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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: ethical, issues, articles, business, decision

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

- occasional comments, jokes, touching or gestures

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

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

There are two type of harassment under the legal definition:

1/ Quid-Pro-Quo Harassment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2/ Hostile Workplace Environment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

· Provide sexual harassment training for managers.

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

· Train human resource’s staff regarding appropriate techniques.

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

· Update hiring policies and procedures

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

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

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Tags: ethical, issues, list, moral, value

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

They will showcase a good balance of offerings. Many of these will be with Fortune 500 companies and a good cross-section of well-known, prestigious firms listed on the various stock exchanges. And no quick-buck con men to instantly push these either.

They are usually located at easy-to-find addresses on well-known streets, and are housed in well-lighted, nicely-appointed offices. Very subtly you will get the idea that, while money can’t buy happiness, it sure makes misery a lot easier to deal with.

Extensive biographies of their brokers and other operational and management personnel are most often readily available. Some you will meet, with no hint or talk of up the ante, beat the street, sweeten the pot, a sweetheart deal, or it’s a cash cow.

And, their list of references and testimonials from satisfied customers is usually extensive. No chest thumping, self-congratulatory back slapping of themselves as being the “”best in the financial guru business.”"

In checking out their research facilities you will also find an attempt at thoroughness, a striving to provide fact-digging excellence to support their stock and bond selection recommendations.

In sharp contrast. . .

Much like the face on the bar room floor, a boiler room–or bucket shop–will almost always be located on a back street, in a dingy office. It will have many small desks shoved together, or in tiny cubicles, featuring sales personnel–scam artists– working phone banks, reading from scripts in their conversations. They do not provide wide-spread offerings. And, no research facilities open to the public at this version of a Norman Bates motel either. No extensive bios and no variety of testimonials. Their surroundings are much like the settings in a legal thriller movie.

Do not expect to deal with someone inspired by Mother Teresa. Rather, the boiler room boys will glad-handingly pass themselves off to you as the most gifted authorities on the American free enterprise system since the Rockefeller clan’s bankers. Their specialty, along with their operational goals, is quite different from the legitimate stock brokerage. Learning these differences is essential to your financial well being. Failure to do so could be the equivalent of diving into a lake encased in a cement life jacket. The con men’s “”specialties”" includes:

> Classic Pump and Dump operations.
Just another well-known shell game.

> Reverse of the Pump and Dump, known as the Short and Distort. Here the scam artists spread rumors in order to drive the prices of thinly traded stocks down. rather than in the generally accepted direction, up. Then, they buy back the results of their “”short sales”" at a discount and profit. Most often considerably.

> The selling of fictitious foreign exchange investments. Yes, that’s right, stuff grabbed purely out of thin air. The scam artists know how intriguing it is to seduce with language like “”foreign exchange,”" and how many suckers exist out there who will “”sail”" for this exotic-sounding type investment.

> The selling of risky, small cap IPO’s (Initial Public Offerings). Now, not all IPOs are necessarily poor investments. Some–a very few–are actually millionaire makers. But, the odds against are enormous. The only good, proven millionaire-making potential here is for the scam artists who peddle them. The odds do truly smile on the con men in this investment category.

> The selling of “”house stocks,”" shares in shaky companies–usually tiny firms–that are of OTC Bulletin Board or Pink Sheets quality at best.. These are usually blocks of stock that the scam artists have purchased at a sharp discount. Exceptions? Yes, like IPOs. A select few will flower, flourish, and produce bountiful profits. But, the big majority will reward–only–the con man advocate.

> Maybe the worst of all the practices of these people is the holding back on execution of sell orders. And, sometimes outright failure to execute. (They will go to great lengths to avoid the creation of downward pressure on the prices of stocks they are trying to unload.)

Selection can be of equal challenge–in determining reality as opposed to the plot of a legal thriller book. Your failure at being able to distinguish between the two–differentiate between the legitimate and illegitimate operations–could be costly to you. If you were to, somehow, stumble into dealings with the boiler room boys by mistake, you would be like the lumberjack 100 feet up a tree suddenly coming upon a bee hive. Naturally, you can stomp, cajole, complain. You can threaten them with a law suit.. Of course, you can always try taking a bone away from a pit bull, too. You’d probably get equally as far.

The Con Man’s Blog, and first two chapters of Jack Payne’s legal thriller book, Six Hours Past Thursday, are now available online. Both readable for free. You are invited to visit this blog.

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Have all the new technologies resulted in the promised leisure time? Look at your own lifetime and ask yourself, “”How far have we really come?”" And I have one additional question: “”Do we know where we are going?”" No ship captain worth his salt would consider leaving port without clearly understanding his destination and charting a course to get him and his cargo there safely and efficiently.

Yet we have seen countless news stories of plans gone wrong when it comes to things like protecting the ecology and the environment. Many large corporations have gone bankrupt, leaving both employees and investors holding the bag while CEO’s and staff members have made personal fortunes. Aid in the form of foodstuffs, clothing and building materials, sent by kind hearted and well meaning people, have been hoarded by gang lords or political leaders for their personal gain, often while their own people starve or die from exposure. Many are now reluctant to contribute to relief efforts because they doubt that the truly needy will benefit.

On a smaller scale, we see whistle blower stories of corruption in local businesses and in local government, where individuals have diverted public funds for personal use, and where confidential information has been sold to competitors or even political enemies. Newspapers and television news programs are likely to show us only those stories that align with their own agendas, and have become very unreliable when it comes to real reporting. Clearly, something has gone wrong, and it is not in isolated areas. Like a disease it has spread throughout society in all parts of the globe.

One survey indicated that only about 14% of respondents place confidence in schoolteachers, 5% in newspaper reporters and journalists, and 3% in corporate CEO’s and political leaders. Why? I believe that the answer is the lack of personal ethics. In my mind there is no line separating personal ethics, business ethics, so called situational ethics, spiritual ethics or any other kind of ethics. One is an ethical, though imperfect, person, or not. We don’t put on a suit of business ethics before we leave for work, and change into our personal ethics attire at 5pm. Just as I have long believed that it is wise to have only one vocabulary, one that you can comfortably use everywhere without fear of embarrassment, I believe that we must also have only one set of ethics.

We live with the same ethical standards every waking moment. Simply stated, ethics is a statement of right and wrong. If a thing is wrong here, it will be wrong there. If it is wrong now, it will be wrong next week or next year. These are rights and wrongs based on principles. Now, a decision whether to buy a car or a truck based on current needs, is not a decision based on ethics. And though we may not need a truck today, next year we may decide that we do. No change in ethics, but a change in conditions. What would be ethical in either case would be to arrange payment and live up to that arrangement, register the vehicle properly, obtain insurance, pay the taxes on personal property, drive carefully, avoid driving while intoxicated, obey traffic laws intended for the protection of everyone, etc. Tons of ethical considerations surround the use of a vehicle.

As John C, Maxwell says in his book “”There’s No Such Thing as Business Ethics”", there is only ONE RULE for making decisions, the Golden Rule. Is it right or is it wrong? Within that framework, we may sometimes have to decide what is right for the greatest number of people involved, but we must do so while carefully considering the effect on ALL of the people. Such decisions will not always be easy. And at times we may be forced to do what is best for someone else, not simply what is best for us.

At times, what is best for another might be inconvenient or even costly for us, but a strong sense of ethics will compel us to make that choice and to live with it. And in the end we become better for it. I recall bidding on a small remodeling job many years ago in the home of an elderly woman. I got the job and didn’t discover until midway through that I had grossly underestimated the time and cost of materials. I completed the work and billed the lady according to our agreement, though I lost money on the job. The result was that I learned to estimate more carefully, and the woman recommended me to all her friends and neighbors, so that I was kept busy that whole season.

Ethical behavior ALWAYS pays off, one way or another. The scales will always balance.

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Tags: ethic, cases, business, issues, article

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

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

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

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

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

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

William R Brandenburg. Visit him here

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Tags: ethical, value, moral, issues, ethics

Having seen such a beautiful picture of a young pure powerful Church of Jesus Christ, suddenly the pendulum swings, and this is something we see often in The Bible. It is something we experience in everyday life too. Have you ever noticed that? Everything appears to be going so well and quite suddenly surprise confronts us.

The scene changes, in Acts Chapter 5, in the New Testament, where we read of another aspect of church life which is just as real.

We read of a husband and wife – Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of property. Let’s say, just to get the feel of what was happening, that they got £200,000 for it. They talked it over, and deciding to bring £150,000 and present it to the leadership in The Church, but giving the impression they were offering the entire amount.

Have you ever been tempted to allow people to think you are giving and donating more than you really are? It may present a good impression for a brief moment, but you are kidding no-one.

One of the leaders, Peter, challenges Ananias when he comes with what might be regarded as a substantial offering, “”Why are you lying to the Holy Spirit? Why?

“”You were free to handle the money, weren’t you? Why have you behaved in this way? Whatever made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men – but to God.”"

Ananias dropped down dead. A great reverential fear came upon all who heard what had happened.
Sometimes it can be good to get a real fright. Sometimes it is good to be filled with a healthy fear.

Might this article make you give serious thought to your giving and donating – or perhaps to some other area in your business life?

About three hours later, his wife came into the Jerusalem Fellowship, not knowing what had happened. Peter asks Sapphira some questions. “”Tell me, is this the price you got for the property you sold? Was it £150,000?”" “”YES, that’s right. That’s what we got.”"

Is Peter giving her the opportunity to confess her sins, repent, sort things out and put right what was very wrong? There is no sense of Repentance or Confession, and she too dies.

If there was one thing, God was not going to permit in the Church at this time it was hypocrisy. If this had gone unchecked, it could have wrecked and ruined that young Church.

Hypocrisy wrecks The Church of Jesus Christ quickly, and where money is involved hypocrisy and deception can become dangerous.

Many years ago when I was travelling through Germany on a train a very wise man told me, as we discussed spiritual matters and money – “”Never touch the gold or the glory.”"

If God gives you money give away the surplus. If God uses you in any way, pass all the praise and glory on to Him – never bathe in any of it yourself. What precious advice.

I had been ministering at four Conferences and Preaching Engagements, and each group had given me travelling expenses and gifts of money – and to me, as a youngish preacher and teacher, all this had become a very real question and conundrum. I am so glad it did not become a problem. This wise man provided me with a wise answer, and I am glad I had the guts to put it into practice.

Their sin was that they wanted to be thought of as being as generous as Barnabas, who had given in a generous substantial manner, without paying the cost. There is a COST in PENTECOST.

Jesus Christ was so tender with adulteresses, but blasted hypocrites.

The signs and wonders continued in that young church, but the crowds of people joining evaporated and disappeared. People still came to faith in Jesus Christ, but it was a slightly different situation now.

There are ethical and moral principles here from which every business man could learn. These lessons could rescue a man from years of heartache and pain.

Sandy Shaw

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

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

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

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Tags: individual, ethics, code, issues, business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: ethical, issues, training, business, corporate

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

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

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

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

They started bullying Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In other words, “”Don’t bully.”"

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

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

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

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

There is an effective cure.

Sandy Shaw

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

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

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

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Tags: ethical, issues, contemporary, business, companies

In the internet, we still see some barter action although not as much as buying and selling. In fact, several web sites are dedicated solely to the buy and sell or trading business. This is turning out to be a lucrative industry because some person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Some of the old or used items we may have lying around in the house may fetch a good price at the buy and sell sites. This does not necessarily mean that only old or used items are sold in these kinds of websites. Some people also sell services and other unused items for the convenience of buyers. Services cover a broad range of work which can be done using telecommunication or just at the local area. You will be surprised with the variety and type of items and services available at the traders’ sites.

Other forms of trading may also include swapping of items. These items may be entirely different from each other or similar. The quality and quantity of the items will de the determining factor of the swap. Some people also add cash to the swap or exchange to meet the requirements of some swappers. This still depends entirely on each party just how much they will add or demand from each other. Just like in real life, selling and buying sometimes need a personal aspect especially when there is trust involved. A person will trust a well-known store for the quality and data accuracy of the item being sold. If the store has a dubious reputation or an unknown reputation, we will hesitate to do business with it, in spite of the lesser price. Most people opt for the more trustworthy or better known store than other lesser known stores.

Online, we tend to check out the sellers who are recommended by other buyers and other companies than the ones who are not recommended. Recommendations help sellers gain the trust of the buyers. Most sellers also hold true to their trustworthiness because satisfied buyers are more likely to recommend them to others and to do repeat business with them. Some websites encourage interaction among sellers and buyers to minimize disappointment in the sales or transactions. It is probable that the more you get to know the buyer or seller you will the gist of his personality and know if he should be trusted or not. It is also a good thing to review the buyer’s profile and the product being sold so that you may be aware of all the little things which may not be included in the description.

Some sellers only post the major details refraining from adding too much information. To be able to chat or IM the sellers for more info or photos of the item in question would be very advantageous.

For Swapping Online, please visit Online Swapping website.

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Tags: business, ethics, issues, reasearch, corporate