy. This is part of ethical behaviour in any type of venture. Unethical companies make up the majority of the failed start-ups between 1 and 5 year period.

To search more information on currently available on the latests marketing techniques and online business opportunities, please click here Article written by Thoriso Mashego.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

A new organizational paradigm is needed in order to avoid the all too common lapses in legal and ethical behavior which is seen in organizations in the world today. Ethics can no longer be seen by management of organizations as a side-line activity that is only meant to meet legal and regulatory guidelines, while leaders focus on the more important issues of profitability and the bottom line. Rather, ethics must be seen as a core function of every leader in every organization. To avoid pitfalls of ethical lapses which effect not only the individual, but also the team, the company, shareholders, customers, and the general public, ethics cannot be seen as less important or less urgent than any other managerial and/or leadership function.

In the past, the organization itself may not have been viewed as having direct responsibility for the ethical or unethical behavior of individual members of the organization. Unethical actions of members of the organization were seen as the sole responsibility of the individual. The individual alone could be held accountable for lapses in ethical behavior and the organization itself may not have been seen has having any further responsibility in the matter (Seeger, 2001, p. 3). However, as organizations have become more complex and interconnected, individual responsibility has proven more difficult to ascertain (p. 4). This is true whether we are discussing the responsibility of the successful launch of a new product or not reporting ethical violations. In most any organization today it would be nearly impossible to assign any one individual responsibility for the successful launch of a new product, so it is equally difficult to lay sole accountability for only one individual within an organization who may not report fraud. Was it the researcher who first thought of the idea, or the team who developed the product or the marketing manager or the sales team who is accountable for the success of the new product; or is a combination of all of them? In just the same manner, is it the person who does not report fraud to blame, or his manager who pushes for improved results with less emphasis on reporting procedures, or the legal department for not teaching the proper procedures to make reports, or the Human Resource department for not clearly explaining the rules; or is it an organizational shortcoming where all contribute to the lapses in ethical behavior?

In too many organizations “”ethical issues are often positioned in opposition to the more important questions of organization profitability”" (p. 4). However, in the new paradigm, shareholders cannot be seen as the only, or the most important stakeholder. Rather, all stakeholders must be seen as equally important for the organization to avoid a narrow economic focus which may lead to lapses in ethical behavior which in the end, lead to severe economic and legal consequences for the organization and its stakeholders (p. 4).

New managers and leaders must focus time and energy not only on making the organization profitable, but they must learn to help individuals in the organization recognize situations which may cause ethical dilemmas and ways in which to apply ethical behavior in a way that satisfies all stakeholders. Teaching individuals how to apply ethics when it comes to moral controversies must become a key focus of leaders in the new paradigm (p. 7). “”Applied ethics focuses on norms and guidelines of professional practice, methodologies for promoting ethical decision-making, various codes of conducts and how these function to promote discussion, informal decisions, and resolve practical ethical problems (p. 7). This focus must become a new major responsibility of every manager and leader within the new organization.

Texas Instruments is an example of a company that embodies this new organizational paradigm of management. The National Academy of Engineering cites example of how Texas Instruments’ leadership is focusing on ethical behavior on its on line ethics center (www.onlinethics.org). The company has created a website for employees to visit which lists hundreds of articles which have been published in corporate magazine TINews.

Examples like Texas Instruments show how a new paradigm is developing in organizations regarding the managerial focus on ethical behavior. Such focus will have beneficial effects on all stakeholders and a long term benefit to the bottom line by improving stakeholder relations and avoiding costly lapses in ethical behaviors which are damaging to the organization and its stakeholders.

References:

Seeger, M., (n.d.). Ethics and communication in organizational contexts: Moving from the fringe to the center. Retrieved July 6, 2007 from a website

On line Ethics Center (visit the website). Retrieved July 10, 2007

Since founding Magnify Leadership and Development, James has developed, facilitated and coached programs including; Change Leadership, Coaching, Communication Skills, Sustaining Learning, Interviewing Skills, Leadership, Territory Management for dozens of leading global organizations; including, Advantis Research and Consulting, IMS, CMOE, Pfizer, Sinclair, Disetronic Medical Systems, StratX, ASTD, Coventry Health Care, Wilson Learning, and many others. James is bilingual and can facilitate and coach in both English and Spanish.

Prior to founding Magnify Leadership and Development, James headed Pfizer’s Learning and Development for all of Europe, Canada, Africa and the Middle East where he was instrumental in the development of a global management curriculum and other training initiatives to enhance organizational effectiveness for over 30,00 employees.

Visit James website to learn how we can you with your leadership and communication development needs.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

“For the most part, female and male clients are different and they should be managed differently. They act different, talk different, and often expect different results from working with their freelance graphic designers. This isn’t to say that one is better than another – they are equal, but different.

Should you assume that when you work with a male client that you have to be analytical and conventional, and with female clients you have to get in touch with “your feelings”?

Of course not. People are individuals. While there are guidelines in how to deal with females versus males, that’s all they are: guidelines.

Below are some guidelines I’ve come up with from years of working with clients – direct observation from working with over one hundred male and female clients each. Again, one client isn’t better than another one, and there are MANY exceptions to the rule, but this is what I’ve learned and use as guidelines:

I’ve tried to be as politically correct and yet fair and honest about both sexes. Feel free to post your comments, but please don’t call the “PC Police” – these are observations, not facts. I know there are exceptions to the rule, that’s why I’ve called these “guidelines”.

Female Clients:

I use the word “feel” more

Emotionally driven

Want to enjoy the process

Need you to pay attention to them

Task oriented

Change their minds a little more

I give comfort, reassurance

Have to feel good about the project and working with you

Male Clients:

I use the word “think” more

Logically driven

Want to get good results

Need you to hit deadlines

Results oriented

Change their minds a little less

I give facts, figures

Have to feel good about the results

What I’ve found in my 10 years working as a designer is that men and women for the most part are different, but everyone should be treated as an individual. Going in with a game plan like, “”This potential client is a woman, so I’ll need to do XYZ…”" is a huge mistake that can cost you the client as well as respect.

Just knowing there are differences between the two, and having them in the back of your mind when talking to potential clients is enough for any graphic or web designer. Bottom line: understand there are differences – treat everyone as an individual.

Are you a starving graphic artist? Are you having trouble finding clients? Do you wish you knew what to say to clients and how to say it so you sound more polished and professional?

Learn specific approaches that will make you stand out as a freelance designer from literally hundreds of other designers just like you that potential clients can chose from. And get more clients and more projects; stop wishing and become a success now.

Visit this site now, register to take the Designer Challenge and see how you stack up against the competition, AND your 2 free complementary chapters of the Being a Starving Artist Sucks book, AND an additional bonus surprise – all for FREE. These are insider secrets from successful, money-making designers you’re not going to learn in a college or online course.

Change your destiny as a freelance designer, become the successful artist you always hoped you would. Visit this site now, or check out the blog here

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Tags: ethical, dillemas, issues, training, legal

“There’s more to life than just making money and creating results. Life is really about connecting. Life is about developing a network. Life is about reaching out and assisting other people to achieve their dreams. When you’re able to do that, your dreams will come true more quickly than you ever imagined.

Back in 1997, I had a breakthrough year. Many hundreds of thousands of dollars flowed into my bank account and even though it was overwhelming at times, I look back and say, “”Wow, my breakthrough year.”" What most people don’t understand is that I was in that process for about eight years. It all showed up in that one year and it all showed up not because I was a great salesman, but because I had evolved into a position where I had finally learned the difference between selling to people and developing the right people.

This I call the law of attraction. I looked up one day and had all these great people in my organization and realized that it was a by-product of my own charisma, my own energy. I had evolved to a position that people wanted to follow. People believed in me because I had started to believe in myself. I’d crossed that invisible barrier, developed that sense of certainty, and moved into the space occupied by people who really understand the game of life.

They start to understand that life is about service and value, and giving back, not just taking, and that everything operates off a yin and a yang, a give and a take, and you’ll get exactly what you expect. When you expect to struggle, the Universe will reward you with exactly what you expect. When you expect to flow, to reside, be hands-free, evolve and start to become the person you’ve always deserved to be, the Universe will also reward you with its own sense of abundance.

Most people never get to that phase because they never really start. Most people think they’re doing something, but they’re using their heads instead of operating from their hearts. When you’re in your heart, you are passionate, you are feeling. There’s a zest for the game. You can’t wait to play. Life is nothing more than a game and you don’t work for a living. You don’t trade time for dollars.

You are creating a palette in your design of your life. You’re moving people. You’re part of it. You’re all of it. You’re moving and shaking. You can’t wait to get up. You wake up before the alarm goes off and you say, “”Wow, five-thirty. I get to work out right now. I get to work out and then I get to connect with people.”"

People ask me all the time, “”Aren’t you a workaholic? Don’t you ever have fun?”" They don’t understand that every breathing moment that I am on this Earth plane I am having fun because I don’t do anything that isn’t fun anymore. I will not operate from guilt. When someone tells me to do something, I’m only going to do it because I feel it will be fun, not because I have to. Operating from fun means you come from your heart. But when you have to make yourself do something, you’re operating from your head. That’s a job. That’s trading time for dollars. But when life is fun, you’re in your heart. People sense it.

They want to be a part of it. They want to be around you. They want to touch you. They want to connect with you. They want to flow with you. They want you to lead them to the land of Paradise, the Promised Land. When you can radiate and resonate and feel and operate like this, people want to be around you.

When you operate like this, greatness starts to show up in your life because it’s showing up in your heart. The more it’s in your heart, the more you exude it.

It’s an internal experience that starts to radiate out of you externally. That’s when you operate from a telepathic position that says, “”I am the leader you are looking for.”" You’re consciously sending this message telepathically through thought waves, and in synchronicity, people who are supposed to hear your message become magnetized to these moments.

I call these, ‘Ah-ha’ moments. It’s radiating from your heart, not your head because if you’re in your head, you’re over-analyzing rather than being in the present moment. People don’t understand the value of time.

Time is your most valuable commodity. There are 86,400 seconds in every single day, 1,440 minutes, one hour, one day, one week, one month, one year, and one lifetime. What are you doing right now to create value in yourself? Obviously, if you are reading this, you are gaining a deeper perspective because, at least in the moment, you are in the process of changing just by taking the effort to gain the empowering perspectives of this information.

When it comes to change, sometimes change is gradual. Sometimes change is big, and sometimes change is small, and sometimes you’re changing and you don’t even know you’ve changed and you wake up one day and you realize, “”Wow, this is the life I’m leading. This is the life I deserve. I am the person that people are looking for. I am becoming the artist who’s designing my life.”"

When you operate this way, people want to be a part of you. They want to be in your energy, and instead of people being repelled by you; they are magnetized to you. People are touching you. They’re feeling you, and I’m talking about your energy, and when this happens, you have crossed an emotional bridge.

Jeffery Combs is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, and author committed to assisting people with personal growth and development. He can be contacted online here. Jeffery & Erica Combs host The More Heart Than Talent Mindset Conference each and every January to assist you to create quantum leaps to success in your enterprise by bringing world-class speakers and personal development experts together in an inspiring and empowering 3 day forum EVERYONE can afford to attend!

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Tags: ethical, theories, training, moral, philosophy

“It used to be the stolen kisses in the cleaning closet and the joint business trips, but today’s tracking of illicit employee behavior has reached a new level of surveillance. Almost every communication and every message is tracked, recorded and cataloged by a company’s IT department. Here are three things to watch out for if you are personalizing your work communications:

Email – In the US, organizations own the email that their employees use to conduct work. They own all the communication, even email flagged as private. Routinely companies are being required to capture and store all electronic emails in the case of litigation and discovery.

This means that if you are using the company’s email system to send notes and messages to your lover while at work, there is an extremely high likelihood that it is being captured, stored, and indexed for later retrieval. There is third-party software on the market that is able to actively monitor internal email within a corporation.

Two examples are Mimesweeper for Microsoft Exchange from Clearswift and Reveal for Novell GroupWise from GWAVA. And don’t think you are being sneaky by deleting those emails right after you send them. Today, most email systems allow the employee to delete the email from their local storage, but retain a copy on the corporate email server that is later backed up.

A rule of thumb with email…life is short, email is forever.

Instant Messaging – Relatively new in the corporate space, IM has been around a long time amongst teens, now referred to as Chat. Instant messaging allows instantaneous communication between two computers. One person writes something which appears instantly on the other person’s computer. The other recipient is able to instantly respond back in real-time.

Instant Messaging used to be considered a fairly safe means of communicating something in secret, but today many companies track the ports through the company’s firewall that allows chat. This monitoring oftentimes includes capturing of all chat messages for storage as part of the electronic communication of the organization.

Chat also allows the sending of live video feed as well as documents. Chat messages oftentimes pass through a third-party server and can be captured and stored; also, most Chat software today has automatic archiving built in. Even if you believe it is being deleted on your side, the other side might be capturing everything.

Dateline’s To Catch a Predator is an excellent example of people who thought they were chatting in private only to have their secret messages read aloud on national television. A company delivering Instant Messaging Monitoring is Pearl Software with their IM Echo product.

Texting – With the advent of mobile devices, texting has gained popularity in the US, especially within companies deploying BlackBerry devices. Texting is the ability to send a text message between devices similar to the manner that Instant Messaging sends messages between computers.

Referred to as SMS, or Texting, these devices can send short or long messages straight to the recipient without using an email client or email server. More and more companies are now using software Retain for BlackBerry Enterprise Server from GWAVA to track the communication of their employees using texting devices.

One company deployed BlackBerry SMS and PIN tracking software with a sampling of their corporate log files. Within the first hour a Senior Executive was identified as having an affair with another employee simply from the content of the text messages.

In the good old days you could avoid getting caught at work having an affair by being discreet and not showing any outward signs, but today, a short email, an errant instant message, or a quick indiscreet text can get you tracked, caught, and exposed almost as fast as you sent the message in the first place. A word of advice, don’t leave an e-trail. Stick to love notes passed under the desk. Your career may just thank you.

Richard Bliss is VP of Marketing with with worldwide BlackBerry text monitoring software provider GWAVA. Visit them online for the latest in GroupWise email monitoring software and see why GWAVA is the #1 software provider to the Novell GroupWise community of users

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Tags: internet, ethical, ethics, business, information

Where are First Generation Hispanic workers?

Well you will see a lot of them working in the field or outside in the hot sun. Why do they do this kind of labor? Good question, the answer to that is easy. First Generation Hispanics are willing to do the jobs that no one else will do. That of course is not to say that others will not do it, but these workers have no choice because this kind of labor does not need a W-2, you just work for a days pay. They provide excellent services and they do the best work. They will work until they are about to pass out. The sad thing is that many companies in America will take advantage of these workers.

Since a lot of First Generation Hispanic workers, not all, do not have a social security number they will work for a days pay. These workers get paid daily as supposed to receiving a check every two weeks or every month. These workers are constantly looking for work. You will see them in the Southern part of the United States waiting on corners or close to high traffic areas waiting for contractors to pick them up to do work. Most of these workers will specialize in some kind of work for example, a welder or a carpenter. Since they don’t speak fluent English it is difficult for these workers to negotiate prices with contractors so they usually do work cheaper, faster, and better than the normal worker in America.

Visit this site for more information about this topic.

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Tags: workplace, ethics, work, workers, ethical

“You’ve probably heard that it’s much easier and less expensive to get existing customers to buy from you than it is to go find new customers. And it’s a true statement for all businesses whether they are on or off-line.

Yet many businesses take the approach that getting new customers is their number 1 priority. They actively seek out those interested in their wares, entice them to buy and then after they make the sale they treat them like D.I.R.T.

D – Disposable

I – Insignificant

R – Removable

T – Trivial

One of the things that has always confused and irritated me is how some businesses penalize their customers for their loyalty. Here’s an example of what I mean:

We used to live in the Denver, CO metro area and subscribed to both of the Denver newspapers. (Yes, there used to be 2 large, popular newspapers in Denver.) Almost every year we received notices that the subscription rates were going up. This went on for several years and we didn’t think much about it since it seemed the price of just about everything was always going up.

Then 1 day I received a sales call for 1 of the newspapers. Like most telemarketing phone calls, they went through their entire sales pitch and offered me a “”special rate”" if I would subscribe before I had a chance to tell them I was already a subscriber. When I did tell them I was a subscriber they thanked me for subscribing and were just about to hang up when I asked – “”Since I am already a subscriber can I get the special rate?”"

This question seemed to shock them when they stuttered, “”no.”"

I then asked them why not and their response was that the special deal was only for “”new”" subscribers.

Since the special deal was for more than 60% off the normal subscription price of several hundred dollars a year, I was, shall we say, slightly perturbed.

When we hung up I immediately called the subscription department for the paper and asked them about getting the discount that new subscribers were getting. They also stated that I couldn’t because it was “”only for new subscribers.”"

As soon as they finished the statement about only new subscribers getting the discount, I replied, “”I see, then cancel my subscription – TODAY.”"

Did I ever take that paper again? Yes, 1 year at a time.

You see, I knew that every 6 months there was a subscription drive to get new subscribers. And even if I didn’t get a phone call, I’d see a table set up at any of the grocery stores I visited where I could get a new subscription with a new subscriber discount. Plus, if I signed up at 1 of these tables, I’d get an additional gift.

Now I’m not opposed to giving gifts to get new subscribers. I do it myself. What does upset me is having a business that I’m paying on a regular basis tell me I have to pay more because I am already 1 of their customers.

To this day I don’t understand why that newspaper and many other businesses treat their loyal customer base so badly.

The point I am trying to make is: while you’re working so hard to gain new subscribers and customers, treat your existing subscribers and customers like the precious gems they are. Don’t forget about them and don’t penalize them.

As online marketers we are always looking for new and better ways of doing things so we can increase our profits. We look for ways to increase our traffic and ways to increase our conversion rates. We look for ways to build our lists and then for ways to get more of our subscribers to buy from us. Unfortunately, some of us forget that making our loyal subscribers and customers feel special is 1 of the best ways to keep and profit from them. Over the years I’ve offered several different free gifts to gain new subscribers. However, when I put the gift online I also either send out a mailing to my list giving them the same gift or make it available inside the member area. When I’ve sent a mailing about the addition of a bonus on an existing sale, I’ve included information about how those who had already purchased the product it could also get the free bonus.

Am I obligated to give my existing subscribers and customers the new free gift. No, it’s not an obligation. It’s just good business.

Unfortunately, too many businesses have forgotten the old business practice of. “”take care of your customers and they will take care of you.”"

To Your Success,
Susan Carroll

——–

Susan has been helping people with their online marketing for more than 4 years. You’re invited to join her free membership site at: FriendsWhoCare.us where she gives many free tools and resources.

You may re-publish the article in its entirety, with the resource information at the bottom left intact.

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Tags: ethical, management, power, financial, resource

“Adjust PS is frequently being approached for help and support by businesses who are increasingly being critiqued on their treatment of green and environmental issues. Often the most highly visible aspect of a green business plan includes purchasing and the supply chain. Suppliers are being held to a higher standard, subjected to greater scrutiny and expected to respond to these challenges.

Procurement solutions to the environmental question can be achieved using business models already in place. These types of systems and processes are already applied to cover non-green issues when firms are dealing with their suppliers. Supplier audits already include checks for compliance with other regulations governing workforce diversity, workplace conditions, etc, so that the same model can be applied to cover environmental standards. Requesting environmental information is asking suppliers to become more accountable and then this information can be put into a balance scorecard to measure their performance, creating an incentive for them to improve.

By involving suppliers early and often in product, process, and strategic decisions that impact them, it is possible to reduce the potential negative fall-out from any changes. Add suppliers to planning teams to implement design for environment initiatives and, within your own company, seek to collaborate at multiple levels, involving the technical personnel that plan and manage day-to-day operations.

Sustainable Procurement refers to ‘policy-through-procurement’ issues where purchasing choices are seen as a lever to achieve wider objectives. These lofty goals may seem to pose a difficult challenge, but it all comes down to procurement having a key rôle in the business, together with the ability to assess suppliers correctly. Implementing environmental procurement may require a larger initial investment of time and effort, but it can pay lasting dividends in terms of reduced product life-cycle cost, overall cost efficiency, and minimized environmental risk.

A growing number of suppliers now recognize that the environmental qualities of their products can be a competitive advantage in courting and maintaining relationships with corporate customers — while poor environmental performance can put them at a disadvantage. Companies can team environmental managers with their procurement departments to leverage suppliers towards green practices as well as benefiting from increased accountability and the relationships that result.

Richard Hatton is Managing Director of Adjust PS, a UK company specializing in procurement consulting to professional buyers and suppliers. Adjust PS works with organizations to promote Green Procurement and co-presents seminars to educate companies how to adopt Green initiatives and save money in the process. Adjust PS’ services are based upon constant discussion with a range of industries, governmental organisations, and small businesses combined with a continuous audit of the appropriateness and readiness of the latest technology offerings. Visit Adjust PS here.

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Tags: ethical, responsibility, environment, sustainable, procedure

“‘Sustainability’ is the watch word in the current business climate and companies are increasingly being held to higher environmental standards. Often, the high visibility of procurement and purchasing practices puts them under particular scrutiny. But improving your company’s environmental buying practices may be simpler than you think. The following tips can save you money in the supply chain and boost your environmental profile:

1. Do your research- Find out to what extent your company already uses environmental purchasing practices. Any current systems can potentially be upgraded. Using 15% recycled paper? Why not upgrade to 30%? Buying fair-trade coffee? Why not try organic or bird friendly fair-trade options?

2. Screen your Suppliers- By requesting environmental information you are asking suppliers to become more accountable, and then the information you gather can be put into a balance scorecard to measure their performance, creating an incentive for them to improve.

3. Collaborate- By involving suppliers early and often in product, process, and strategic decisions that impact them, it is possible to reduce the potential negative fall-out from any changes. Add suppliers to planning teams to implement design for environment initiatives and, within your own company, seek to collaborate at multiple levels, involving the technical personnel who plan and manage day-to-day operations.

4. Buy Big- Just because you are a smaller company does not mean you can’t afford to go Green. Purchasing collectives allow small business to get the benefits of buying in bulk and economies of scale.

5. Buy Green- Purchase raw materials that contain fewer toxic ingredients, are recyclable, or utilize recycled materials. Increased use of recycled products supports the use of waste as a resource. Research suggests that 12 jobs can be created for every 1,000 tonnes of waste paper recycled. Visit this site.

6. Reduce and Reuse- Even better than purchasing recycled materials– reduce waste to begin with. A simple example is that instead of sourcing sustainable paper, you reduce your need for it by making scrap paper available and utilizing electronic documents.

7. Go Local- Sustainable procurement can mean more than just recycled materials. Purchasing from a locally owned company not only saves carbon when products are delivered, but also keeps money in the local economy and builds stronger communities.

8. Be Clear- Set clear, achievable goals and outlines for your green procurement strategy. Laying out guidelines in advance will make for smoother performance assessments and periodic reviews.

9. Go Slow- Take it one step at a time. Put your procurement plan through an initial testing phase to pinpoint and solve potential problems. Assume that it will take time for programs to take hold and to spread throughout all aspects of the company.

10. Communicate the benefits. Sharing the positive environmental impacts of purchasing policies with suppliers and procurement managers can help environmentally conscious programs maintain momentum and ensure that your organization benefits from your greener procurement policies.

Richard Hatton is Managing Director of Adjust PS, a UK company specializing in procurement consulting to professional buyers and suppliers. Adjust PS works with organizations to promote Green Procurement and co-presents seminars to educate companies how to adopt Green initiatives and save money in the process. Adjust PS’ services are based upon constant discussion with a range of industries, governmental organisations, and small businesses combined with a continuous audit of the appropriateness and readiness of the latest technology offerings. Visit Adjust PS here.

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Tags: ethical, decisions, policy, work, procurement