Ethics of Production

2009 Senior Leadership Team Ethics Seminar

Business Ethics Seminar

Then, the same carwash owners offer coupon fundraisers where the kids groups sell carwash coupons and they get money for every one that comes into the car wash with a specific coupon, keeping the remainder of the money of course. Most every non-profit group I have ever talked to, has been underwhelmed by this and the amount of money they made.

A group that uses a free online car wash fundraiser book is able to generate generally about $5,000 or more, depending on the size of their groups. Some High School Bands make in excess of $20,000 and up. At the Fixed Site Carwash fundraiser coupon scheme, the same groups make very little, it is akin to a Pizza Place scheduling a fundraiser and donating 20% of all the orders on a certain Tuesday night.

Our non-profit groups need money and kids need to learn that money does not come easy. Look, here is the deal, we either teach kids that money does not grow on trees, hard work ethic is paramount, working together in a common cause is the right thing to do and keep our kids involved in positive things NOW or we pay for rehabs, police, courts, jails and prisons LATER.

It is time that we used common sense when dealing with the environment rules and regulations in America and think about exactly what we are doing before we allow businesses to lobby rules that hurt the community. Sincerely, Lance.

“Lance Winslow” – Online ThinkTank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: ethics, business, corporate, training, car wash

Gossip seems inevitable when a group of individuals get together whether it is over the water cooler or at lunch. The desire to be better than someone or to emphasize someone else’s fault appears to be intrinsic to many individuals. Yet that very gossip is potentially destroying your business and is a very real obstacle to creating a culture of high performance.

To stop gossip begins first by acknowledging the belief that gossip is not a bad thing. When people have a belief that people gossip and that they, management, have no control over gossip must be addressed. Even though many people believe that gossiping is not really harmful, bottom line it is a virus that can immobilize the best organizations.

Much has been written about the impact of words. Words can hurt some contend. Others believe that words are simply that just words with little to no impact. The issue about gossip is much more about focus than the extent of how much or how little the words can hurt someone.

When a company allows gossip, they (management and leadership) are providing an excuse for non-performance and this results in poor productivity. Gossiping is usually on company time and takes time away from truly productive activities.

Not being focused on individual productivity is one of the negative behaviors surrounding work ethics. Employees with high work ethics generally do not engage in gossiping because they do not have time. Their focus is getting their job done by being productive.

Research suggests that at any moment within the work day, 75% of the company’s employees are not engaged on the job. Between gossiping and not to mention paying video games or surfing the Internet, is it a wonder about poor productivity?

When people live their core values as well as the company’s core values, they are demonstrating a professional reputation including high work ethics. To create a culture of high performance begins with the company’s values statement that cascades down from the top to the bottom. Gossiping should not be tolerated at any level and that is not only a management decision, but a personal one as well.

Are you where you want to be? To find out where you are, then M.A.P. for Success, a FREE email course may help you begin to chart a course for business, professional or personal success. Click here for the answer.

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Tags: ethics, business, corporate, professional, training

Do you remember that “get to know you game” Scruples? I believe it first appeared in the early 90’s or late 80’s. In case some of you don’t recall it, the game works this way. Four to eight friends pick six ‘Scruples question’ cards and six ‘response’ cards. A person can only answer three ways to the questions asked: Yes, No or Depends. The question cards ask a variety of questions dealing with morals and ethics (as if these are two completely different concepts). Questions like:

“The person in front of you in line accidentally drops a $100 bill. You pick it up. They have no idea they’ve dropped it and it appears they have several $100 bills in their billfold and you are certain nobody else saw the dropped money. Do you keep it or tell the person?”

The object of the game is to predict how a person will answer. If you chose a “YES” response card, for example, then you would direct the question to a participating player who you think will answer YES. If they answer as you predicted, you get to unload one of your response cards, a good thing because the first player out of response cards wins.

OK, so now that you know how to play Scruples, what did I learn? I learned that people, for the most part, don’t like to live in black and white. Seventy percent of the time people would say, DEPENDS. “It depended if I knew the person, if I knew they were a jerk I’d keep their money! If I didn’t know them I’d report it.”

It would concern me that people could justify why it was ok to do the wrong thing … STEAL! Everyone knows the right thing to do is to report the dropped bill, yet somehow the human mind can justify why, in some cases, it’s ok to keep it! It’s disenchanting to say the least. After all, if we had dropped the $100 bill I’m confident there would be no ‘depends’ involved.

I understand that there can be areas of grey in life, but I also believe that people who live with black and white perceptions of things are more grounded. Whether we agree or disagree with them, they appear confident and unruffled when questioned on their beliefs. I love those people. It takes guts to stand up and say, “”THIS IS WRONG!”" Business ethics tie right into today’s Wisdom.

In working with successful entrepreneurs, I’ve discovered there’s an authenticity that’s admirable. They say what they do and do what they say. Their convictions are carried outside the office to their everyday lives. Their convictions are their value system that is inherent in their organizations, and when an organization shares good values, consistency is created and when consistency is created brands come alive. Are you passionate about your convictions? Do you have the guts to step up and say, “That’s not right,” even if a deal benefits you? Remember, a good deal is made when both parties benefit equally in the end result.

Joe Kiedinger is Brander in Chief of Prophit Marketing, a unique and vision-driven marketing organization that helps small to medium-sized business succeed by adhereing to the Prophit Marketing System. The Prophit Marketing System is a process based approach that combines corporate culture with strategy and finally advertising. The emphasis starts with leadership and flows from there. Joe’s message has been heard by many through his unique Prophit Marketing Road Show, an entertaining informative presentation that leaves audiences with an action plan for success. Joe also authors Wisdom on Wednesday, a weekly email newlsetter which will enlighten and challenge you to get the most out of your marketing efforts. Visit this site to learn more about the Prophit Marketing system or click here to subscribe to Joe’s weekly email newsletter.

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Tags: moral, ethics, business, philosophy, values

During seventies and eighties the Indian handmade carpet industry had a sizzling pace of growth. Massive demand for carpets from western shores outpaced the supply because the huge demand led to shortage of weavers.

Resultant there was huge influx of labor from the neighboring states. To exploit the opportunity extensively, child labor too was brought in droves.

Thanks to a few activists, this horrifying reality came into light in the later part of the eighties.

The terrible news got wings and spread like wild fire which reached to countries of the west which were the chief consumers of this craft.

Carpet importers became wary and as a precautionary measure started asking for affirmation that the carpets being supplied are free from child labor.

But the damage has already been done.

The industry which was going at a fast clip saw sharp drop in its export simply because magic of media reached even to consumers who avoided buying handmade Indian carpets.

IKEA, a Sweden based multinational, which bought Indian rugs in great quantities, found itself in a tight spot.

At one point in time it was about to stop sourcing carpets from India but good sense prevailed and it decided to bring discipline into its Indian suppliers.

Thus I-Way (Ikea-Way) came into existence which required that its suppliers should follow the norms set in its I-Way – norms which required abide by not only tenets spelled in its I-Way but Indian labor law should also be adhered.

No doubt, besides Ikea, there appeared many non-profit organizations (NGOs) who are still working for the elimination and rehabilitation of child labor of this industry.

But the greatest catalyst of them all, I believe, was Ikea and its I-Way, which was very effective in making the general public aware of the abuse and making the Indian carpet dealers’ observant with the vulnerability to the trade from this immoral practice.

Many manufacturers even got themselves registered with organizations such ISO and other Social Compliance Audits

Undeniably these measures contributed considerably to fight the abuse of child labor from this industry but the problem is still prevalent not insignificantly.

Problem still exist simple because carpet industry is cottage industry and is spread deep into the unapproachable hinterlands.

In fact, I believe, that active involvement of the whole industry can prove effective to wipe the problem from its root.

The idea is that each manufacturer worth its salt must take up a social cause that is targeted for the welfare of deprived children.

At this end, we at AAFRIIINZ intend to adopt the village Nai Bazar – a village where we live-in – with the objective of taking its people in confidence.

This undertaking, we believe, becomes possible if our approach is value based – if we are able to make people aware with the values of life – that is caring, sharing and sensitive to social mores.

If we are sincere, it won’t be hard to make these simple folks to partner for this common cause.

May be we prove ourselves an example to be followed by others.

And, of course we would like that our audience be a part of this problem-solution process to and send their suggestions if they feel like so.

We already have a dormant blog which we intend to make lively once we are able to start turning our mission into reality.

Naseem Ansari
Author and Publisher
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Tags: business, ethics, publicity, advertising, pr

The etiquette system in Japan is perhaps one of the world’s elaborate. It involves every aspect of one’s life, with its strict codes of behavior governing daily etiquette and manners. Although the Japanese mostly adhere to these codes, it is not expected that people visiting Japan be familiar with them and would not be reprimanded. However, making an effort to be polite and to show at least some understanding of local customs can make life in Japan a bit easier.

Hierarchy and social standings – Japanese etiquette is based on a social ranking. For example, “me-ue-no-hito” (or “person whose eye is above”) are those of higher social standing such as a top ranking corporate executive, government official, or teacher. Meanwhile, “me-shita-no-hito” (or “person whose eye is below”) are those of lower social standing relative to the other person such as a corporate staffer, a government employee, or a student. Older people have higher social standing than younger people, and that the emperor and his royal family are considered “me-ue-no-hito” by all. This hierarchy is evident in speaking, such as the polite speech (keigo), regular speech, and casual speech, as well as male speech and female speech.

The “Giri” – The “giri” refers to one’s innate sense of duty, obligation, morality and the absolute need to return a favor. Everyone in Japan is bound by the giri, like a person’s bond towards his parents or towards his teachers and benefactors. It is also expressed by meeting one’s obligations and responsibilities as best as possible. Meeting the demands of giri is the same as defending one’s personal honor even under the most adverse circumstances, which includes taking suicide (for some Japanese).

Bowing – The practice of bowing is basic to Japanese etiquette. It is the way Japanese people greet each other, say farewell, express thanks, and even apologize. The Japanese can be particularly conscious of his or her personal space, which is why bowing establishes a comfortable and respectful distance between two people. Although modern Japanese have become used to the Western “handshake” as a form of greeting towards foreigners, they are very much appreciative when a westerner shows respect by bowing when meeting. The degree of bowing is determined by social status, bow deeper towards a person of higher authority. Typically, a bow is done at about 15 degrees of bending your body towards the front; the longer the bow is held the more feeling it evokes. When bowing as an apology, it must be as low as 90 degrees.

On the street – It is very common to see packs of tissues being given out on the street for free. Rule of thumb is that you should take one, as using a handkerchief for blowing one’s nose is a definite no-no. You may also notice some people wearing face masks while walking, especially during spring. Do not worry about an unannounced epidemic. It is just that they are protecting themselves against pollen inhalation. Meanwhile, eating on the street is considered impolite, even if you see people doing it these days. Spitting and urinating in public (mainly by middle-aged or drunk men) may seem obnoxious, but these do not necessarily raise eyebrows in Japan.

Basic table manners – A typical Japanese meal involves many different foods and sauces presented in little dishes. It is considered polite to pick up these small dishes and bring them close to your mouth, especially when eating soup and rice. The soup bowl (usually on you right side) is picked up and the broth is directly sipped from the bowl. Chopsticks are used to pick-up tofu, seaweed, vegetables, and other food items in the soup. The rice bowl (usually on your left side) is also picked up and brought near the mouth, using the closed chopsticks as a shovel. When dipping sauces are used, chopsticks are used to pick up the food, dip it into the sauce, and then you place it on the rice before eating it.

Basic restaurant manners – Upon entering a Japanese restaurant, bars, or inns, guests are given a wet face or hand towel called “oshibori,” which is used to freshen-up the face and hands before eating. After using, it is taken away by the hostess. There are no napkins at restaurants in Japan; that is why most Japanese carry handkerchiefs that they use during meals and place it on their laps. If you are having difficulty with using chopsticks, asking for a knife and fork is all right (especially if the restaurant serves Western food). Toothpicks are used in restaurants after eating, and it is all right to pick one’s teeth after a meal as long as it is done discreetly.

Slurping – Slurping is a double-edge sword. It is considered impolite, but if you don’t do it the chef would be insulted. Consider slurping when eating “ramen” (noodle soup), “donburi” (big bowls of rice topped with meat or vegetables), and on “miso” soup.

Saying grace – Before eating, it is important to say “itadakimasu,” which literally means “I shall partake” and serves as a kind of pre-meal grace. You could practice it by quickly saying “eat a duck he must.” Once the dinner is over, remember to say “gochisosama deshita” to show your appreciation for the meal.

Drinking – The Japanese may be quiet and reserved, but not when they are drunk. Drinking with fellow students or coworkers is almost a ritual in Japan, and considered the best way to break the ice as well as solidify relationships. However, the Japanese can get pretty rowdy when drunk, but all is forgiven and forgotten the next day. It is polite to pour other people’s drinks and then hold your own glass while your host or friend fills it. Upon toasting, remember to shout “Kampai,” which literally means “dry glass.” If you are invited out, it is common for your host to pay the bill.

Gift giving – There are many considerations in buying a gift for a Japanese person. In Japan, gift giving etiquette specifies when, to whom, under what circumstances, and what type of gift is appropriate to give. Also you should also take note how much the gift costs and how the gift should be wrapped. Traditionally, the Japanese do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. Instead, give gifts to people you feel indebted to (like a business owner towards his customers, or a patient towards his doctor) during June’s Obon Festival (in which the gifts are called “oseibo”) and in December before the year ends (in which the gifts are called “ochugen”), not to mention during special occasions like weddings, gradutations among others. When presenting or receiving gifts, it is polite to hold the gift with two hands and bow respectfully at the exchange.

The “Omiage” – Another highly ritualized practice of gift giving is called the “omiage.” This is done by thanking someone for an invitation, paying someone a visit, and before and after taking a long trip. For instance, when visiting a friend or acquaintance in Japan, you should bring food items like a baked cake, rice crackers, or a beautifully-wrapped fresh fruit. Meanwhile, when visiting the office of a client, potential business associate, or government official, the omiage might be in a form of tea cups or laquerware and would be more expensive.

Visiting someone’s home – If you have been invited to someone’s house, remember to bring the omiage. Upon visiting, say to the house owner “Tsumaranai mono desu ga,” which is similar to “This is just a little something for you.” Before entering, take off your shoes by the “genkan” or hallway and put on the slippers provided by the host. If you have to use the toilet, you would have to change slippers again. Upon leaving, the host would usually say “Kondo asobi ni kite kudasai” or “Please come around my place sometime,” but this is only said just out of politeness. Visiting the house unannounced could be embarrassing to both of you.

Business cards – In business meetings, it is customary to exchange “meishi” or business cards but in Japan there is a certain manner of giving and receiving it. Business cards are given and received using both hands and each person bows at the exchange. Take note to present your business card written-side up and facing the person receiving it so that he doesn’t have to turn the card around and read it. After receiving a business card, you should read (or look as though you are reading) the card and make comments about the company or the address (it is some sort of “breaking the ice”). In keeping the card, it should be handled with respect and place in a special “business card holder” and not in your pocket or purse. When meeting new people in a conference or dinner setting, you should place your business cards in front of them on the table so that they can easily refer you by name.

Bathing – Communal bathing in Japan dates back for centuries and visiting one of its thousands of “onsen” (hot springs) or “sento” (public bath houses) can be a highlight of your trip. Like in any bathroom, you should wash yourself outside the bath before getting into the hot water and soak. You would notice that people usually scrub each other’s backs. Remember to bring your own toiletries and put your shoes and clothes in designated lockers. Bath houses are always separated by sex, but these days there are a few mixed bathing places that you could try.

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Tags: business, ethics, code, society, article

Being in business over the past three years for myself has been one of the biggest learning lessons I have ever had. I’ve discovered that this experience teaches you more about who you are and what type of people are in this world than any other life experience could teach. Over the past three years, I have had both good and bad experiences with people (more good of course!) and it never ceases to amaze me… some people just don’t know how to have, and cherish, an identity of their own.

Being a virtual assistant, I encounter a lot of these identity issues. There are virtual assistants in business who are not interested in growing partnerships and relationships. A lot of them just don’t know the best way to grow an identity of their own and separate themselves from the crowd. This is one of the reasons I started The VA Coach – I want to coach people not only to launch a successful virtual assistance business but also how to find their inner identity and run their businesses morally and ethically.

I have found that when someone in business does not have an identity, a strong base to stand on, they then break some of the most basic ethical codes. They take business from the people they know and work with, they copy what someone else is doing in their business, they speak unprofessionally about their colleagues and they go to great lengths to stand out of integrity. These people aren’t necessarily doing this out of maliciousness, I truly believe it’s because they haven’t figured out their own magic formula for success yet.

When you are a confident business person who is very sure of your identity, you tend to get clear and focused on what it is you want and then you go after that – in a very true and positive manner. You form friendships, relationships and bonds with people who have similar goals in mind and you form mutually beneficial partnerships. You are then able to bring things to your clients and your colleagues that you weren’t able to before. You start thinking of others before you think of yourself.

When you aren’t a confident business person and perhaps you may be a bit envious of someone else’s success, you can then find yourself acting in a way that isn’t true to who you are – isn’t true to your identity. When this happens, you aren’t able to feel good about yourself inside and therefore, that projects onto your business and how you interact with your clients and colleagues.

The best way to find out who you are and locate your identity is to start a gratitude journal. I have one and I write in it each day. Instead of focusing on the negative things that may come in and out of my business, I focus on the positive and I then generate more positive feelings for both myself and my clients. By looking at what you are grateful for, you’ll start to feel good about who you are which will then translate into you making others feel good.

Always remember, who you are today is a reflection of your past attitudes and behaviors. You can decide today, right now, to make a change and stand on your own Be true to yourself and success and the things you want in life will come easily to you.

– About the Author –

Erin Blaskie is the owner of Business Services, ETC (see the website). BSETC is a virtual assistance company that gives freedom to small business owners, coaches and speakers by managing the BS, etc.

– For More Information –

Erin has a blog located on the main page of her website in which she provides advice on small businesses and running a virtual assistance company. She has recently started a free bi-weekly telecall for virtual assistants where they can come together with other VAs and get support. You can find out more on this website .

– Copyright Information –

All rights reserved. This publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system or otherwise, unless this notification of copyright is retained.

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Tags: ethics, responsibility, legal issues, social , business

I would like to tell you a short story about a conversation that I had with a man I met in the lobby of a hotel. We were both attending a food exposition and had some time to kill before our taxis came to take us to the exhibition hall.

The conversation started when the Dutch gentleman asked if the seat at my table was taken. I told him that it was vacant and he quietly sat opposite me. I asked him if he was staying at the hotel for the food fare. He answered that he was. He asked me what my line of business was and I told him that I operated a large catering firm. I asked him the same question. He told me that he had a chain of high street butchers shops in Holand.

Interested, I asked him how many workers he had in his business. He answered that there were around one hundred and fifty people working for the him. I continued by asking him if business was good to which he replied, “it is now”. “I made some changes and now we are all very happy”, he continued.

Puzzled by the reply I asked him what me meant when he said “we” to which he replied, “”the workers and myself”. I must still have looked puzzled because he added “let me explain”.

He continued, “one day I met an old man who looked to be very wise. After talking to him about this and that I told him that I was not happy with my business because I was not making much money and I had to fight to get customers through the doors of my shops despite much advertising in local papers. I tried everything. All types of advertising campaigns, schemes, incentives, you name it I did it. I was very quickly getting very mentally drained. The man asked me just one question. He asked me if my workers were happy working for me. I knew that they were not. I paid minimum wage and gave very few holidays and sick leave. In fact my workers always looked gloomy and sad. But I didn’t care. I told the man that they were not happy. He said “do you realize that your workers are your most vital asset. Nothing can move in this world unless people make it move. Besides, if your workers are happy they will sing your praises to everybody they know and bring them to your shop”.

“Suddenly I saw the error of my ways”, continued the Dutchman. “I realized that I had turned so many potential ambassadors into slaves. I realized that not only could they advertise for me but so could all the people who got a recommendation from them. In addition I also realized that my produce was not always the best quality. I had been trying to reduce losses by selling meat that was about to go off. I decided there and them to stop all my advertising accounts and to re think the pay structure and social conditions for all my workers. In addition I decided to sell only the finest and freshest produce at good prices.”

“When I told my workers about what I had decided they were so emotional that many of them burst into tears. So did I. I asked their forgiveness and told them that we were opening a new page. The next day there was a real buzz in the shop. Everybody was smiling. Customers smiled at me and told me that I was a good man. I felt better than I had for many years. I had no need to worry about the produce either because none of it stayed in the shops long enough to go off, it just seemed to fly out of the doors. From then on I have never looked back. I have added many new products to my range and the customers love them. In fact I am here to buy more new equipment so that the worker’s job will be easier.”

“What a wonderful story” I said. “And it all came from a few words with that wise old man, wonderful, wonderful,” I said

Just then the taxis arrived. I never saw the Dutch man again but his words will remain with me forever. Ethics does pay.

Hi, I’m Andy Routledge, writer, photographer, coach and culinary expert. I would like to invite you to look at one of my many web pages here and see how you can get your own web pages up and running absolutely free and with no previous knowledge of web page building necessary. Your page will be ready in minutes, it’s so easy my kids do it. Don’t miss this opportunity. Write about whatever you want and use it for whatever purpose you like. See also this site.

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Tags: ethics, business, corporate, professional, training

For many years I had always said that I am not a moral person, however, I am an ethical person. But when I would say, “I am not a moral person,” I would wait to see the person’s reaction to my saying that before I added the “however, I am an ethical person.”

Normally the person would wrinkle their brow and get this confused look on their face, and then I would commence to explain my thoughts on the difference between “morals vs. ethics.”
The reason I have chosen not to rule my life based on “morals”" is that I think there is an extreme difference between morals and ethics. Before you say, “This is a semantics issue,” let me explain.
I really am not playing “the meaning of words game” here. In my mind I clearly see a big difference between making your decision based on “”morals”" and making your decisions of life based on your personal ethics. The dictionary has this to offer:

Ethics: choosing principles of conduct as a guiding philosophy.

Morals: conforming to a standard of right behavior.

Here is where I see the difference. Morals, to be sure, are rules and standards that we are told we must “conform” to when deciding what is “”right”" behavior. In other words, morals are dictated to us by either society or religion.

We are not free to think and choose. You either accept or you don’t! We are taught by society and religion that you “shall not lie” or you should “give to the poor” or you must “love others as you would have others love you” or you must do something because it is “your moral obligation.” The key issue with “morals” is that you are expected to “conform to a standard of right behavior” and not question that “conforming” or you are not a “moral” person. But again, where do these “morals” come from to which we are expected to “conform”? Yep, from society and/or religion, but not from YOU, and that’s what bothers me.

Ethics, on the other hand, are “principles of conduct” that YOU CHOOSE to govern your life as a guiding philosophy that YOU have chosen for your life. Again, call it semantics if you want, but I see a big difference between “conforming” and “choosing.” With MORALS the “thinking has been done;” with ETHICS there’s a freedom to “”think and choose”" your personal philosophy for guiding the conduct of your life. I like to watch movies about the “”mafia”" or TV shows like the “Sopranos.” The people on these shows are extremely devoted people to their families and religions, but they have somehow “morally justified” their actions of killing, stealing, and lying.

How is it that these extremely devoted family men and supposedly devoted members of the Catholic religion think that what they are doing is moral is a mystery to me. Yet they wear their “crosses,” cross themselves, love their kids, and dedicate themselves to the “family” while killing people who get in the way. Now that’s an interesting morality. But morals don’t stop there. Think of all the hundreds of cultures who have totally different ideas of morality. Some cultures think it is perfectly fine to have as many wives as they want; some think only one wife is moral in the eyes of God.

Some cultures think that it is fine to steal if you need food; other cultures think that stealing is stealing and is never morally justified. Some cultures think that “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” judgment is fine; other cultures think that this type of moral thinking is barbaric.
When you leave MORAL THINKING to society and religion, there is no such thing as “absolute morality.” So, is there any such thing as a 100% MORAL PERSON? I think not, at least based on the criteria, culture, society, and religion telling us what our morals should be.

ETHICS are a totally another matter. With ethics, you are free to choose your personal philosophy of conduct to guide your life. You are not dependent on the judgment of society or religion “”based in fear”" when making your ethical decisions.

For example, I believe in telling the truth not because God may curse me, but because it is the right and best thing to do based on my personal ethics. I believe in being 100% faithful to my wife, not because adultery is a sin, but because being true to your wife is the smart and right thing to do.

It is a better and happier way to live, again not because God will send me to hell if I commit adultery, but because it is the right and best way to live my life based on my ethical way of seeing things. I believe in keeping the laws of the land, however, I am not living my life based on the rules of society and religion, but solely based on a pragmatic and ethical way of living.
I don’t refrain from stealing because I’m afraid I might go to jail. I don’t steal because I have decided not to steal based on my ethics. I don’t have to be commanded to give to the poor. I concern myself with giving to and helping the poor based on my ethics.I have the freedom to choose and if I am smart, I will choose personal ethics that will enrich my life and the lives of others. As with all other freedoms, there is always the risk that I will make ethical decisions that could cause me to drift over to the “dark side.”

That’s the problem with the freedom to choose or free agency. Anytime we allow people the freedom to choose, we also give them the freedom to make bad choices. If you want to make bad ethical decisions that will make you, and perhaps others, unhappy, then you can. However, if you want to make good ethical decision that will make you and others happier, you have the freedom to make those ethical decisions too. I choose personal ethics to govern my life that make me happier, while I strive to enrich the lives of others. It’s the ethical thing to do based on my personal ethics. You don’t have to tell me not to lie, not to steal, not to kill, not to commit adultery, etc. I have already made my ethical decisions to NOT do those things.

You don’t have to tell me to give to the poor, love my neighbor and my enemies, use my free agency for good, etc. I have already made these personal ethical decisions. I choose my principles of personal conduct because I have thought about them. My ethics are my ethics, and yet interestingly enough, they almost always agree with society and religion. The only difference is I made these decisions.

My personal thinking determines my ethics. I made these ethical choices. Not because I was told by society or religion to think a certain way but because I thought it was the best way to live a complete and fulfilled life of happiness. Freedom to think is a great concept. We ought to use this freedom more often. Think about it.

Larry John is the international author of Think Rich to Get Rich, a detailed outlining of the 4 pillars of wealth, and Larryisms, an introduction to pragmatic thinking. He owns a successful advertising agency and enjoys his many entrepreneurial plots and adventures including: real estate, sales and marketing, public relations, publishing, radio broadcasting (click here), and many more. He is also the founder of The Pragmatic Thinker found here.

His first book has been reprinted in several different languages and the exposure continues to grow. His second book is released in October of 2007 and available here. It is also available through Baker & Taylor. Larry enjoys applying pragmatic principles of thinking to his business and his personal life and finds that through a greater understanding, a higher level of success and happiness is achieved.

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Tags: moral, ethics, business, philosophy, values

Penny Pincher, CFO of Mature Market Industries was alarmed. With Sarbanes Oxley requirements, raw materials rising, office supplies costs escalating, and shipping costs skyrocketing, were all taking a negative toll on her and the balance sheet. Tired of hearing her purchasing agent say they were bidding everything every year yet year over year costs still rose, frustrated over their transportation manager say they were doing their best but transportation costs year over year continued to climb, the office manager said they were getting great rates from their suppliers. But then, how did she really know as there was no data to support these claims?

Penny’s concerns heightened when she kept seeing various vendor advertising specialties around her business in hats, calendars, pens, not to mention the constant stream of lunch offers, race car event entertainments and year after year the same provider loyalties remained. She checked the company Code of Conduct still posted but buried around the EOE, Safety and other postings on the bulletin board…clearly this nor meetings/memos on the need for costs savings were having any impact. Her hunch was these communications were in name only that the diligence of employees may well be impacted by the salesmanship and schmoozing of vendors with a false sense of accomplishment by bidding or simply renegotiating their business every year to the same group of providers.

If her company books had to comply with Sarbanes scrutiny, and their financial consultant insisted on audits, why shouldn’t transportation, office/plant supplies and raw materials also have a yearly audit to determine cost effectiveness, a benchmarking of how they compare to similar size companies? Having read about scandals in transportation management at similar size companies involving collusion, kick backs and host of other improprieties, this would be the area to start…not to mention transportation was not a core competency, costs were rising more dramatically than any other area and other than anecdotal stories, there was no hard accounting evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of their spend or deliverable values.

The traffic manager was highly agitated when told to develop costs savings ideas and the criteria their business needed in deliverable values of a transportation provider. He tried asking customer service their needs as well as shipping/receiving and purchasing: they all said they either loved or hated the same providers, transit times critical but to balance value with cost in provider selections by client needs. Confused he turned to his favorite transportation provider sales rep who was happy to create a model that not surprisingly favored their capabilities and easily copied and pasted into a company memo. These efforts coupled with showing he re-bid their business every year…but curiously always landed with pretty much the same providers with year over year costs higher on similar tonnage numbers, was the end result. Penny sensed her lacking transportation knowledge could be a good thing in questions seeking a different approach with better results.

Penny called a counterpart at a non related but similar size industry and asked how they approached controlling transportation costs. She learned that they had determined that bids only got the best of a mediocre bunch, a thorough review of available options and best practices was not practical and that transportation simply was not a core competency, so they turned to a transportation management business process outsource provider. Having outsourced their transportation management two years prior, they were able to report a year over year hard 10% savings, but the pleasant surprise value was the added technology provided that created supply chain visibility/reporting with dedicated account support, all at no cost! A new breed of transportation management providers were leveraging their buying power to make their money from the asset providers and pass the savings on to their shipping clients.

Penny got the contact name and number of the transportation management company and in less than a week, placed a non disclosure agreement and obtained at no cost or obligation, an audit of their small package, less than truckload, truckload and international transportation spend. Utilizing tier 1 transportation providers and gaining supply chain technology their company could not afford, a guaranteed offer of over 10% year over transportation spend savings was presented.

The transportation manager when presented these results said it would not work as they tried something similar before, that internal customers would not like changing carriers, and a host of other anecdotal excuses from over the years. However the hard data of six figure dollars falling directly to the bottom line of the balance sheet was too compelling for Penny.

The smooth transition/implementation took less than 6 weeks and the savings were demonstrated immediately. The previous asset providers howled but in the end offered to lower their now clearly premium rates for mediocre services… Penny declined both on the principle of clearly not being treated as a partner and she still had better savings and value with the new transportation management company. Internal influencers in finance, inventory management, customer service and sales were delighted with the new supply chain visibility and improved shipping reliabilities. The Code of Conduct is more prominent now along with the new earnings report that sparkles center stage in posted results and Penny’s success story featured in the company newsletter. The Purchasing department is the next audit target but will be managed by the new CFO as Penny has been promoted to CEO and is driven to focusing on their core competencies as her new CFO is charged with leveraging additional business process outsourcing successes.

Penny learned that employee’s self preservation can be a greater motivator than a Code of Conduct, that company goals for cost savings are relative when balanced against what’s in it for the department head, and that the greater good of the employer is not as great a good as perks legal and potentially illegal to those who feel entitled. Penny learned to take charge and saved big, enhancing her position and financial health of her company.

Harry Gorden, President, Transportation Management Services, Inc, a transportation management agency with over 35 years sales experience, providing consulting to the equity, capital management and supply chain communities as well as no cost referrals for manufacturers/distributors seeking the right fit transportation management support.

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Tags: dilemma, ethics, customer, advertising, publicity

Do you walk your talk as a professional sales person? Are your personal and professional ethics consistently demonstrated 24/7? Do you have a credible reputation within your sales territory?

If you believe that your reputation is impeccable, then what behaviors are you demonstrating to those within your marketplace? For example, do you respond to every phone call or email promptly?

Much of relationship selling is truly dependent upon the business ethics within the referral generating process. People in business who know other people in business make referrals each and every day. Businesses such as Business Networking International (BNI), Leads or LeTip have actually evolved in helping to increase referrals. However, without a strong reputation within your business community, all the referrals in the world will not increase sales and help you become successful.

Locally, I belong to an informal networking group that has generated over $2,000,000 in sales during the last two years. One of the greatest challenges is making referrals and then having that referred party not respond to the referral. Not responding is a negative behavior that damages the reputation of the referred party as well as the referring party. I am asked to make referrals, but if the referring party does not respond, this creates an incredibly difficult situation.

Reputation is also visible in how you deal with your perceived competition. For me, my competition is myself and dollars, but for many others the competition is that other person or business that is doing something similar.

I believe that speaking ill of the competition is not only unprofessional, bad business ethics, but is also very damaging to my own personal reputation. As my Swedish grandmother once told me: If you cannot say anything nice, just don’t say anything at all.

Gossiping is another negative reputation behavior. When you actively refuse to gossip, you demonstrate your high work ethics and reputation for being authentic. Living your personal core values as a professional sales person is critical.

If you are engaged in relationship selling, then look to maintaining and increasing your professional reputation, your business ethics and personal ethics, with your target market. Remember, people buy from people they trust and an exceptional reputation makes it much easier for people to buy from you.

Do you want more sales? Then register for FREE professional sales skills assessment, click here.

Are you where you want to be? To find out where you are, then M.A.P. for Success, a FREE email course may help you begin to chart a course of business, professional or personal success. Visit this site.

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Tags: business, ethics, corporate, code, managing

The Presidential campaigns have begun, and with them a host of shows, ads and debates. I don’t pay much attentions to ads, mostly because they’re paid for by those supporting said candidate. The ads are, of course, biased. I am a “researcher” and I prefer to find actual FACTS on the candidates. What have they done already? Have they lived up to the promises they made when they ran for previous (or current) office? Did they do their job, representing the people in their respective districts? These are the things that count to me. In other words, the proof is in the pudding. Don’t make promises. SHOW me what you’ve done and what you hope to do.

The biggest peeve I have is bashing. Candidates who feel they have to bash their opponents to get my vote are NOT going to get this vote. If that’s all you’ve got, forget it. I loathe the practice in politics as much as I do in business. When I was in sales, I NEVER, EVER put down a competitor. I believe that people are smart enough to see truth and anyone who has to belittle another competitor must have something to hide. That’s just my take. I made every sale I ever made WITHOUT ever mentioning a competitor. And, when asked to give an opinion on the matter, I would always tell folks that comparison shopping was THEIR job. I can share the differences, but I will NOT put them down. Besides, what most salespeople fail to realize is that by belittling their competition, they’re also risking belittling their prospect. Why? Because if I’m shopping, say, for a car, and I’m doing my research and I’m test driving, etc., let’s say I narrow it down to Toyota and Honda. Now, I go to Honda and the salesman says “Oh, you don’t want a Toyota. They aren’t nearly as good as a Honda. They have problems with….blahblahblah. They’re actually junk.” Okay. NOW the knucklehead has basically just insinuated that I’m stupid because I’m even considering a Toyota. NOT a good thing to do. Again, whenever I am met with such people, I take myself and my business elsewhere.

Now, the reason I am on this little rampage is because it’s come to my attention that there are folks out there who are doing the same thing with the company I distribute for. I have heard and seen some of the crap online about this company and done a very thorough investigation into these accusations. And here is what I’ve found:

WITHOUT FAIL, every single person who’s bashed this company (which will remain anonymous in this article, for my own integrity) was, at one time or other, considering the opportunity. And, for whatever their reasons (I know what they are, but again, will NOT go there), they chose to go with some other company. Now they use these same tactics to advertise their new business, using slander as their tool. I don’t get it. I don’t get why people need to do this. I think it’s both despicable and unethical. Am I a bit indignant about this? You bet I am. Because it seems to me that the level of integrity practiced in business (I don’t care WHAT kind of business) is fast diminishing and we are being bombarded with this mentality to the point of madness. It’s just plain CRAZY!

It seems to me that we need more integrity in our business dealings. We need to stop buying the slander and support ethical business practices. We need to look beneath the presentations and see the root of such claims. The sooner we ALL do this, the sooner we’ll eliminate the people who do this and their businesses along with them. Why should anyone support a business that uses negativity for their own gain? What happened to offering a service, or product or opportunity based on the NEEDS of the prospect, as opposed to personal gain? Someone once said, “”When you give people what they want, you will have what you want.”" I think that’s a pretty awesome perspective to take when doing business. And it is from this mindset that I do business. I have what I consider to be a very wonderful opportunity. But just because it’s wonderful for ME, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful for YOU. But I choose to let YOU decide, without slander, without opinion, without pressure. Because after all is said and done, you’re the one who has to live with your choices and who the hell am I to tell you what’s right for you?

It is my sincerest hope that you will do whatever you do with integrity, with passion and with honesty. These are the tools that are best practiced, all for the greater good. Of course, these are MY opinions and, as they say, everyone has one (or zillions!). Wishing you great success and a good night’s sleep!

Camille Strate is an author, critter-keeper and entrepeneur who has spent her life in search of the perfect pasture. She is a staunch believer in the “Pay It Forward” philosophy, and her business is a reflection of this belief. Marketing Personal Development products is one of her passions; she loves seeing other people empower themselves and find their true paths. Her latest book, “Whispers” will be released sometime in Spring of 2008. Visit this site to read more about this topic or visit my blog here.

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Tags: business, ethics, corporate, code, managing

When I was building the new website for my speaking services, I wanted some references and quotes from people who knew me. I wrote to one of my previous managers and asked him to write me a short paragraph or two for my site. This is part of what he wrote:

“He realized that work is not just a place to do a job, but it is also a place where a group of people are more or less forced to spend a lot of time together. He did everything he could to make the job more fun and if possible, to bring a smile to anyone he encountered during the course of the day. He always understood that clients and coworkers are first of all people with the same problems and needs that everyone else has.”

From that statement, I have taken my title for this article, “”Coworkers Are People Too!”".

I have always felt very strongly about the way people treat other people. In fact, I believe that the vast majority of problems in our work places today are because people have the greatest lack of respect and concern for other people.

You may question that statement; “”How could just the way people treat their coworkers cause the majority of problems for a company?”" Well, when employees treat others with disrespect, with anger, and act as weasels, they make the working environment harsh and uncomfortable. When workers feel uncomfortable and upset with others, they end up hating their jobs. What happens when people hate their jobs? There are several results that can be directly attributed to this:

• Good workers will be more apt to leave and look for employment with other companies where the working environment is better.

• Employees who have bad attitudes will be rude to clients and customers.\

• They will feel less willing to cooperate with other employees, causing disruption of work.

• Bad attitudes spread. One rotten apple soon spoils the entire bunch.

So, does this mean we’re just supposed to sit there with a smile on our face and let people walk all over us while we say; “”Have a nice day!”"? No, that’s not at all what it means. We can be firm in our opinions, do our best job possible, say “”no”" when necessary, and still be nice and friendly about it.

The story is told that Jefferson Davis once asked General Lee for his opinion about a certain confederate officer who was under him. General Lee gave nothing but glowing reports about that officer’s actions and work. Later, one of General Lee’s assistants expressed his surprise at the General’s comments. “”That officer says nothing but bad things about you!”" said the assistant. General Lee replied; “”President Davis wanted to know my opinion of that officer’s abilities, not that officer’s opinion of me!”"

That is the hardest part about treating others kindly and with respect. There are always those who are such lousy workers, who lie, cheat, and steal their way through the company, that they don’t deserve to be treated kindly. But life isn’t really about getting what you deserve. Life is what YOU make it.

Let’s look at this from a hypothetical perspective here. Suppose a coworker says something bad about you, or “”steals the show”" on a project you worked hard on. Our first tendency is to get mad and think we have to get even. So, when our big moment comes along, we take our chance and retaliate for what they did to us. Then, they are mad at us, and are looking for a way to get us back for our retaliation.

Then, suppose we’re meeting with some managers and one of them mentions an open position, and says that he is thinking of offering it to that person. We know that person would be great in that position, but we’re mad at them, so we offer some excuse why they shouldn’t get the position. The manager offers the position to a person less qualified, and they take it.

A major client calls with a problem, and the person less qualified isn’t able to handle the pressure, and they make the client mad about something, and the client takes their business elsewhere. Several thousand dollars are lost, just because we were mad at another coworker.

While as I stated, that was just an illustration, it is not at all unthinkable or impossible. And as long as there are people, there will be those who act with disrespect and rudeness to others. However, if we would just stop and think for a moment before we act in those ways, we’d save ourselves and our companies a lot of unnecessary trouble.

In today’s society treating others with kindness doesn’t come with any regularity. People are so wrapped up in their own little worlds, they don’t have the time or the care for others. It is really a sad situation for our corporations and places of employment to be in. We spend 8 or more hours a day, 5 days a week with these people. If there was just an atmosphere of kindness and respect in that office or workplace, what a difference it would make in people’s lives.

I don’t really think many people stop and think about the results of their actions and the way they treat other people. Like so much in today’s world, we are focused on “”instant”" action. All we care about is what is right now, not thinking about how that instant action may affect other reactions down the road.

And then, there are thousands who have never considered putting others first in their work or in any part of their lives for that matter. They don’t realize the value and importance of such a way of living. Sure, it doesn’t come naturally at all. We are pretty much programmed to put ourselves first. Our focus is mainly on I, ME, MINE. What a vast difference it would make in our companies and work environments if we started putting others first, and we stopped for a second to think before we say something or act a certain way.

One important thing to remember is what has been called “the Golden Rule” – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That applies to all of us whether we are a janitor, a secretary, a manager, or a CEO, the way we treat others will affect not only our own lives, but the lives of many people. It kind of has a “trickle-down” effect. If we ruin someone’s day, they will be more apt to ruin someone else’s day. If we brighten someone’s day, it will have the same effect. So, remember, attitude is everything, and treat others with kindness and respect.

In his 35 years with the United Nations system, Kofi Annan has come to be known as an evenhanded man with an ability to see parts and the whole at the same time. It is this quality that makes him one of the more popular executives in the United Nations. He recalls an unforgettable lesson learned in Ghana at age seventeen: One day our headmaster walked into the classroom and put up a broad sheet of paper with a small dot in one corner. “Boys,” he asked, “what do you see?” All of us shouted in unison, “A black dot!” Then he said, “So not a single one of you saw the large white sheet of paper? Don’t go through life with that attitude.”

So, stop looking at the negatives in everything, and start focusing on the positives. Thank your fellow employees when they help you., buy lunch or something for someone who does a good job, show some courtesy and respect, and go out of your way to be kind. Remember – coworkers are people too

Joshua Goodling is a terminal cancer survivor, author, speaker, and the founder of this site.

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Tags: ethics, workplace, business, training, leadership,

Recently as I was clearing out a closet I found my twenty-plus year old tattered and worn copy of In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, Jr. I was struck by the following:

“Let us suppose that we were asked for one all purpose bit of advice for management, one truth that we were able to distill from the excellent company’s research. We might be tempted to reply, “”Figure out your value system.”" Decide what your company stands for. Clarify the value system and breathing life into it are the greatest contributions a leader could make.”

I thought to myself how often since the book was first published in 1982 have we read of corporate leaders, government officials, athletes and role models being accused and often convicted of some type of wrong doing. And I asked myself, “Didn’t these people have any values?”

Television, movies, music and other forms of popular culture are filled with questionable values, violence and greed. Implicit in this is a subtle approval of behavior. By being apathetic in our words and actions we set a lack of standards for our children, co-workers, employees and the next generation. We can find the need for it in every business or not-for-profit organization, every profession and industry, and in our local, state and national governments. The important decisions we make, and actions we take should be influenced by values.

The concept of Valueship is not new. Harvard professors James L. Heskett and Leonard A. Schlesinger studied the relationship between leadership, behavior and organizational performance. They found that leaders of the best performing companies defined their jobs as:

• “Identifying and constantly communicating commonly held values,

• shaping such value to enhance performance,

• ensuring the capability of people around them, and living the commonly held values.”

Valueship focuses on balancing the need of the individual with the needs of the organization by aligning the

The classic example of a value driven business is Johnson and Johnson and its decision to nationally recall all Tylenol capsules when several deaths were attributed to its use in the Chicago area. The decision cost Johnson and Johnson millions of dollars, and ultimately was the result of product tampering. Yet the leadership of this company felt their first responsibility was to “”the doctors, nurses and patients, mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services.”" Having a clear understanding of their values made the decisively obvious.

We create values in an organization by focusing on leading people to do the right thing as well as doing things right. People will generally be motivated to do good, if not exceptional work when they feel apart of an organization and see their leaders living these values.

By identifying core values we can begin a path to value-based leadership. Core values are the basic principles which we choose to guide our actions. They define beliefs, standards and acceptable behaviors. If properly communicated throughout all levels of the organization, they govern and guide the actions and decision of the individuals and the organization.

Decisions, priorities and actions are framed by core values. Examples include:

• We believe our employees are the key to our success.

• Never violate the public’s trust.

• We will treat our customers as guest in our homes.

• Our integrity has no room for error.

• We pledge to create an environment for our employees that foster respect, fairness opportunities for professional and personal growth.

Many people give little if any thought to identifying values that will guide their personal behavior. And, probably few organizations have done so. Instead they conveniently accept the values of others or let the moment determine values. In most every case where values are not clearly defined, good decisions are more difficult to make. Without understood and accepted values, people are easily swayed and decisions are subject to compromise and frequent change.

Successful leaders use a set of core values to make important decisions. They do the right thing for the right reasons. Personal values may differ within an organization. A strong leader will guide his or her team to focus on common good values the will create a desire for teamwork and cooperation, without invalidating those personal differences.

The key to Valueship is crystallizing the values that establish the guidelines for behavior. It is up to us as executives and leaders to drive these values throughout the organization. When you engage in actions that conflict with these values, you sacrifice your credibility. I’m dusting off my copy and re-reading In Search of Excellence. I trust it contains some very worthwhile thoughts that over the years we have learned and some we have ignored.

Tom Schweizer is President of Best Practices Associates. His execution of results-oriented, innovative approaches empowers clients to tap into their hidden potential and achieve outcomes once thought out of reach. Tom has had careers in both the business and not-for-profit sectors. As a coach he specializes in helping organizations improve results and build capacity.

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Tags: business, ethics, values, business, moral

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

Blockbuster Online decided to alter and modify my existing movie rental contract, which initially allowed me unlimited rentals and exchanges at the store for a fixed price. On October 17, when I walked into the store to exchange a video the store rep told me I had met my limit for monthly exchanges and would have to pay over $2.00 per movie on any additional exchanges. The manager came out and agreed it was bogus and fraudulent, but said he couldn’t change it.

Upon looking at Blockbuster Online they have since phased out unlimited rentals altogether on their website, but such was in operation when I was sold the contract by the Blockbuster representative.

I phoned the competition at Netflix who told me they only lowered their prices, unlike Blockbuster who has since significantly raised their prices. The idea according to my research is for Blockbuster to put the competition out of business for a short while by their online services, than alter their contracts after the competition has been eliminated – kind of like an anti-trust price gouging operation.

The Netflix website contract for similar services, which verbally the rep on the phone said there would not be any price increases……says otherwise. Read the fine print online and you will see a contractual stipulation stating “changes to terms of use.”

Changes to Terms of Use
Netflix, Inc., reserves the right, from time to time, with or without notice to you, to change these Terms of Use in our sole and absolute discretion. The most current version of these Terms of Use can be reviewed by clicking on the “”Terms of Use”" located at the bottom of the pages of the Netflix Web site. The most current version of the Terms of Use will supersede all previous versions. Your use of the Netflix Web site or continued use of our service after changes are made means that you agree to be bound by such changes.

This is the new corporation nation which cares not for consumers but financially raping and taking advantage of us. I say let’s protest!

Write your Better Business Bureau and Congress representatives and cite these unethical billing practices and procedures. What we tolerate will dominate. Close the floodgates before capitalism overtakes we the people and honesty and integrity entirely leaves the marketplace.

Email Paul with your complaint and name.

Paul Davis is a highly sought after professional speaker, life purpose coach, worldwide minister, and change master.

Paul is the author of several books including United States of Arrogance, Breakthrough for a Broken Heart; Adultery: 101 Reasons Not to Cheat; Are You Ready for True Love; Stop Lusting & Start Living; Waves of God; Supernatural Fire; Poems that Propel the Planet; and God vs. Religion.

Paul’s compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul’s organization Dream-Maker Ministries builds dreams, breaks limitations & revives nations.

As a passionate and fervent activist, Paul wants to see justice come to every disenfranchised person abused by the corporate profit driven system. A documentary filmmaker, Paul would like to hear from you.

Hire Paul to do a “It’s Judgment Day” expose for you!

Visit him here.

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Tags: business, ethics, contracts, unethical, behaviour

I think I finally figured out the secret to success. It came to me as an epiphany one night as I was driving home from work. Frankly, it was so simple and obvious, I can’t believe it took me years to figure it out. It came to me as I was thinking about some of the key people I’ve met over the years in the Information Technology field, and I found their attributes were essentially no different than other successful businessmen I’ve met. I guess we should begin by asking ourselves what we consider to be a “”success.”" To me, this is not just making a comfortable living. Instead, I’m talking about those people who dominate an industry or company, primarily through their personalities. I do not wish to portray this concept of success in a cynical light, but rather as a realistic perspective of the captains of industry.

In order to become a success in any industry or business, I have discovered it is not necessary to produce a good work product, nor do you have to be conscientious about your craft. No, it’s much simpler than that; you just have to be an ass****. And I say this with the utmost sincerity. All of the “”movers and shakers”" I have met over the years, particularly in the I.T. industry, fall into this category and you would be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t possess these simple attributes as described herein.

First, you have to find a cause for you to pitch. It really doesn’t matter what it is, just something you are comfortable with, and something that appeals to the masses, particularly if it relates to a human weakness such as greed, violence or sex. Or it might be that you have invented a new mousetrap. In this event, you need to portray it as “”state of the art.”" Either way, you want to go well beyond simply peddling your offering, you want it to dominate market share.

Next, you have to cultivate a certain physical image, something that distinguishes you, usually by not conforming to current standards. This could be something as simple as a new hair style, facial hair, clothes, hats, jewelry, etc. The more outlandish, the better as you will inevitably be falsely mistaken for a genius and it becomes your unique logo which people remember. For example, I remember one guy who loved to wear a cape. You may not remember exactly what he said, but you remembered him because of that stupid cape.

Next, you have to master the art of communications as well as miscommunications. Very important: you do not have to be right in your message, just entertaining. This means you can be loud, obnoxious, even insulting in order to get noticed. And the more verbose your vocabulary is, the better, as people will misunderstand what you say yet regard you as a genius. This means you always try to speak above your audience, and most definitely not at their level. By doing so, you are endeavoring to dominate your audience through intimidation. You must also be a master politician as you have to be acutely aware of the hot buttons needed to motivate or coerce people to do what you want them to do.

This fixation on physical image and communications obviously means you realize the importance of facade as opposed to substance. It also means you understand the need to keep moving along before somebody understands what you are truly about. This requires you to be able to move politically faster than your opponents and undermine them as required. I am reminded of one CEO in the I.T. field who during the work week would make the life of everybody in the office miserable, but always made it a point to attend his church each week to be absolved of any wrong doing.

All of this highlights two points: first, morality and ethics have nothing whatsoever to do with becoming a success, and second; you must be self-centered with a huge ego. You see workers more as servants as opposed to employees. It also means your word is not your bond. In fact, honesty and integrity have absolutely nothing do with becoming a success. To illustrate, I remember when Hitler wrote that preposterous Munich Agreement for Neville Chamberlain promising he would never invade the Sudetenland: what a classic!

To be a success your behavior is perhaps best characterized as “”pompous”" and you enjoy a highly visible profile. I am reminded of a customer of ours in the Midwest who was developing new information systems for the business. Whereas most of the project teams quietly went about their business and delivered quality systems on-time and within budget, there was one Project Manager who never delivered anything of substance on time or within budget. But because of the nature of the projects he was working on, whereby he was applauded for his skills for putting out fires, he enjoyed much higher visibility than everyone else and was promoted more rapidly than others. In other words, he capitalized on “”the squeaky wheel gets the oil”" phenomenon. As an aside, we advised our client that their chief firefighter was also their chief arsonist (which never quite set well with management or the subject in question).

Successful people are certainly not afraid of stepping on toes and making enemies as they already know how to combat them. Show me someone who is successful without making any enemies and I’ll show you a fraud. If they’re not pissing someone off, they’re not doing their job. In fact, they’ve discovered employees generally work better when they’re pissed off. This sense of ruthlessness may make his confidants squirm a bit, but not to the point of creating a mutiny.

To offset their unscrupulous tactics, successful people will support high profile causes, such as charity, which is designed more to improve the person’s image as opposed to helping a worthy cause (besides, it’s a handy tax write-off). Another earmark of the successful person is his/her infatuation with toys. They have to have the most expensive car, the largest boat, or their house has to be wired with the latest technological gizmos. All of this is aimed at projecting a certain “”winning”" image to impress others. It’s one thing not to be apologetic for your success, quite another to flaunt it like P.T. Barnum.

Now for the big question: Do you have the strength and temerety to be a success? Just remember, you have to look at yourself in the mirror every day. Frankly, most of us do not have the intestinal fortitude for it, and quite often our moral convictions prohibit us from acting accordingly.

Please understand, I do not present this thesis to be insulting, cynical or even humorous, but to consider the subject very objectively. We certainly do not like to believe these attributes for success are valid, but are they? The idea of someone working their way from the mailroom to the boardroom in this day and age is simply a ludicrous fantasy. It requires taking some rather unscrupulous tactics in order to succeed.

But interestingly, the masses are enamored with successful people, even in the face of some of their practices. For example, on one hand we are appalled by executives who are generously rewarded with hefty bonuses even if the company is floundering, but on the other hand we envy their success.

There is only one drawback to being a success, it is very lonely as you have no true friends to confide in. In fact, you are closer to your attorneys and accountants than you are to your friends and neighbors. Nonetheless, you trust nobody but yourself. But if you have supreme confidence in yourself this may be a small price to pay.

I guess the point of all of this is that there is nothing fair in business, a message I often convey to young people entering the work force. If you want something, you are going to have to earn it, which will inevitably require you to compromise your principles.

A lot of people confuse the quirky mannerisms described herein as “”entrepreneurial”" or mistake them as signs of brilliance. In reality, it is nothing more than a charade. To paraphrase an old expression, “”You don’t have to be a brain to be a success, just an ass****.”"

Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida. You can find his work on the Internet, click here

Copyright © 2007 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

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Tags: personal, ethics, code, professional, social

Some translation entities, before recruiting any translation staff, set some questions for the candidate. These questions may not only relate to the capacity of the candidate, but also to gain knowledge of candidate’s personality, attitude, and other personal criteria, attributable to a successful translation.

Recently, before admitting to be a freelance translator for an Australian company, I was subject to some questions, and would hereby wish to share these questions with those wishing to be a translator or as an additional knowledge for all current translators.

Q: How responsive you are to email?

Tags: information, ethics, business, values

A: I am living in a world that uses email, even with a friend in an adjacent room. Actually, I do have great knowledge about email; signature, forward, respond, respond to all, delete, checking language mistakes. Actually, sometimes, I can’t count how many emails I send and receive per day. I have used emails for three years already. I translate for company in Indonesia, Malaysia and the U.S.A, so I use electronic mail for working in these foreign companies.

Q: How many times do you check email a day?

A: About three to four times.

Q: How often are you online per day?

A: Usually one time (I mean yahoo messenger), so we might need to set a consistent time that you and me can talk via “yahoo messenger.”

Q: How many days per week are you online?

A: Five days per week.

Q: Are you using yahoo messenger?

A: Yes, absolutely.

Q: What do you think are the qualities of a good translator?

A: A good translator shall have correlative qualifications/skills/experiences to the document being subject to be translated, speedy typing skills on both the target and original languages, nearly perfect or perfect terminology knowledge of both target and original languages, near native knowledge on the targeting language, patience and stamina, time sensitivity, professionalism-/dignity-oriented sentiment, knowledge in time/stress management and prioritization and finally, commitment to full understanding of the context of the target language.

Q: What does it need to be a good translator?

A: Understand at least 70 percent of the document being subject to be translated, translate with full understanding not just word by word, not accept any translation work beyond one’s knowledge/ability, must always be on time or before time, not assigning the work to any third person no matter how she/he qualified, always go beyond expectations, having all relevant credible resources, research tools and specialized person to refer to when stuck with the translation work.

Q: What are your specialization areas of translation?

A: Law, commerce, politics, international relations, philosophy, history, and other humanity and social science fields.

Q: Code of ethics for translator?

A: It is the complete set of rules that determine the morality, ways of work performance, and moral attitudes of work performance of a translator and translation entities. Countries rarely have codes of ethics for translator, but we have international code of ethics for translator.

Q: What does it consist of?

A: Code of ethics for translator is consisted of professional and moral responsibilities, norms, qualification, admission criteria and should-be penalty of a translator. It also determines the qualification and admission criteria, professional and moral responsibilities, as well as the penalty/dissolution of the translation entities.

Q: Why translator needs to adhere to code of ethics?

A: Because it is the tool that determines success of our clients and professional work performance of a translator. It is the methodology that leads translator to quality and professional translation works, and the set norms or maybe penalties that stick translator to corporate and professional responsibilities.

Vicheka Lay is the Assistant Managing Director of Cambodian War Amputees Rehabilitation Society [a Canadian NGO registered in the Province of Alberta, Canada], and a freelance translator for a company in Indonesia. Also, he is currently an LL.M candidate, with specialization in International Law. Vicheka Lay is also an “expert blogger” for the Center for International Governance Innovation, based in Ontario, Canada.

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Tags: information, ethics, business, values

“Throughout history, man has always struggled with the issue of right and wrong and ethics and justice. According to the dictionary, ethics is defined as “the study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by the individual in his relationship with others”. In simple terms, ethics provides the evaluation mechanisms and theories, based on which a particular action is adjudged as right or wrong, or as good deed or bad deed. It tries to answer the questions “”why is this good?”" if something is judged as good or right and “”why is this bad?”" if something is judged as bad or wrong.

Knowing about ethics does not mean that one will always end up doing the morally correct thing. However, it makes you more capable of explaining your actions — like although you knew that this was wrong, you were forced to do it owing to the circumstances.

The moral absolutism approach presumes the existence of eternal moral values and principles that are applicable at all times and at all places and circumstances. It considers that the moral quality of the action or behavior lies on the quality of the act itself (which means that something which is right is always right and something which is wrong is always wrong) irrespective of the circumstances that cause the act or the consequences that result from the act.

The ethical relativism approach presumes that moral values and principles are not right or wrong, but can vary with different circumstances — moral views can vary depending on how different cultures or individuals perceive a particular action or behavior. It is a very flexible approach and considers that the moral quality of the action or behavior is based on the circumstances that cause the act or the consequences that result from the act rather than the actual act itself. For instance, an action is adjudged as right if it proves to be highly beneficial to a large number of people.

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Tags: ethics, business, moral, theory, corporate

During a recent business networking event, a colleague told me that the two of us were a dying breed. This comment intrigued me and I asked her why. Remember, that old expression be careful of what you wish because you may receive it? Well, that is exactly what happened.

This colleague was looking for someone to fill a sales position within her organization. First year salary was around $45,000 and that did not include additional incentives or benefits.

I had been approached by two other individuals who were seeking to change positions. Given that I knew both of them and thought them to be professional and understanding of what it takes to be a good sales person, I shared the name of the person and organization seeking a sales person.

Both individuals emailed me back and thanked me for the referral. And both individuals sent me a second mail sharing that they had met with my colleague.
Unfortunately, neither of the individuals sent my colleague a hand written thank you or even an email for the opportunity of the interview.

This demonstration of poor business ethics is what my colleague referred to as us being a dying breed. When we had originally met years ago, I had sent a handwritten note thanking her for the meeting. During the course of time, we would have lunch together. If I paid, I would receive a handwritten thank you note from her and if she paid, I would send a handwritten thank you note.

Would she hire either one of them? Absolutely not! Their inability to acknowledge the opportunity to sell themselves through a simple hand written note of appreciation showed her how they would potentially treat her existing clients and prospective ones. Since she strongly believed in relationship selling, these two both failed her Litmus Test.

In business, the goal is to build authentic relationships. Some now refer to this as relationship selling. Consistently demonstrating high business ethics will help to build that relationship and more importantly sustain that relationship. Conversely, demonstrating poor ethics will have just the opposite affect.

What bothered me the most, is that I truly believe that both of these individuals were professionals. However, I was wrong because both of them had failed Business Ethics 101 – send a handwritten note and if nothing else send an email.

If you want to increase sales or get that coveted job, please make sure that your behaviors reflect exceptional business ethics which are truly just a reflection of your own personal ethics and beliefs.

Where are you going? The M.A.P. for Success, a FREE email course may help you begin to chart a course of business, professional or personal success. Visit this site.

Do you know what it takes to develop loyal customers? Our FREE customer loyalty self assessment may just help you to answer that question. Follow this link to sign up for your free assessment.

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Tags: work, ethics, article, policy, training

“The prominence of drug testing in the workplace is expanding throughout the country as more and more companies employ drug tests to take a this critical step to ensure the safety and sanctity of the workplace. Optimally, keeping the workplace clear of drug users would ensure greater safety for the employees as a whole and increase the overall productivity of the company, and cheap, easy and accessible drug tests would make that happen. In spite of all this optimism, it is to be noted that drug testing in the workplace was never accepted by most communities as such in the beginning.

It is true that drug use by the employees would lead to on-the-job accidents, absenteeism and employee theft and that recurrent drug testing in the workplace could potentially discourage the use of drugs altogether. The major gripe of the employees was that it was not just the regular drug users and addicts that were being targeted. Drug testing proved a threat to the employment of people who used recreational drugs occasionally. There were fears of knee jerk dismissals of employees that were highly productive and efficient for the simple reason that they indulged themselves in a rave so long back that they could not even remember. Drug testing was promoted as to being focused on counseling and rehabilitating the employees that were detected, but people perceived it as a threat to their employment prospects.

Drug testing in the workplace was also being widely characterized as a blatant violation of the privacy of an individual. Today, these points of protests are dying a slow death as more and more people realize the importance of weeding out drug abusers from the workplace. Drug testing in the workplace in some form is approved in most states of the US, but the practice is not properly regulated in most cases. The people who are subjected to drug testing in the workplace do not necessarily give their consent, nor is it considered essential. The fact that a so called official could walk in and order you to urinate in a vial without a specified reason compounds the argument that this whole practice is a violation of personal privacy.

Although drug testing the employees was considered impractical just a few months ago due to its high costs, a new wave of practical and cheap drug tests flooding the market has caused a phenomenon of sorts. It is not just current employees who are subjected to drug testing in the workplace; prospective employees and job applicants are also put through a drug test before they start off on the job.

Today the hundreds of laws that exist that govern the drug testing in the workplace, most only aid in furthering the confusion on what is acceptable and what is not. To add to the woes, most of these laws do not help through the way they are stated to convince the employees who are on the receiving end of these laws. Still, the practice continually evolves in its execution to encompass more and more employees bringing the dream of a drug free workplace true – one employee at a time.

This Article is written by Lena Butler, the author of TestCountry Health Information Resources, a longer version of this article is located at The Ethics of Drug Testing in the Workplace and resources from other home health and wellness testing articles are used such as TestCountry Drug Testing Kits.

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Tags: legal, ethics, professional, issues, modern

“In business and in life one should learn to respect people and treat them accordingly. You must respect yourself before you can effectively respect others. Everyone has their own set of core beliefs and values that effect how they interact with other individuals in this world we live in. The saying “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” should be took to heart in everything you say and in this world.

This respect for the individual’s right to believe does not in anyway mean that we should always agree with that belief. It does mean we should try to our best to understand and seek common ground if possible. What is value to one person maybe worthless to another that is what makes this world so fascinating is how each of us perceives it and interacts in it. In a world of many languages and beliefs it is all too easy to offend someone with what we say and do. That is a fact of this universe in which we live that not everyone will like what we say and do.

In all our dealings with other individuals we should seek to not knowingly offend them. If we can not say something good and fulfilling who should use discretion and not speak ill of what another says and does if possible. That in no way means to acknowledge outright untruths and harmful things to be allowed to go unchecked. Evil and hurtful things must be address in a civil and decent way without falling into the pitfall of doing and saying something inappropriate. To argue about something that is pointless and non beneficial just causes a wider divide amongst individuals and solves nothing in the end. Debate is good as long as it is done with respect for the other point of view.

Do not disrespect your potential consumers of your wares by talking down to them like you are superior to them. Rather look for ways to communicate to them how your products or services may be able to benefit them. Never promise something you can not provide for them or exaggerate or embellish your wares and services in a deceitful manner. Show them courtesy in your presentation.

Look for ways to answer their concerns with honest answers. Look to what their needs may be and address it if possible in your presentation. The more you respect your potential buyer the more you will be able to gain their respect. Treat all men and women with respect and dignity seeking to serve them and in doing so reap in the rewards of doing so.

We are creatures that seek encouragement and acceptance among those we come into contact with. We do not seek to be beat down with words of deceit and abuse. Every person seeks to be accepted and feel like a part of society. Learn to listen more closely to what is being said and look for ways to give a hand in improving and benefiting those you come in contact with. The best leaders are those who seek to serve those they lead with fairness and kindness not with cruelty and deceit.

Look to find ways to respect yourself by removing those things that prevent you from doing so. Respect life and all it holds seeking what is good and right. Become a leader in your profession by serving those with kindness and respect. Starting looking for the good in men and women seeking to add to the list of those you call friends. We are all fellow travelers in great road of life so why not enjoy the trip to success in life and business.

William R Brandenburg
Visit this site.

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Tags: business, ethics, values, business, moral

Having strong business ethics and values is a must especially in today’s highly competitive business world. People know us for our values or lack thereof. However sometimes it is difficult to maintain your strengths and values as a women in business especially when others walk the paths of compromise and consensus.

To begin this process, you probably need to commit your business ethics and values to writing. A written values statement (within your strategic plan) is about those non-negotiable behaviors that you will consistently demonstrate each and every day. Your strengths in many cases are your gifts and those gifts could also be some of your values. I discovered this after writing my Purpose and Values statements years ago.

After several months of working and reworking, I crafted this values statement that is reviewed every year to ensure congruency.

ADVANCED SYSTEMS’ first commitment is to partner WITH our clients, and their needs by delivering exceptional value that continually strives to render a positive return on the clients’ investments of energy, money and time to our results driven solutions. Our second commitment is to all individuals by recognizing, promoting and respecting their needs. Our final commitment is that our values of acknowledgment, creativity, faith, gratitude, intelligence, innovation, intuition, learning, patience, quality work, reflection, respect, risk taking and thoughtfulness will be present in every interaction with our clients.

Since this values statement is hanging on a wall for me to see each and every day, I have the opportunity to continually read and re-read it. This daily action of reading this statement helps me to maintain my business ethics, personal strengths or what I think of as gifts.

Another behavior that helps me to reinforce my strengths is Positive Belief Statements or what some call these positive affirmation statements. Regardless of the name, the daily behavior of reading them keeps me focused and on target to achieving my goals without compromising my own values.

Given all the information that bombards us each and every day, reinforcement is necessary or we might temporarily lose sight of the path that we want to travel to secure the success that we deserve. Again, this may sound like repeating a broken record, a plan is a critical piece to staying on the right path.

If you want to maintain your strengths and values through your business ethics, then begin with a plan, read the plan, keep signs of the plan on your wall such as your Values Statements and make sure that your daily behaviors are congruent with that plan.

For your strengths and values are truly your competitive advantage leaving you standing tall and still in business while others are falling down around you.

A woman entrepreneur by the name of Robin Siemens shared her thoughts about values. I believe she truly understands how to maintain her strengths and values each and every day. Integrity is putting your values into action.

As a woman in business, are you curious about the issues other women are faciing? Maybe this FREE e book Up, Up and Away in 2008 may help learn more. Visit this site to learn more about this topic. Do you want more sales? Then register for FREE professional sales skills assessment here.

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Tags: ethics, value, business, competitive, competitor