Much is written about business ethics especially with the fall of Enron to the compensation for CEOs. With the presidential campaign in full swing, we as citizens and business leaders have the opportunity to see ethics being or not being consistently display by those in leadership roles.

The recent misspeaks by Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are such examples. These incidents really show that ethics should be consistent and should not be given the standard wink and a nod.

When those in positions of authority fail to be ethical, then this undermines how people perceive them and their ability to lead or manage change. This failure to be ethical can be viewed by these individuals much like a wink and a nod. Well, you know that I know this is not true (wink), but let’s agree to let this one pass (nod).

Senator Clinton’s recent remarks about the sniper fire truly demonstrate that those in authority, leadership roles, whether government or business believe that they have the right to misspeak, not get caught and not be held accountable. She is not alone in this belief and joins the ranks of all the other executives who have been caught and have, in many cases, paid for the consequences of their actions.

Some are surprised that even though Senator Clinton’s mis-speak was actually her third time recounting this particular event in error (documented by film footage) that she had not been taken to task publicly when she mis-spoke the first time. Whether she was given a pass because of her positive relationship with the broadcast media or because of other factors remains unclear. What is clear is that the truth did eventually surface. How she handled this is what requires our focus. The truth always wins out, sometimes it just takes years instead of minutes.

The old adage “Of what tangled webs we weave, when we plan to deceive” is clearly reflected in these most recent incidents of poor business ethics. One lie turned into another lie and eventually the truth won.

Why people fear telling the truth, I do not know. Alfred Adler once said:

“A lie would have not sense unless the truth were felt as dangerous.”

When we are ethical and consistently tell the truth, we do not have to fear lies because we do not have to remember what we did or did not say.

Being ethical is not about what you do whether it is running a company or running for an elected office or running your own personal life. Ethics is about who you are, your core values and those non-negotiable behaviors that you demonstrate day in and day out. For in today’s society especially with the technology available such as camera phones, not being ethical will eventually be displayed to the entire world.

Is your leadership contributing to poor work ethics? Take this FREE leadership audit to help you identify your leadership skills.

Are you looking for some additional business coaching training services to develop a high performance organization and culture? Why not visit business coaching training gym that is designed to help you build a better business.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith with locations near Chicago & Indianapolis helps organizations through business coaching training services to return to the purpose of business that being building ravings fans while increasing productivity and profitability.

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Tags: business, corporate, ethical, issues, training

Business ethics are always in the news from research specific to work ethics to headlines about the criminal leadership behavior of C-Level executives. Yet, government leaders many of whom raise the loudest voices about the lying behavior of C-Level executives by demanding one hearing after another have a different attitude when one or several of their own lies.

First, I do not understand why we as self-leaders in business, education and government have a problem with the word lie. Instead, many are taken to be politically correct and talk about “mis-speaking, mis-representation of the truth, mis-calculation” the list of spin seems to grow every year.

Why can we not be forthcoming and identify a lie as exactly as a lie? Then identify someone who lies as a liar? Why are so many so fearful of calling a lie exactly what it is a lie? Most people know what a lie is that being the opposite of the truth. And why do we still view these individuals who speak lies as leaders who display great leadership skills?

Back in the late 1980′s, my local school superintendent used the phrase a “mis-representation of the truth” to explain a lie. This was before all the political ramifications specific to the tenures of the latest two Presidents of the United States and those currently running for President. Bottom line – he was attempting to cover up a lie.

Webster defines a lie “to make a statement or statements that one knows to be false especially with the intent to deceive.” The second definition states “to give a false impression.”

Regardless if it is a C-Level executive leader or an elected government official, everyone should be held to the same standards or business ethics that these individuals demands of others. Too often, many have the attitudes of “wink and nod” and “do as I say and not as I do.”

If we want to build a business workplace environment that consistently demonstrates high business ethics, then we need to accept the definition for what a lie is as well. We cannot as the old expression goes “have our cake and eat it too.”

Edmund Burke understood how lies transform themselves into mis-representations of the truth when he said: “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men (and women) to do nothing.”

Now is the time for good people to stop being fearful of political correctness and call lies exactly what they are lies. And to call people who speak lies, liars. Until we take those actions, evil (and a lie is evil) will continue to prevail. And this spin results an under performing workplace culture where productivity to profitability suffers.

Is your leadership contributing to poor work ethics? Take this FREE leadership audit to help you identify your leadership skills.

Are you looking for some additional business coaching training services to develop a high performance organization and culture? Why not visit business coaching training gym that is designed to help you build a better business.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith with locations near Chicago & Indianapolis helps organizations through business coaching training services to return to the purpose of business that being building ravings fans while increasing productivity and profitability.

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

Ethics in advertising is a serious subject. First and foremost, advertisers must sell the product or service that they represent. On the other hand, however, advertising agents and companies must also be truthful and ethical in their portrayals and not deceive their consumers. These two demands create a tension that is heightened for controversial products or audience demographics, such as tobacco, alcohol, condoms, pharmaceutics, and children.

Tobacco, a legal but lethal product, creates an especially tricky dilemma for advertisers. Likewise, alcohol forms controversial campaigns for many agencies. Some companies handle the dilemma by refusing to do ad work for either group or by offering free services to health or cause-related groups like Mothers against Drunk Driving. However, sticky situations cannot be avoided by simply shunning the industry. What if the makers of a certain cigarette brand also manufacture cat food, which the agency has been asked to represent?

Condoms are another source of tough choices in the world of advertising. Many television channels refuse to show condom commercials. Product demonstration is critical in advertisements for condoms and some agencies evade the ethical issue of premarital sex by only displaying people with wedding bands. This choice introduces another moral question because the main market for condoms is non-married people. The Creative Director of Trojan Condoms captures this issue by asking “do you show the real truth and take the consequences?”

Pharmaceutical products also generate more ethical issues. Advertisements for new medicines are helpful because they inform consumers of up and coming treatments and solutions for medical problems. However, pharmaceutical companies only promote their biggest money makers. This choice fails to provide patients with alternative solutions, which can often times be more effective and cheaper. Downplaying harmful side-effects is another grey area in advertising medicine.

In terms of audience dilemmas, children form the most contentious demographic. Is product branding at an early age a correct moral decision? What does it mean to see kids today requesting cell phones and toys by brand name rather than wanting to hang out with their friends or play outside? What products are considered proper to market to children? In commercials aimed at kids, what types of behaviors should be modeled?

As you can tell, the world of advertising contains many grey areas of ethical choices. By choosing to actively evaluate situations such as these, advertising agents can strengthen their moral compass. This helps advertisers to make the best decisions, both for the company they advertise for and society in general.

If you are interested in learning more, this business website can help.

Joseph Devine

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Tags: ethical, dilemmas, issues, cases, business

* People talking on the cell phones when someone is speaking from the podium?
* People texting on their Blackberries or Treos or PDAs responding to text messages or emails?
* People with wireless Bluetooth ear pieces or similar devices?
* People talking on the cell phones in the lobby and letting everyone know that they are talking on the phone?

What does this really tell you about these individuals? First, they have a lot self importance. Second, they are rude and clearly do not have positive business ethics. Third, they are truly people I probably do not want to do business with given their observed behaviors.

During a recent luncheon honoring some local and dedicated business leaders, I watched at my table (6 men and 3 women and none being physicians) five of the men busy replying on their PDAs. One gentleman actually did leave the table and went outside to take a call. My thought as I looked at all of this activity is that “No one unless you are the President of the United States or a physician on call, is that important!”

As I continued to watch this type of self importance behavior, I began to have these two thoughts:

1. Would anyone want to do business with a CPA, attorney, dentist or real estate agent who cannot give her or his focus for at least 30 minutes?
2. Would I be confident in referring one of these individuals?

Our behaviors demonstrate to the outside world as to our internal attitudes and the beliefs that drive those attitudes. Sometimes, individuals forget that the rest of the world is watching from an entirely different perspective.

If we look back 10, 20 and 50 years ago, was this type of behavior prevalent. For the most part, no because the excuse of technology was not available and people in general were far more polite and respectful. Men took off their hats when the flag passed or when entering a building and always in a restaurant. Women also were more respectful in the marketplace from their dress to their own behaviors.

Business ethics is the sum total of your behaviors and how you respond in public regardless if public means your place of work or public means a business luncheon. As some would say, leave your ego with all of your own self importance at the door for you never know who is watching.

Effective leaders understand the importance of business ethics. Take this FREE leadership audit to help you identify your leadership skills

Are you seeking a motivational speaker for your next conference or sales meeting?

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, chief customer officer, helps organizations through business coaching training services to return to the purpose of business that being building ravings fans while increasing productivity and profitability. With offices in Chicago, Indianapolis and colleagues nationwide, she can help you become the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits.

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

When your name is mentioned, what is said about you? Do people say you’re lazy or a hard worker? Do they say you’re nice or a name I can’t mention? Do they say you’re always late, or always on time? Do they say you’re reliable or not, trustworthy or the opposite and so on? Good word of mouth travels fast, but bad word of mouth travel ten times as fast.

When I was in construction, a fellow contractor told me that one good word of mouth will get you ten jobs, and one bad word of mouth will lose you one hundred. That’s pretty heavy. The moral of the story…make sure there is nothing but good word of mouth going around about you. Here is how you give ‘em somethin’ to talk about.

Whether you are a business owner, a manager or an employee, you need to be a person of your word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. This includes many different topics including punctuality.

Always tell the truth. It’s been said, “honesty is the best policy.” You know why? Because it is! You do not want to be known as a liar. Moreover, don’t gossip.

Here is another way to gain a good name, put others before yourself. The word “selfish” came up at our staff meeting this week. We live in a society that stresses, “take care of you.” I’m stressing, take care of others. You remember the golden rule? How about dusting it off and putting it back into practice. By the way, I’m preaching to myself on all these points too.

Be a person with good morals and ethics. You should give your business or the company you work for your absolute best effort. Make sure you don’t steal anything and don’t cheat anyone. You should not only be morally and ethically correct at work, but at home as well, especially when no one is watching. That is the true measure of character.

Mike Bova is the Madison County Advertising Director & Business Columnist for Eagle Newspapers in Syracuse, NY. Mike owns several websites including , The Upstate New York Shopping And Business Directory. Mike has spoken in front of many business groups, shattered a lot of sales records, conducted several sales training seminars and trains corporate sales staffs how to sell more. Mike is launching his own site soon.

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Tags: article, business, cases, ethic, issues

What causes people to make unethical choices when they know it is wrong? Ask someone who has stolen money – did you ever think of yourself as a thief? Their answer is always a resounding – No! Yet, their unethical choices tend to lead them to disastrous consequences.

As a Motivational Speaker, no matter how much I share my story, people continue making unethical choices. What really saddens me is to watch people I know enter into ethical dilemmas after all I experienced and all that I share. I certainly do not withhold sharing my story, believing that telling my story helps other people.

There are those who learn by observation – the ones my story helps the most. Then there are those who insist on learning lessons by experience regardless of what they hear. Those people are the ones who live in denial who already have rationalized their behaviors.

My friend shared with me a story of a phone call she received from her niece. She was crying and upset. She felt frightened like the world was crashing in around her. She felt like she needed help – she needed a way out.

My friend listened and finally the story was shared. Apparently a few months ago there arose in her family medical issues. They felt they had nowhere to turn. Her husband managed an account in North Dakota. They decided to “borrow” money to help them cover the medical issues. They believed they had a way of paying it back without anyone knowing. Over a period of months they paid back all but $2000. The account could soon be audited. The niece and her husband were terrified of the outcome. There were many sleepless nights and lots of planning on how to replenish the balance – and how to cover up the fraud.

My friend’s heart ached. She knew from my experiences what the possible outcome could be. Her niece knew as well. They could be exposed, lose their reputation, be charged with embezzlement, and even go to jail. It seemed the house of cards was crashing down. My friend was frightened for them and the possible outcome. Her niece had so much integrity and kindness in her. She was shy and quiet. She hated to draw attention to herself. What happened?

This woman had grown up in an environment where lack and limitation was practiced. There was a period of time that she and her mother were homeless. Her mother worked hard to take care of her. This woman as a child, felt ashamed of where she lived, what she wore. She was envious of what other people had in their lives. She didn’t have a father and money was a huge problem. Although she knew her mother did her best and that her mother loved her dearly, she wanted a different for herself and her children.

They have raised their children to have everything they didn’t have. Both parents came from broken homes. Her husband was given everything he could want by his parents, but love. The woman was given all the love she wanted but not the things. They worked hard to have a home in the suburbs, meaningful jobs, name brand clothing for the children. Maintaining the illusion of a happy life was getting quite expensive. There was no savings account. They went more and more into debt. When the medical situation arose, they felt there were no more options and they “borrowed” the money – rather stole the money under the guise of “borrowing.”

Whenever someone enters into making an unethical choice, typically there are three things that occur. First, there is a need. In this case, this young family had a medical necessity and no immediate money to cover the expense. Second, there is opportunity. They had access to the money. Third, there is rationalization. This family had to take care of a medical need, the money was there, and they would pay it back.

They were good people. But then, in reality, most “white-collar criminals” would call themselves good people as would the people they associated with. All the ingredients were in line for them to make an unethical choice and in their mind they were only “borrowing” – a typical rationalized cover for theft.

Now they are faced with another ethical dilemma. They want to turn the finances over to someone else recognizing that they made a mistake. Can they do that without the new person reviewing the account records? Will the leadership demand a financial accounting? Do they hold onto the books so no one will find out? Do they turn them over confessing their situation and hope for mercy? What if there is no mercy? Will there be jail time? What about the reputation?

There is nothing easy about the consequences of making unethical choices especially if you are a person of integrity. In this woman’s case, she had a lot of integrity. She moved away from her authentic self. She did not honor who she is as a person. This just didn’t happen overnight. It happened over time. Once we move away from self-integrity, we are living with illusion and open to attracting more illusions to our lives.

As of this writing, the outcome is yet to be determined. What choice they make today will have an effect on their lives and the lives of their family forever. All I know for sure, is that if they make an ethical choice today, they will reap the benefits in the future. If they make an unethical choice today, eventually it will collapse around them.

My greatest lesson in life came from sitting in Federal Prison 13 years ago. I, too, created an illusory life and my house of cards crashed down around me. I made the exact choices my friend’s niece except mine involved $250,000. Just the amount of the money is different. I had a need, I had the opportunity and I rationalized it. Eventually it caught up to me. It was the worst and the best time of my life. It was the worst because I lost everything: my job, my family, my reputation, my things. It was the best because I became integrous to myself for the first time in my life. I learned invaluable lessons which I share today as a Motivational Speaker whenever possible. We can all make mistakes. We are not our mistakes. We are more than what we seem…especially when we make choices that create a positive outcome.

Chuck Gallagher is an international motivational speaker and author who shares his life experience in a way that is meaningful for his audiences. For information on Chuck’s presentations on choices and consequences or how to subscribe to his free ezine…visit his site.

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Tags: ethical, dilemma, issues, corporate, business

Owning a twelve room house is very expensive, my cleaning lady and her sister who is my cook cost me fifteen hundred dollars a week for six days work. Health insurance is provided by me. Both are is well worth what I pay them. I like my clothes and linens washed daily by hand and my two cars washed and waxed. The washing machines destroy the quality of material so they are not used except by them. Both have been with me for over five years. we are all lovers but never on working hours.

My cook is three years younger than her sister, she is forty three years old. She once worked as a stripper but gave it up to work for me. The food shopping and kitchen cleanup is done by her. Breakfast is served at eight but lunch and dinner can be served at any time. I always like a late night snack and a dry martini. The sisters live with me and have their own rooms. I cannot sleep well with any one in my bed. When we make love it is in the large bedroom that my deceased parents used to share.

Sunday is my employees day off so we all go mall shopping followed by dinner and dancing. We never return home until the wee hours of the morning. Both sisters are usually dead drunk. I am the driver so I keep my self down to a martini or two. We are all up at eight A.M. to start the working day of with a hot breakfast. Life is good to us all and we are one happy bunch.

On a Sunday night when we were dinning and dancing I asked the sisters if they would like to retire and live with me in a residential hotel. The staff of the hotel would provide all the services needed including cooking and cleaning. They were delighted to hear such a kind offer but were frightened at the thought of losing their salaries. I explained that the salaries would continue and so would our relationship as friends and lovers. They agreed and I sold my house. We then all moved into a luxurious three bedroom suite.

My parents were business people and employed over one hundred workers. Before they died in an automobile accident they explained to me the importance of being fair to your employees. I never forgot their teachings. The sisters that live with me were my employees and if my parents were alive they would be proud of me.

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Tags: business, code, ethics, individual, issues

During the next year or so that we all get to enjoy this restful industry-wide slow-down, I think it would be a great idea to work on re-building our industry from the inside; actually it’s long overdue! Lawmakers in many States and on the Federal side, daily are creating new duties, requirements and regulations to help protect the public from the residential real estate mortgage lending industry – our self-policing unfortunately didn’t exist much the past several years, so now they’re gonna ‘teach us a lesson’ and make originators directly personally responsible for more! In addition to now being ‘banned’ in several States, there’s even a Federal Ban on No Doc, Stated, etc. being considered today! In fact, these past several weeks, more than a dozen State lawmakers have been ‘tightening the screws’ on originators in many areas.

Broad and substantive mortgage lending requirement and laws being passed I see, are creating a ‘duty of good faith and fair dealing.’ One of them says mortgage originators (mortgage brokers & loan officers) ‘shall act in the borrower’s best interest and in the utmost good faith toward borrowers, and shall not compromise a borrower’s right or interest in favor of another’s right or interest, including a right or interest of the mortgage originator.’ A mortgage originator shall not accept, give, or charge any undisclosed compensation or realize any undisclosed remuneration, either through direct or indirect means, that inures to the benefit of the mortgage broker on an expenditure made for the borrower – a full blown fiduciary duty like most other trusted professionals have.

This approach subjecting originators to harsh discipline & aggressive punishment, I have been in agreement with for many years myself – but I frequently see it falls far short in many cases.

Here’s what I mean. The individual loan officers (where it seems much of this legislation is aimed), we all need to recognize are not mortgage experts, they are in fact the entry level position in our business. Far too many of them are not ‘career minded’ but instead see themselves as ‘commissioned salesmen’ – a secret they keep from the public. If they were more ‘career thinkers’, they would take the time to improve their understanding of our business, instead of a narrow focus mostly on their commission earnings. The more career minded ones among their ranks, spend the time needed to read & learn from several regular industry trade publications. During that time invested, they frequently see articles, as I do, about the thousands of disciplinary actions taken against wrong-doers in the business.

Unfortunately they are considered as ‘independent contractors’ by a great many employers; they advertise and communicate with potential borrowers with virtually no training – when in fact they really have no business being out there independently, in the unsupervised wilderness.

So let’s all try and work on their ethical attitudes and educate them on what’s right and what’s not OK. Let’s start with these three (3) very basic issues which every single one of them should already know, I mean they should know all this right now; from my experience many of them don’t however.

First off, let’s quickly discuss the ground-breaking Federal Truth in Lending Act, which (among other things) created “APR.” Be sure all the LO’s YOU know, understand that they are required to provide potential borrowers with an accurate APR whenever they reply to a comment containing an Interest Rate. ie: They take a casual inbound phone call, and are asked “what’s your rate?” – be sure they also quote the APR which goes with the loan ‘rate’ they speak into the telephone receiver, or on paper if they write it down – in an e-mail or even on cocktail napkin! They should have been taught that on day #1 when they first started.

Second, and speaking of e-mail – there’s the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999. The GLB Statute addresses customer privacy issues on a national basis. Among many different requirement of this wide sweeping law, e-mail communication with potential borrowers that contain personal information (even JUST their name), must be password protected! Translated: LO’s cannot legally e-mail back and forth with a potential borrower using any old e-mail client they choose, it must be password protected (with at least 8 characters). They should have been taught that on day #1 when they first started.

Third, RESPA and it’s frequently discussed ‘kick-back’ section, LO’s need to be 100% familiar with. They cannot give ‘anything of value’ for a referral as a Thank You to the referring party when a referral customer closes … over $25, under $25 or otherwise … nothing. They should have been taught that on day #1 when they first started.

We are the most widely regulated industry in the Country – these are just part of three of them … there’s dozens and dozens more. Again, we need to breed/guide a whole new crop of ethical and law abiding LO’s, for when the cycle reverses again in a couple of years. And not by telling them they’re going to go to jail, but by having the right and proper ethics and integrity — is the way to go.

Article by Peter Samuel Cugno, Chairman & CEO of Secret! University, the educational division of Americas Money Center, Inc. with 40 years experience in the subprime industry niche. Questions or comments may be directed to Peter online.

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Tags: lawmakers, state, legal, cases, issues

The business news over recent months has done much more than report the steep slide of the Stock Market. Overall, confidence in business people, distrust of the financial establishment, and a new mind set for the terms CEO and CFO are the byproducts that will linger long after the stock market rebounds with normal cycles.

The long aspired-for titles of CEO and CFO have taken on an aura of shady dealing and distrust. As Watergate did to politics; what has been revealed about Enron, WorldCom and others yet to surface, will redefine our thinking for some time.

Should we be surprised? Probably not. Since the beginning of time and the first “transaction” between cave dwellers, “creative accounting” has been a tool to mask weakness and inflate value. The process and game is not limited to FORTUNE 1000 enterprises. In reality, it is easier for a $1Million Message Center or Call Center to “creatively” position themselves, due to the fact that the numbers of most small businesses are not audited.

Small businesses normally engage accounting firms to “compile” their numbers. A compilation is merely the correct presentation of the numbers given an accountant. A “review” is a spot check of accuracy and an “audit” is certification of accuracy and consistency. Audits are expensive and most small businesses do not make the investment and merely meet the need for end of year reporting with a Compilation.

The message center industry is ripe for consolidation due to:

• The Capital Investment & Scale Required for Emerging Technology
• The Average Size of Firms in the Industry
• The Opportunity for efficiencies with consolidation and overhead reduction.

The above suggests there will be an increase in transactions going forward. If you plan to enter the playing field be forewarned: You are entering a field filled with mines and potential expense.

BUYER BEWARE

We have not been surprised by the news of accounting irregularities. Over the years we have encountered scores of “creative” techniques by business people hoping to look better for courtship and even for their banker. This is not new news and will more than likely remain a fact until the extinction of the cockroach.

Below is a smorgasbord list we created in a brain storming session presenting a sampling of techniques and “creative” adjustments to numbers that you should watch for when evaluating a business.

TIMING

• Deferring current expenses to another accounting period.
• Accelerating discretionary expenses to the current period.
• Keeping cash-received records open after the end of a period; closing disbursements records early.
• Depreciating or amortizing at different rates.
• Writing off future depreciation or amortization in the present accounting period.
• Liquidating reserves against anticipated returns to shift sales revenue to a later period.
• Recognizing revenue before it’s fully earned or while significant contingencies exist.
• Delaying publication of financial results.
• Making unusual entries at or near the end of an accounting period

INTERPRETATION

• Not writing off bad loans or worthless assets.
• Over or under valuing investments, intangibles, and other assets, especially difficult ones like excess inventory, private-placement securities, and contract rights.
• Ignoring liabilities such as long-term commitments, significant contingencies, or post-retirement liability.
• Not making adequate provision for depreciation.
• Overestimating the collectability of accounts receivable.
• Ignoring the obsolescence of fixed assets.
• Making bogus estimates, especially on interim financials.

INVENTORY

• Misstating inventory by counting empty boxes, altering documents, or adding in inventory that’s not salable, for example.
• Valuing inventory at market price rather than cost.

SALES

• Counting revenue based on goods shipped before a sale is final or based on merchandise shipped but not ordered.
• Considering sales on consignment complete sales.
• Ignoring buyers’ rights to return merchandise.
• Recording sales to buyers who are not likely to make payments because they don’t have financing.
• Recording phony charges to customers.

COMBINATIONS

• Mixing operating and non-operating accounts.
• Folding a subsidiary’s results into the parent company’s financials.
• Paying debts out of the owner’s pocket to inflate the price of a company before a sale.
• Retaining the main asset of the business in the owner’s name.
• Borrowing through subsidiaries.
• Failing to separate unusual, non-recurring gain or loss from recurring gain or loss; “restructuring” charges.
• Using equity or loans to fund dividend payments.

MISREPRESENTATIONS

• Using inflation to hide asset revaluation.
• Reporting quick gains from the sale of undervalued assets or from retiring debt.
• Burying losses under non-continuing operations.
• Improperly capitalizing research and development, start-up costs, advertising, interest charges, repairs, and the like.
• Exchanging similar assets and counting what’s received at fair market value.
• Keeping debt off the books.

MORE BAD STUFF

• Intentionally misapplying accounting methods to actual transactions.
• Taking aggressive positions on unsettled, difficult, or controversial accounting issues.
• Treating refunds as revenue.
• Entering phony or bogus transactions.
• Recording income on the exchange of similar assets.
• Failing to identify related-party transactions.

LACK OF AUDITED/CERTIFIED STATEMENTS

Many business opportunities involve smaller companies where certified statements are simply not available. Consider examining the outfit’s books, ledgers, bills, invoices, bank statements, checks, and other supporting documentation thoroughly, with your own eyes

Paul J. DelFino is a principal of the consulting firm Opportunity Inc. For nearly 15 years, he has assisted entrepreneurs within service and contracting businesses to increase their return on investment. Visit them here to learn more about their services

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Tags: articles, business, ethics, issues, topic

“As authentic self-knowledge begins to unfold, our principles, thoughts, commitments, and actions rise up to be in accord with who we truly are.” (Yasukiko Genku Kimura)

Typically, integrity is perceived as it relates to the external world such as integrity in relationships, integrity in business, or integrity in financial decisions – as examples. There is much said on the subject today as the country, as a whole, evaluates and debates ethical behavior. Many have said that Kenneth Lay and others lacked integrity because of their participation in, what most would call unethical decisions. Yet, people who knew Kenneth Lay believed him to be a man of high standards.

How did he get involved in business issues that lacked integrity or ethics? Many have said that he and many others never intended to do wrong. What happened? They were lead by their ego rather than by their authentic self?

Self integrity is truly the foundation of ethical behavior. Wikipedia defines integrity as “the basing of one’s actions on a consistent framework of principles and adherence of each level to the next are key determining factors. One is said to have integrity to the extent that everything he/she does and believes is based on the same set of values”. Self-integrity is being what Socrates stated “to thine own self be true.”

We are all born with a pure essential nature, and self-integrity exists by being true to that nature – our authentic self. It is through awareness and knowledge of your authentic self – that self-integrity, which is the foundation of ethical behavior, is created. When you have that authentic awareness, you then can have self integrity as well as integrity with other people and situations. When our ego can be set aside, our lives can be truly open. How we live and what we say in private is no different from how we live in public. There is congruency.

With self integrity – our principles, our public behavior, our decisions are all in alignment and it is easy to make good ethical choices. It is difficult with self-knowledge and self-integrity, to behave contrary to that knowledge. If you truly have self-integrity, then it is not natural to live in ethical illusions or create ethical dilemmas. Behaving ethically to and with yourself translates into behaving ethically with other people.

As I write this – I must say – I wish I had gotten this concept much earlier in life. Reality is, I spent many months in Federal Prison because of my unethical choices. I had a great life. I was a college graduate with a Masters Degree in Accounting. I was a partner in a very successful CPA firm and I taught seminars within the accounting field. I had a wife, two beautiful sons and a large home in the suburbs. We attended church. I was even the choir director. I truly appeared to be successful in the community. People trusted me with their money and I was considered to have a lot of integrity.

However, all that was just an illusion – a manifestation of my ego. I did not know my authentic self and had no idea what that even meant. All I knew was that my ego had to “be somebody.” And, everything I showed to the public, I believed, defined me as a “somebody”. I felt I had to maintain that illusion in order to be accepted and highly thought of by community leaders. Unfortunately, I was living beyond my means and in order to maintain the illusion, I chose to embezzle money from my clients. There was a need – an opportunity – and I rationalized it. It was, frankly, easy. I had no intentions of doing harm to my clients, my partners or my family. I was, after all, a good person. I was only borrowing the money – so I thought.

As all illusions are prone to do, it broke apart when a client wanted to liquidate and “cash in” the money he invested. What he didn’t know was – the money was invested in my lifestyle. There is a consequence to every choice we make. It was now consequence time. Because I was unable to produce the money, I had to confess to my embezzlement. The illusory life was over. I lost everything: my job, my license as a CPA, my house, my family, respect and trust from the community. The consequences were swift and devastating.

Even though I paid restitution, I was convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion. Apparently, if you steal money, you still owe taxes on it! And to think I was a tax partner in a CPA firm, yet that never crossed my mind. Go figure. Going to prison was the worst day of life and yet, the absolute beginning of my new life.

Had I truly known about “to thine own self be true”, my life journey would have been completely different. I knew only what the ego wanted and the ego wanted to be perceived as being successful, wealthy, well-liked. Had I known my authentic self, then living a truly principled life would have been easy. Perhaps, I would still have all the external definitions of success as a bonus to living a principled life.

Do you live a private life congruent with your public life? Does your intrinsic self lead or does your ego lead? Are you aware of your authentic self? Many people are not and it is a process to find yourself and then find your self-integrity. There are many ways, other than going to prison, to do this. Today, as a Motivational Speaker, I share my story with others in hopes that it might spark an awareness of self-integrity. When you find your true self, you lay the foundation for positive ethical behavior.

Chuck Gallagher is an international speaker and author who shares his life experience in a way that is meaningful for his audiences. For information on Chuck’s presentations or how to subscribe to his free ezine…visit here.

Chuck Gallagher is an international keynote speaker on ethics and ethical behavior. For information on his presentation Choices: Negative Consequences – Positive Results – go to this site.

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Tags: ethical, decision, intergrity, code, issues

As an Internet consultant and marketing trainer affiliated with multiple schools and professional associations, I have observed that there are two key contributors to success for business people. The same factors apply to any type of sales or consulting, whether related to product markets (weight loss, nutrition, auto parts, Websites, etc.) or services (health care, mechanics, personal trainers, search engine optimization, etc.) The first contributor is indisputably ethics, and a solid sense of above-board business practices. The second is continued, professional growth in the pursuit of expanding your knowledge base.

If your career involves consulting, advising, or otherwise providing solutions to other people in any capacity, whether it is to consumers who seek your expertise, or peers within your own specialty who stand to gain something from the information you can impart upon them, your personal sense of ethics is a premier point by which others will judge you. In fact, your entire professional reputation that takes years to build can be irreparably (or significantly) damaged by a single instance of poor business practices. If you have ever met people who are more preoccupied with their own achievements than with empowering others to succeed, their personal standards (ethics) become apparent when they downplay the achievements of others. Those same people feel entitled to personal recognition and typically have an insecure need to be the glorified center of attention, and they feel robbed or threatened by any recognition earned by others. Consequently, their own need for a personal spotlight governs their actions, creates an agenda, and affects their ethics.

You have undoubtedly crossed paths with people who are motivated like that, and at the mention of their names, their reputation is apparent with a knowing roll-of-the-eyes or casual comment such as, “Well, you know how they are,” with no further explanation necessary. Those types of people play office politics well and make fair-weather friends, so long as their purpose is served. Sometimes the materialism and shallow behavior of such people can confuse a new employee or team member, creating the impression that flashy one-upsmanship is what it takes to become a leader, but never forget the old expression that “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

In actuality, most truly successful, self-actualized leaders are unremarkably non-showy. They are comfortable with themselves, and do not need cheers from a crowd to feel like they’re somebody. They have a live-and-let live outlook, but will unselfishly assist others to empower others to enjoy success, rather than try to suppress others in an attempt to remain the center of attention. When you dig into what makes successful people respectable and admired rather than thought of as self-righteous, superficial, and arrogant, you will commonly find a fundamental difference in ethical motivation.

How do your ethics affect your success in your profession?

Ethics spans beyond honesty. Integrity involves the moral courage to adhere to high standards interdepartmentally within a company, and inter-corporately between businesses within the same industry. Take, for example, the competitive nature of retail sales. Most consumers have dealt with merchants that are mercenary against competing vendors at one point or another. If it has happened to you, then you know the bad impression it leaves when a salesperson in one store belittles or degrades what they perceive as the competition. Conversely, consumers tend to appreciate and value a vendor who is comfortable enough to refer business elsewhere. If a merchant is truly interested in the well being of his or her clients, he/she helps clients expand their horizons versus acting in a self-protective, self-interested way by trying to shield clients from any cross-market exposure.

In one such case, a clerk at a local computer store referred me to a computer mega-store to get a better selection for one particular part that I had been trying to find, knowing that the larger store had more selection. In doing so, the clerk was looking out for my best interests instead of his own profits, and he forever after earned my business. In the end, the consumer remembers the helpfulness of the referral and will typically become a repeat customer of the referring merchant. I have sent many friends and associates to that small computer store, knowing they will be treated fairly.

There is simply no room for back-biting or subversive behavior in a successful career path, whether it is inside an organizational environment or between companies. To ignore this guidance is to earn the distrust of co-workers, competitors, upper management, and, yes, your customers as well. A simple downplay of your other associates or competitors is quickly seen for what it is: thinking of yourself instead of your client. Instead, focus on how your product or service can add value to your customers’ quality of life, rather than how someone else’s product or service is unnecessary.

Think about the ongoing presidential candidate political debates, for example, and how candidates within each party are often less intent on critical issues, and more intent on degrading the other candidates within their own party. How does it affect the way you think of them? They are each trying to be the best, be the winner, be the favorite, and win the vote, so much so that they lose sight of the issues. Would politics be more respectable if personal agendas gave way to focusing on the well being of the voters and the country? In the mind of the politician, the risk of embracing another candidate could mean losing the vote, but in the minds of the voters a tactful, refocusing reply to the mud slinging (rather than a counter-attack) would score a more favorable public opinion. Therefore, although they’ve succeeded to get on stage or behind the podium, politicians have the general reputation of being big talkers and small thinkers. “Politics” has a bad name. Do you know any politicians in your company? Is that how you want people to think of you in your business?

Whether you are a sales person or a consultant, remember the significance that 1) referring business and 2) keeping the customer central to your focus will yield better results than “bashing” other businesses within your same profession. In the end those who spew negativity towards specific people or companies are seen as small-minded and insecure. It’s gossip. It’s small. And it is so transparently evident to those who are witness to it. Do not fall into that trap!

When a potential customer approaches you with a question, of course you want to make the sale. That’s natural. And if you are ethical, you ought to strongly believe in (and personally endorse) the product or service you are selling. The sales term, “become a product of your product,” means that you believe in what you sell and therefore use it yourself. Sometimes a customer’s question can force you to compare or defend your own product or service to explain how it stands up to your competition’s. You have a choice on how to do so, and the way you decide to answer the question will reveal your personal ethics.

Example:

Suppose the question you are asked is “How does your product compare to XYZ’s similar product?”

There are a number of potential responses, but only two basic paths to take in your reply.

1) XYZ’s product is a great product, too! It has features A, B, and C and I’ve heard a lot of customers who are happy with it. In comparison, ours also does D, E, and F. The price difference isn’t appreciable, but tell me, how will you be using the product? Let’s figure out which one best fits your needs.

or

2) Oh, you don’t need XYZ’s product. It does A, B, and C, but it doesn’t do D, E, and F like ours does. Plus theirs costs a little more. If you want that kind of a product, I have just the right one for you.

Notice the emphasis in number one is on the customer, not personal gain for the salesperson.

In order to maintain your profitable edge over your competition, one of the best things any professional can do is to stay abreast of the latest marketplace trends, technology, and so forth. How would either sales person (in number 1 or number 2 above) be able to answer the question comparing the two products unless they were educated on the different options available in the marketplace? Some career fields actually force this concept by mandating continuing education credits (sometimes called CECs) within their professions, usually in those disciplines that are fast-changing and that have significant impact on consumers: medical, legal, real estate, insurance, etc.

Whether or not your specialty requires CECs, as an ethical business person, you owe it to your customers, patrons, or clients to become the best you can be at what you do. Read relevant information, attend trainings and certification events whenever possible to stay in tune with the latest developments in your field, listen and watch pre-recorded presentations that expand your horizons, and participate in seminars or Webinars to enhance your professional knowledge. Acquiring the knowledge to become more successful in your field is predicated on having the right attitude to pursue that knowledge.

Anyone who would advise you not to enhance your professional growth and development is advocating ignorance, probably working under some hidden personal agenda, and certainly not looking out for your best interests. Take ownership of your success and be the best at what you do. In the process, remember that your moral courage and character are not defined by what you do while people are watching you; they are defined by what you do when no one is looking.

—————

Tom Elliott is the author of Website 411: Business Survival in an Internet Economy (available here). He is a Board of Directors member of the Central North Carolina Better Business Bureau, and has been the president of a Business Networking International (BNI) chapter. He His undergraduate degree is from Purdue University, and his Masters in Information Systems is from Florida Institute of Technology.

He served 13 years as a Naval Officer, followed by two and half years as the Director of Internet Training for a large marketing company, simultaneously building his own business. He also serves on the bachelor degree advisory board for a technical college, and is a keynote speaker.

For articles, books, and seminars essential to building your knowledge of online business and your business’s future success, please visit this site for more information on Websites, search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM), and ecommerce.

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

It’s a well noted remarks that’s the shortest way to deal with the problem is to get thought it, and in its simplest form one must know were to aim an arrow. A timing with dedicated resources to be delivered at the most precise and control manner, sound simple in its trivial extend on how will look at it. But reality offer the most of what a situation can be calculate and deliver in order to justify the extent of possibilities, in such point that certainty with level of accuracy will not only relies on the hand of an archers. The path of a broken arrow is so elusive, even the possibilities are well presented and accepted for it to serve as reference guide, we are still in the inevitable state of making mistake and failure.

To put a reference comparison on how a business can be interpret in such way that it emulate the concept of a broken arrow, in a dynamic form, and not meant to be specific for it be applied. It takes a great amount of momentum and resources to drive an arrow to its target, and once it hit its target, its a anticipated battle to dwell on one of the law of natures, the strong point and the weak point to maneuver directly and indirectly to dominate one another.

The foundation has been lay down prior to the battle, and the tip of the arrow has been sharpen to a profound level, its body has been aligned to a precise straight pattern, and its edge that serve as navigational wings has been crafted to perfection, making sure that what the archer has targeted can be deliver with level of precision.

The archer’s eye is soaring like an eagle, finding its target from a far distance which has been viewed clearly with no doubt what the marks man use to interpret as Bulls-eye.
Inevitable factor has been well decoded to such extend that there are no rooms for error at the theoretical level, everything are well set and presented in manner that is said to be go for an aim.

The archer is preparing to aim his target, and the condition is well suited and timing by large percentage is in his hand. The art of archery is exercised at the most of its intent; it’s the very same art that determine the result to where an arrow will hit its target. It is the direct interpretation which is coherent for an art of this kind to provide such anticipated results. No less and no doubt this is truly an art that serve its meaning, philosophy and existence that worth to emulate and to adapt to a business emerging from competition.

The archer is interpreting the art into tangible state of motion equal to an action, and he is beginning to bend the bow to such extend with assurance that it has enough force with level of tolerance to deliver the arrow to its target. The opposing force has been created in the process, where the bow resist and trying to maintain a default stage, the string serve as the mediator to that action, but it’s the archer spirit that perceive in the process which determine the outcome, based on power and precision.

Timing is a matter of sense that require one self to be in the right place at the right time to aim and release the arrow, from then onward it is a maneuver with precise intent with force that break the boundaries of ones opposing force of gravities. It must maintain its momentum while making its way to its destination, and its just portion in such percentage of force and power and what comes to play is the remaining force to penetrate the target. Such force that can make or break it self or its target, to such extend that we have a broken arrow as a result of opposing force that collide to one another. One that carries the kinetic potential and the other with striking force that travelled with its arsenal of the toughness and sharpest steel. An event that has been presented in a flash of motion that is so fast where one will be unable to comprehend the underlying events, and only the end process will presented in our naked eye. We see such result either ways amongst our expectation, an arrow that hit its target, one that miss its target, and a broken arrow in a rare case. As to what extend of force does it create a broken arrow, to a midst of my curious thinking and trying to adapt the same concept in a business perspective it is sometimes lead me to un endless questions and inquiries that needed some answer.

The speed and swift action are sometimes or in the norm stages of our shared commonality are mostly interpreted as invincible. And he who see’s the invincible can do the impossible to some extent, this notion lead us to deals with things that are outside the box of our normal approach for making decision. Approaches that are self evolve from the emerging paradigm of such perspective collaboration of a creative thinking from individuals, groups, organization or entities at its general terms.

Broken arrow is a result of an excessive force with lock of understanding on the natures of its target, these one can say’s that you cannot solve the problem at the very same level it was created. It is the notion we must understanding what will happen if we have the same character and properties of the same kind for the two opposing paradigm or situation regardless who is the stationary target and the arrow it self.

One must know and understand who hold the most of the situation for them to equate the strong from the weak from the superior and inferior. To validated their decision making in reference from their current standpoint as defensive or offensive side. It is very important for ones self to understand where they are and where they are going, a reference point from where we should start. It is from that standpoint that we develop our action and decision making and applied it to a tangible motion of maneuver whether direct or indirect. This create a concept of formal decision making for any possible situation that will be calculated on hand to justify its veracity , those equate accuracy if it is combine by managing time and resources as a whole. This total combine force is just the arrow in its metaphysical stage.

Looking for the right archer…. To drive and navigate the arrow to its target requires such level of expertise, fashion and dedication to what he is doing. They come in many forms where age, origin, education, social status is merely trivial as reference guide in finding the them, its seems that there is no precise pattern for it, it’s just the way they are “an archer”. The only time one can tell is when they hit the target, one, twice, trice in the same spot, a marksman on their field at the time all the require factor are in existence and return to norm of who they are in the absence of such factor that makes an archer “a target to hit” an archer will always be an archer and marksman will always be marksman.

Anatomy of an Archer in the views of an observer

To what extend one can consider him self as an observer if an apple on his head become the target in such distance with underlying doubt or in the shadows of a doubt you give a level of trust on the credential of the archer. Are you playing as an observers or parts of system?

For the time being I will leave this inquires un answered as someone presented his self as a business phantom, whose currently the man standing still with the apple in his head while the archer is making his aim to its target, and I, I will be watching in close proximities among them, in such way am not going to loose the essence of a direct and indirect result of an event. In my assumption maybe not a broken for this time, but it’s an aim to a target with no guarantees. If the archer miss its target and the arrow hit the business phantom, my search will be prematurely ended if he’s truly the business phantom. If the archer hits the apple, a greater chance will be in my hand to authenticate the credential of the business phantom, it will be 1 step forward to my search.

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Tags: ethical, healthcare, issues, list, moral

Did you know that at home & at work, each year over 65 million inkjet printer cartridges & toners are unnecessarily thrown away when they run out of ink? Recycling these ink cartridges, inkjets & toners will help to protect the environment, subsequently saving energy & safeguarding the health of future generations.

When we throw these printer cartridges, inkjets & toners away few of us consider where they will end up. Many are ultimately put into land fill sites which are already seriously overburdened. These sites contain an ever-increasing amount of non-biodegradable material that can take well over 1,000 years to break down. By recycling these ink cartridges, inkjets & toners we relieve the burden on these landfills.

Printer cartridges, inkjets & toners which are not put into landfill or recycled are otherwise often incinerated. This process releases harmful poisonous toxins and gasses into the atmosphere thereby contributing further to the destruction of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect.

Millions of new printer cartridges, inkjets & toners are produced every day. On average each new one requires nearly 3 litres of oil to manufacturer further increasing the massive drain to our otherwise fragile resources.

A recycled printer, inkjet or toner cartridge is comprehensively cleaned, conditioned and refilled for use again and in virtually all cases will produce as good a result as an original.

Not only will a recycled printer, inkjet or toner cartridge perform every bit as well as an original equipment manufacturers printer, inkjet or toner cartridge but the financial savings can be huge and up to 80% savings can be achieved!

But why do recycled printer cartridges, inkjets & toners cost so much less? No one seems to completely know this answer but we can suppose that like a lot of other companies, printer manufacturers make their money from consumables. Consider the scenario when a printer is purchased. More money tends to be spent on consumables in the first few months than on the initial cost of the printer! An excellent example of this is Lexmark where their printers sell for next to nothing but their original printer cartridges, inkjets & toners are expensive.

Furthermore, in many cases recycled printer cartridges, inkjets & toners last longer than originals as some manufacturers have been known as standard practice to deliberately partially fill their cartridges particularly those cartridges, inkjets & toners included with the new printer!

Don’t let printer manufacturers put you off using recycled printer cartridges, inkjets & toners by attempting to intimidate or scare you with an “invalid warranty” claim. Printer manufacturers have been contacted by the office of fair trading who have made it clear that printer warranties should not be affected just because the customer chooses to use a recycled printer cartridge, inkjet & toner and that to do so will be deemed unfair.

So there you have it. Some excellent reasons to recycle and use recycled printer cartridges, inkjets & toners.

Mark Reid works for Postpack Ltd, an online distributor of packaging materials & office consumables throughout the UK, Ireland & Europe. They also offer quantity discounts & free delivery for orders over £100. Click here to order recycled printer cartridges, inkjets & toners at great prices

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Tags: ethical, issues, problems, business, recycle

I work with a flash game development company. Recently we have made a few business deals, and are now venturing into previously uncharted territory for us, thank you gifts/notes. What, If anything is customary? We also had a contact that helped arrange the deals in the first place. What would be appropriate for him? The gifts are for two different groups. One who we recently signed a contract with, and one who helped us get said contract in the first place. Would it be appropriate to give them the same gift or should they be individual.

Don’t worry too much about what is customary as far as gifts are concerned. The more original you can be, the better, as the standard range of corporate gifts (mousepads, pens, calendars, motivational cards and promotional CD-ROMs) are forgotten pretty quickly by most.

Claxon sent mugs to its affiliates a few months ago. While the gift itself was pretty standard, receiving a mug in the mail is a fairly rare occurrence, so this generated a good degree of buzz . CJ sent a wooden train whistle to a select group of affiliates years ago; a gift that is still discussed today, and Google sent funky illuminating radios.

As a matter of fact, all of those gifts generated buzz threads on Geek/Talk, as I’m sure they would have in other circles. They did so primarily through being unusual and not conforming to what is customary or traditional.

Even the timing of your gift can be most effective when it doesn’t conform to tradition. Often, companies will send gifts after an event has occurred or at Christmas time. If you alter this by sending a gift before the normal time, or by delivering gifts in celebration of the New Year, for example, you could further differentiate your brand from the others.

The choice of gift really depends on what sort of value it represents. A nice card may be all that’s required if you just want to show appreciation or celebrate a new relationship. If one of your clients represents a major brand who would normally only work through an agency or if your sales folk went out of their way to encourage an important prospect to use XGen rather than a competitor, then sure, a dozen roses (not red), a nice bottle of champagne, tickets to a concert or a hamper of gourmet goodies might do a better job of conveying your extreme gratitude.

Not everything has to be branded, and sometimes simply slipping a business card or a “with compliments” slip in with the generic card will be sufficient. If you are looking to give a gift that isn’t food or experience related, such as a mug, pen or item of clothing, definitely try to make sure that it’s branded. If the client does get some use out of your gift, your logo and contact details will then be readily accessible.

The other thing you can do is send a gift for them to giveto their children.

A regular pen set, mug, etc are often forgotten quickly but a cheap novelty item for a child will often have a greater emotional impact as they see the joy in the childs face – and it can still be inexpensive.

Just a different approach.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for SendFlowersGift. It offers same day flower delivery within the US and Canada, as well as fast worldwide delivery to international destinations. Start here to search by “Occasion”.

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Tags: ethics, ideas, business, conduct, issues

A few weeks back I had a discussion with a related cousin who I knew, but not overly well. The discussion was about if he wanted to go on a golf trip with the boys.

Now , I’ve run my share of golf trips over the years. How it usually goes is that everyone wants in the night of drinks and discussion. When it’s time to put up the deposit money, most are nowhere to be found.

Why is this? Do people not want to say no? Is it the drinks talking? Do they just want to sound cool and say they will go? Do peoples word mean anything these days?

Well, this time , I figure I’ll capitalize on my past experiences. At the first meeting my cousin states that he is 90% “in”, as long as he doesn’t have a prior work commitment. Fair enough. The next day, I call him to confirm the previous nights conversation, now that the beer cobwebs are all gone. He confirms that he is serious about going , assuming no work conflict( that was his chance to get out).

Three weeks go by. Time to get the hotel reservations and golf tee times. I call the cousin for a final confirmation. He advises he can t go…… he ‘s going to a baseball game that weekend. What?? Doesn’t sound work related to me.

So my question is .. what exactly does 90% “in” mean? Where is people’s word these days? Does it matter what they tell others? While others spend money, make plans and commitments, are they free to just change their mind, without even a care?

For my cousin, he may not think twice about it, For myself, I learned a wee bit more about his character. I also learned about his word…… and what is BEHIND IT.

My parents raised me so that if I said I was going to do something, I better darn well do it. Remember the days of business deals being done on a handshake. No contracts. Just two people giving each other their word of honor.

My word equals my character, my reputation. There is a famous quote that states that is takes years to build a good reputation, and a day to ruin it. When you think about it, your word is really all you have, so it should be used with caution, and taken very seriously.

What about you? How good is Y O U R word??

About the author:

TA Smith is the founder and creator of Smile-Therapy.com A graduate of UMASS, Amherst. A former Dale Carnegie graduate. Smith loves to golf, ski, read, walk his chocolate labs, and listen to jazz and country music. Smith’s motto: Work hard, have fun, help others and make people SMILE. Visit this site to continue reading.

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Tags: ethics, issues, business, unethics, legal

In businesses operating computerised payroll systems, it is not unusual for an occasional error to arise resulting in a mistaken overpayment to an employee. This might take the form of an overpayment of basic rate pay or overtime pay or commission/bonus. The payslip is often fairly complex and employees sometimes fail to thoroughly check its contents. It can sometimes be a matter of weeks or even months before the employee or the business realise that an overpayment has taken place. In this situation, the legal question is whether the company are entitled to recover the overpayment and, if so, by what means.

In order to show that an overpayment is not recoverable, then the employee must demonstrate three things. Firstly, it must be shown that the overpayment was the fault of the company and not the employee. Secondly, it must have been reasonable for the employee not to know that they were being overpaid. Thirdly, the employee must have acted to their disadvantage or the assumption that the payment of salary was correct (for example by spending the money!). The most common difficulty for employees is the second condition since it is often obvious when an overpayment has occurred. It is not acceptable for an employee to assume that they have received a substantial increase in pay unless there is some reason to believe that this is the case.

The Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that it will not be an illegal deduction from wages to recover an overpayment from salary. This means that an employer is not prevented from deducting the overpayment from future wages or salary provided that this is done reasonably over a period of time and not done in such a way as to amount to a breach of trust and confidence in the employment relationship. The interesting point about the Employment Rights Act is that overpayments can be recovered from future wages whether or not the overpayment itself is recoverable from the employee on the basis of the three point test set out above.

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Tags: accounting, ethics, article, examples, issues

Culture is ubiquitously defined as “the way things are done around here”. Note the distinction between how things are done and official mantra, company rhetoric, policy and even, relevant instruments of law. It’s what we do and allow others to do that says more about who we are and what matters than any elegant vision and values statement sitting behind perspex in board rooms with marble and fresh flowers everywhere.

I would characterize organizational culture more pointedly. I would rather define culture as what we are and aren’t prepared to put up with. It is when we are tested that one understands the true character of both a person and an enterprise. Jan Carlsson, former CEO of the Swedish International Airline referred famously to watershed moments in customer service as “moments of truth”. Organisations face “moments of truth” in the context of culture. Behaviour that is committed (when it didn’t have to be) is one moment of truth. Bad behaviour called once it’s committed says something about the integrity of people who won’t sit by and watch bad stuff perpetrated. But the third and very telling moment of truth is when behaviour is consequenced.

At the risk of appearing to be name dropping (shamelessly and sorry, without names) I was doing coffee with an AFL Football Club president some time back when he politely excused himself to take a call following “Mad Monday”. He was particularly interested in whether or not anything was likely to blow up in the media that could cause anguish for the Club. When assured by the senior player who’d rung him that nothing untoward happened, I heard my coffee companion ask why. The simple answer coming back was “because we knew there was no way (Coach) would wear it”. If clear and reasonable boundaries of behaviour are set in a healthy culture where people are committed to the team, it’s vision and are protective of brand, most if not all can be relied on to do the right thing.

Having said that, many if not all of us have had a sudden rush of blood to the head and said or done something we wished we could take back. But when we do step over the line, is that behaviour called? Religious dogma would suggest that if we witness and don’t act, it is as if we committed the act ourselves. It is not just when we’re young and at school that others drop their gaze, shift uncomfortably in their seats, laugh nervously for fear of being next; sheepishly and tacitly condoning aggressive or ridiculing behaviour. It is undoubtedly happening in a boardroom somewhere near us all right now.

Have you ever wondered about corrupt business practices? Do those who do never get witnessed by those who don’t. Unlikely. How does a crooked cop, (and I believe they are in the overwhelming minority), a drug-addled athlete or a defiant trading floor sharebroker keep doing what they’re doing and remain part of an insidious in-crowd? At the risk of sounding naive, how shameful to think that supposed cleanskins working in corrupt environments sit by apathetically, or gutlessly and turn a blind eye to shonky practices, intimidation of others or smear campaigns. And if fear of retaliation is the reason, how reprehensible to think that anyone might work in such a climate of fear that speaking up could result in harm to themselves or their families? Something or someone has undoubtedly failed them. But potential dramatic and life threatening consequences for speaking out are not the common condition. In many situations there will be those bystanders who unreservedly disapprove but hold anti-dobbing policy as sacrosanct as ethical business practice or clean policing.

How many of us come forward when push comes to shove? According to the magistrate who heard the case, certainly not the bus driver (who “could have done more”) or other members of the drunken group of Ocean Grove footballers watching a mate torment an orthodox Jew walking down the street with his two small children; not former Amcor executives listening to others talking about Nazis and gas chambers and how Hitler should have done a better job; not staff of the West Coast Football Club who counselled and cajoled errant players but evoked no consequences until it was too late. And why? Because Cousins was a demigod and only mere mortals have substance use problems.

And what of behaviour consequenced? The Amcor Board took decisive action and sacked several of its executives in the wake of the price fixing allegations that emerged in 2004. Christine Nixon attempted to do that months ago when she sought powers to suspend and/or dismiss police over serious matters and still some police members cried foul and still the Police Association defended them to the death. What does someone have to do in this country before an organisation can cut the tangled parachute for the sake of others? The smear campaign against Janet Mitchell, former Police Association President eventually wore her down and ran her out of town. Ultimately the OPI will determine whether or not the infamous Kit Walker affair and the defamatory emails allegedly sent by someone in the Association are worthy of further scrutiny or punishment but what about the casualties of war along the way including organisational brand and public confidence? Why should thousands of other dedicated and decent sworn and unsworn staff of Victoria Police have to pay a price?

In an era where companies are obsessing (yes, right word) about how to hold on to good people, why give them the cringe factor about their employer as collateral damage? What does scandal, corruption and poor culture mean for the collective esteem of those who work in an organisation where bullies, sociopaths, misogynists, bigots and narcissists rule the roost either formally or informally. What respect exists for senior managers who may not perpetrate such examples of bad behaviour but effectively condone it because the perpetrators are popular and charismatic, opinion leaders or money makers or well-connected to the right people and therefore become Teflon-coated?

It is imperative in a civilised democracy country like ours that there are laws and regulations that obstruct impassioned managers wishing to jump the gun on process and punish or exit staff without the punishment fitting the crime or worse still, where no ‘crime’ was committed. Thus the means to uphold the principles of natural justice must be fundamental to any workplace relations regime. The system must make it difficult to do the wrong thing but if we are going to jealously guard good culture, it must not be almost impossible to do the right thing. Undoubtedly many organisations make brave decisions every day about what they will or won’t put up with. The context in which they operate must support that and where an employee can always cite custom and practice as a reason why things shouldn’t change, ethical management will draw a new line in the sand, ensure everyone can see it and demand that everyone respect it or expect to face the consequences. A Spanish proverb notes that every cask smells of the wine it contains. We will inevitably be judged by the company we keep and what we condone and reward in the people that work in our companies.

© Leanne Faraday-Brash

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Tags: ethics, issues, ethical, legal, unethical

Thinking big combined with good planning and proper implementation can bring you huge rewards. It’s no more an option; it has become a must in today’s business world. Gone are the days when you were able to earn reasonable profits while staying in your comfort zone. Now you need to break the shackles and go all out if you want to succeed. If you don’t, you will soon find some large enterprise running over your business.

Your business is what you think of it:

All huge and truly successful businesses have one thing in common. Each of them has someone with a great vision at their back. Someone who managed to think ahead of others, who was able to visualize something huge in his mind and then transform that thought into reality. If you want your business to get big, you need to think big. Good positive thinking attracts riches.

Set goals that challenge you:

Many times, we are afraid of disappointment which will come our way in case of failure. This fear alone makes us aim for smaller targets instead of going for something big and rewarding. Making unrealistic goals is no doubt, a bad idea; the thing is to set a big enough goal that it challenges you. Challenge yourself to go and accomplish a little more than what you think you are capable of.

Innovative Ideas:

Some new value added to your product, innovative outlook, or some distinctive marketing idea can increase your clientele to a great deal. As soon as you start thinking big, you will find new innovations coming into your mind. New idea is a product of free mind; you can never embark upon any bright business idea if you keep thinking on same old lines.

Thinking big & Investment:

Negative thoughts often drag people into saving mode rather than investing, thus depriving them of all the profits that might have come their way from that investment. By thinking positively, you will be able to foresee the opportunities and obstacles lying ahead. You can plan to tackle the upcoming problems and invest more into opportunities.

Thinking big is thinking global instead of local. It’s like painting a picture on a bigger canvas. It protects you from unconstructive and limited style of thinking which has been the biggest obstacle of your way to prosperity. By changing your thought’s pattern you can change your business fate in no time.

William King is the director of UK Wholesalers Video Games Directory and Australia Wholesalers and Dropshippers Directory. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping retailers and startups with their product sourcing, promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements.

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Tags: ethical, issues, business, companies, cases

What an interesting situation. The Supreme Court validated our right to own guns. I’m not a gun owner, I don’t believe in it. I love to shoot and I lean toward a non-violent approach to life. Disclosures over, I don’t see how they could have come up with a different verdict. I do think the constitution gives us the right to bear arms. That said, what are the ethical implications and considerations that lie under this issue?

The essay by Donald M. Wolfe in Executive Integrity edited by Suresh Shrivasta, set my perspective on this a long time ago. He posits primary and secondary ethics. Primary ethics are the ethics of survival. This is the ethical stance that the NRA (National Rifle Association) and many pro-gun folks take. The ability to protect oneself is a primary right. We have even coded this into law assuring our ability to self-defend. What becomes unethical is the conscious fostering of fear (The Bush Administration’s terrorism mantra) to stimulate and maintain that fear.

Secondary ethics moves away from the fixation on individual survival and moves into community and relationship. Secondary ethics deals with fear through strengthening relationships and community governance. Here the focus is on long-term solutions and sees the needs of the community as paramount. This is the reason for the tension around this ruling.

It is clear to most people that the rule of law comes under threat when we regress into fears about individual survival.In doing so we negate our faith in law, community, relationships and principled discussion and instead put our faith in force and might.

This is an underlying tension in many organizations as well. The more secretive and heavy handed the leadership, the more primary ethics holds sway. Authoritarian leadership styles give permission for “me first” behavior – often at the expense of the company. It opens up the company to ethical issues and violations. In fact the justification for much of the illegal and unethical behavior that companies confront is the “They deserved it” logic that stems from disgruntled employees who have felt they have been dealt with unfairly. Unfair treatment often results in feeling of powerlessness which activates fear and acts of vengeance.

Justice Anthony Scalia made it very clear that control and regulation of hand guns ownership is still possible. We as a people and as a Nation, need to decide if we will move toward a more civil Union or devolve into every person for him or her self. Freedom requires responsibility to ensure people understand and accept their individual responsibility they need: information to be freely and easily accessible; to be educated to be able to think critically and effectively; to be supported in their personal growth, development and understanding so they can manage their own emotions and personal hurt effectively; and to be nurtured and cared for a children so that normal growth and development IS a norm. This is a tall order, but isn’t this one of underlying drivers of civilization? Isn’t our striving as a species, to create an environment where we are free enough from fear that we can develop, explore and express our true capabilities? If we want to reach a place where the true potential of humanity is developed and expressed is a hand gun in every home the way to go?

This is the path that business is on as well. The volatility of the marketplace, the rapid advances of technology and the shrinking of the globe all call for new ways of working together. To address these issues and if business answers the call, then, as employees and leaders rise to the occasion, they will transform a fear-based environment into one of innovative collaboration – out of necessity.

This is my belief, hope and vision for business. I believe that the external pressures combined with the drive for success will create a crucible of transformation. At the heart of that transformation is a rock solid knowledge in the exquisite capacity of humans, the courage of an o9pen heart as we all come together, and the wisdom to use the collective intelligence of participation to create a world we WANT to live in.

Kathryn brings her serial entrepreneur, teaching and spiritual practice background to her work helping leaders and teams create and navigate the desired future. In her 22 years working with change in organizations she has learned the secret that effective organizations are ethical organizations. Working with leaders and teams to address the need to think differently about their problems, she has been instrumental in co-creating significant shifts in organizations. Her passion is creating communities that generate enlightened business practices.

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Tags: dilemma, ethics, corporate, issues, cases

There was this company that was called Ecoenergizer, that started up shortly after the Texas Attorney General shut down Bioperformance (Bioper. in my option was one of the better products on the market at that time that worked really well) because the Attorney General claimed that the product was nothing but moth balls. This in my opinion is BS because I used it in my truck for 15,000 miles and got good gas mileage with that fuel Saver product. It worked well with gasoline and better with diesel fuel. The reason I mention BP is most of the people that were in BP moved over to Eco as founders. This should have been a red light right there about the company itself.

Eco claimed to have a product that worked first time every time, and maybe they did but they wound up with a product that didn’t work at all. It was a fuel saver additive that was to work with gasoline or diesel fuels giving you great fuel savings. For me it did nothing at all to save fuel or saving money

Some how this company named GZ got hold of personal information from Ecoenergizer and GZ started taking double draws for auto shipments from the distributors checking account, myself being one of these people. After calling Eco and complaining, we were told that GZ had glitches in their software and the problem was being fixed and the extra draw of funds would be returned. I was told by the phone operator the company GZ is short for Green Zap, I called GZ and they verified that was correct that I should fax them my information and they would correct the problem and give me a quick refund. If you call today you will not even get a human to answer any of their phones.

After Ecoenergizer was forced to close its doors, GZ continued robbing my account for 2 months forcing me to close my account at the bank. I was one of the lucky ones as several of my friends 3 to be exact got their accounts robbed from January to May. But the real kicker is they just didn’t take one draw a month but two or three draws a month. Each draw was around 65.00 dollars for a total of $ 195.00 a month to a company that is out of business.

GZ also has another company called GM and it alternates these draws using first the one name and then takes another draw out using the second name. Oh by the way I mentioned earlier that I was smart enough to close my checking account and open another one so they could not make any more withdraws from it. Well that worked for about 2 months and some how these crooks got my new account numbers and withdrew 65.00 out of that account on the 15th of May. On the back of the forged check the name was Mazumah-EcoPay.
They are using GZ, GM and now Mazumah to steal money from checking accounts. If you are one of these people being robbed you need to go to your bank and file fraud charges so these people will be brought to justice. I checked out the information and believe they are located in California, so you need to contact the Attorney General and better business bureau and file a complaint.

If you are interested in saving fuel you can find some good fuel saver additives on the market. They really do work, some work better on saving fuel more the others. They treat gasoline and some treat diesel fuel. They not only fuel savers but can clean you engine, lube the upper end, and reduce emissions. One of the better fuel saver products that I have had the best success with is the All IN 1 product found in this site or here. So do not hesitate in putting this fuel saver in you gasoline it will not damage you vehicle.

Discover a New Easy to use Product with Proven Results to Save You Money, that comes with a Guarantee and does what it claims to do. Check this site for more information.

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Tags: ethics, company, policy, work, issues

Business ethics are an almost daily topic in the news, in business schools, in the workplace and in our homes. I pay close attention to business ethics and what is written about them in my daily life as a strategic thinking, planning and business coach. I am still astounded at the remarks of major corporations a few years ago when they said they “waived or suspended” the ethics code or requirements. I am still at a total loss at how anyone can “suspend or waive” ethics.

While I may not be able to explain the suspension or waiving of ethics, I do hope to provide some solid advice on what business and other organizations need to do today to present, preserve and promote ethics in their organizations. Here are ten action items I would recommend:

1. Present ethical behavior as a requirement, not an option. Major business corporations are standing trial, literally and figuratively, for very strong violations of ethics. Acting unethically means that eventually you will be caught. Today is a very opportune time to take advantage of the current business environment to present ethical behavior as a requirement, not an option.

2. Present ethics in all daily interactions with internal and external stakeholders. Unfortunately too many people perceive that ethics only need to be presented to “”bad”" companies that need to reform. Well, my experience indicates just the opposite. Companies with strong track records of ethical, responsible behavior have the most to gain from a well thought out system to assure the cultivating of ethical corporate culture. Every action by every employee in an ethical culture will reinforce and further the company’s positive reputation.

3. Present the desired ethical behavior in an ethics code of conduct. Ethical conduct of each employee must become a habit of every minute of every hour of every day. No exceptions, no waivers and no suspensions of the ethics code!

4. Preserve ethics to let everyone know ethics is here to stay. While there may be “newcomers” to embracing ethics in business, ethical and responsible conduct have always been the standard at many companies. Even when ethical conduct may fail to improve the bottom line as strongly as desired, the alternative of operating unethically is not a viable option. This commitment will preserve and extend the reputation that has been earned through consistent ethical conduct over time.

5. Preserve an ethical culture that serves as a foundation. If you are not put to a test, then it is easy to say you act ethically. However, what do you do when you are faced with the tough ethical decisions? A very positive affirmation that your ethics program is a success is when there is an embedded culture where people will make the right choices, even when those choices are difficult, inconvenient, or adverse to the short-term interests of the individual or company.

6. Preserve an ethical culture that perpetuates ethics. Consistent compliance with a strong code of ethical conduct will be a major stimulus to having ethics become self-perpetuating. A reversal of behaviors will also occur in that those who speak out against unethical behavior will be the majority, instead of the majority being those who simply ignore and do nothing when they observe unethical behavior. A true ethical culture will evolve into a self-regulating basis on a peer-to-peer level.

7. Promote ethics and their benefits. Too many companies will always look at the cost of something, without looking at the benefits. The same goes for ethics. Too many companies sadly will only look at embracing and enforcing a code of ethics in terms of what it costs, rather than the benefits it will gain. Ethical behavior and a culture of ethics will result in many benefits, including: improved employee relations, enhanced worker productivity, positive morale and an enhanced company image.

8. Promote ethics from the top. If you read Greek history and mythology, you may have come across a well-known Greek saying that a fish rots from the head. In today’s business world, the saying is applicable. The message, spoken and unspoken, from the top is critical to reinforcing positive, responsible, ethical conduct. If top executives and top executive management say one thing but do another, the message of ethical behavior gets very confusing. Top executives need to use their positions in the company to insist on and promote ethical conduct. The top executives must “walk the talk” and hold themselves to the same high standards of ethics they expect of others and demonstrate those high standards in everything they say and do.

9. Promote a company culture where ethics is for everybody. Ethics is not just reserved for your management. It is for everyone, every day. Everyone in your company needs to be trained and persuaded to act ethically. No exceptions!

10. Present, preserve and promote ethics by rewarding ethical behavior. Develop a compensation system that provides a component of benefits and rewards for ethical behavior integrated with performance-based incentives. People who consistently demonstrate they are driven by ethical behavior need to be recognized and celebrated. There must be a clear connection between ethical conduct and potential career advancement. The consequences of a person’s unethical behavior need to be discussed immediately and be accompanied by an alteration to their career advancement within the company.

“Business Ethics Must Be Presented, Preserved and Promoted” By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group

Do you have a code of ethics at your company or organization? If you do, is it followed on a consistent basis? Is there a system of rewards and consequences at your company for unethical behavior? Please visit Glenn Ebersole at his website today to share an ethical dilemma you face or that your company faces and that you believe you could use a facilitator, guide and coach to assist in dealing with that challenge.

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The question whether business and ethics are mutually inclusive remains to be one of the most controversial yet rational, reasonable and relevant topics that is worth the time and intellectual effort if committed for it. The topic has been the favourite grain for gossip mills mainly to the oriental ones and intellectual arguments with varying dimensions have also been credited with to have aroused out of this seemingly simple topic. Once the topic gets debated and deliberated mainly from issues and instances that underlines the need for mutual involvement of these two, the argument itself spirals up thereby creating a chain reaction that goes like wild fire drawing into it the comments and concerns of people from all walks of life surpassing limits of language, nationality and ideology.

Business and the role of ethical principles in it has been, and will be a topic that can fuel a lot of debates and economical derivations cutting across political, cultural, economic and ideological lines surpassing geographic and linguistic barriers. The terminology and its corresponding interpretation changes according to the context and the nature and scope of the subject acquires entirely different dimensions when it comes to engaging business and ethics. The notion of a healthy inter play between business and ethical principles is undoubtedly relevant in this context of engulfing globalisation, the only question remaining where the lines of ethics in business are to be drawn the same time safeguarding interests of the former and giving latter its due space. While it is true that there are no all time true and fitting solutions to this question certain notions are worthwhile being included.

As the world develops more and more into a free market economy with negligible exceptions, the relevance of ethics in business do surfaces as the tip of an ice berg with the major part lying deep waiting to be discovered, discussed and impartially deliberated. Interestingly there are entirely different dimensions to this topic. What is the responsibility of the corporate is a question that is being asked and already enough and more on this regard has been debated by focus groups, academic panels and politicians to this point of time. A corporate entity having varied business interests in different categories of products is liable to consumers as far as they are directly or indirectly involved and affected by the products. In an ideal civic sense, the common people and the citizens as a whole also comes under the wider purview. It makes perfect sense that the common folks are at a huge monetary and ethical disadvantage once a product, its application and most commonly its effects are misinterpreted. whether the error was inadvertent or not is another question. The victim in this case goes to the court in a much publicised trial and in most cases is awarded a great fortune by judicial intervention or by an agreement between the hunter and the hunted that goes behind closed doors outside the court. The society unanimously supports the individual and pours pages after pages of enriched encomium and a civic hero is instantly born. This is the most widely known dimension.

The next dimension of this topic that most in the dialogue does not know or does not want to discuss is the part of the citizen. what kind kind of ethical demeanor does the corporate as a service provider who have extensively invested, investigated and researched in the process of coming out with a product which despite all the efforts and the care followed throughout the process done has failed should receive from the general public. What about the basic ethical notions that must be followed while engaging with a corporate entity. Do they have the previlege of chance or doubt based on the principles of equality and social justice. There are all over the internet and in the traditional print media articles, full page stories and in peak times supplement papers that features the ugly side of corporate responsibility when they have been caught in the court for trying to jeopardize a free and fair trial that in most times where going in favour of the individual or group that spearheaded the campaign. It is perfectly just and in the best interest of social justice but what happens if individuals or groups who have carefully planned, co-ordinated and carried out with motives that are specious.

While investigating the corporate side and unraveling their part seems comparatively easy whereas the individual on the other side is often left exonerated. What about the goodwill of the corporate that has been built through years and decades spoiled by a single hoax which was deliberate from the part of a group or in some cases by support from another corporate competitor. What about the monetary loss that the corporate had to endure from the public relation disaster and far more despicable is the social apathy and the immunity given to the group that have in word, spirit and deed defamed the corporate. If a citizen has the right for compensation, then even by the terms of an eye for eye raw justice the corporate is also entitled to a claim and there are also cases of corporates being granted compensation but was it proportional leaves us thinking.

There have been instances where the corporate world was unfairly hunted and haunted by individual and groups with vested notions and cases where political vendetta triggered law suits and investigations. If found in cases where individuals misrepresented facts, the were left without strict punishments and the public took it for granted that it is okay for individuals to make mistakes and not vice-versa. Ethics being a normative science is hard to crack and the same applies to its objective measurement. The common man wants some fast solutions for which there is no clear border line that can be drawn at present between ethics and business.

This article is the property of Jimmy George, an online freelance article writer specializing in writing and configuring articles that are fine tuned with keywords for the predominant purpose of SEO.

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Tags: ethics, business, issues, conduct, responsibility

Often in communication either written or verbal we see people using phrases such as; “Well to Be Quite Honest With You” and they will use such sentences in the middle of a very long conversation, but when they do it totally raises red flags and here is why;

You see when someone is discussion people, events or concepts in a conversation, electronic email or while giving a speech you expect that person to be honest with you, because you are being honest and attentive with them. But if they say something like; “Truthfully Now” or “To Tell You The Truth” then you have to wonder if they have been fibbing all along up until that point?

If they have uttered compliments, then perhaps they were not sincere. If they are recommending a product then maybe that is horse crap too? If they were talking about another behind their back, maybe they are lying and vindictive? Maybe the story they told, they simply made up?

And when they say “TRUTHFULLY” don’t they consider or think people might assume that the rest of their conversation is BS, because NOW they say TRUTHFULLY? So, what was the rest of all their conversation about? Have they been lying? If the answer is NO, why would they use “Truthfully” it raises red flags like someone with a “chickenshet” handshake.

I would expect that people who correspond with me remain truthful with me at all times and in all their endeavors. You see I believe that dishonesty is not a very favorable human trait, although some say deception is the reason that human brains are so large. Gosh I wish that is not the case, however it just might be?

Maybe a law career might be good for them if they seem to be able to slip in and out of the honest reality so easily? After all if you are less than ethical in your conversations, you might make a decent lawyer? I hope you might consider this in your online correspondence and conversations in 2007.

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

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Tags: ethics, moral, behaviour, theory, issues

Achieving focus is perhaps one of the hardest things to accomplish. From time to time, work distractions crop out. There is really nothing wrong in entertaining some activities. After all, the demands of the work are really stressful and having a time-out is indeed necessary. But sometimes, certain interruptions emanate from our very own working habits. Here are some of the commonly habituated work distractions:

Net surfing – The internet offers different information. Most of the time, we use the web for research purposes. But sometimes, we become too engrossed with all the facts and data that we acquire. Instant amnesia occurs and before you know it, three hours have already lapsed and you have not started anything. Yes it is nice to know the 10 most expensive cuisines. But it is much better to be aware that it is hard to come up with high quality work within 10 minutes.

Deleting spams – Spams are here, there and everywhere. You open your email and you are bombarded with spams. You ask yourself which of these messages are legitimate or not. As the organized person that you are, you delete all those unwanted mails. You carefully read each mail to avoid deleting the legitimate ones. Several hours later, the assignments that you need to finish within the day, pile up like spams. Get an effective anti-spam program to minimize those unwanted messages. Or you can create a new email account and immediately inform all your contacts.

Playing Games – Solitaire, Counter Strike and even that classic Super Mario Brothers are really addicting yet they are good stress relievers. You take a couple of minutes and decided to unwind. But you can’t just let the computer beat you. It would be such a shame on your part to let a machine outlast you. However, it is more embarrassing to ask for yet another extension to finish a project that has been given to you for several days.

Watching videos – True enough, David Cook is hot! Angelina Jolie is tempting and you just can’t get enough of Prison Break. All of a sudden you realize that your boss or one of your clients is already watching in intense rage as they wait for you to submit that report. The worst case scenario is you might end up in prison because of your irresponsible actions.

Chatting – You are so busy at work and you hardly have the time to enjoy the company of your friends. Chatting enables you to reconnect. Unfortunately, because of too much delay, the company is placed in uncompromising situations. Soon you transform into a professional bum and now you have all the time to chat with your friends. That is the only thing you can do as for the moment for you can hardly afford that occasional party night-outs.

Responding to phone calls and mobile messages – You cannot possibly ignore these things, most especially in life-threatening scenarios. But oftentimes, the calls and messages you receive are from your sweetie checking on you. Obviously, you cannot disregard the concerns of these people. You tell them that you’re fine and the romantic conversation continues. You hang up the phone when suddenly; your supervisor checks your assignments. You feel the pressure and to give assurance, you resort to making up stories and lies. Yes you beat the deadline, but the result is a mediocre one. Your client or superior is not satisfied and you have to start all over again. But here’s the rub, you have to finish it within a shorter time frame. Say hello to your sweetie and don’t be afraid to tell that you’re quite busy. Promise him or her to give a return call right after working hours. Complete your assignment first then fulfill that promise. The client is happy and your sweetie loves you even more because you still have the time for him or her despite of your hectic schedule.

Distractions are inevitable. But one should always remember that time is gold. At the end of the day, be sure that you finish everything rather than bring those works at home. Also, accomplishing something within a day provides a feeling of satisfaction and contentment. You can enjoy your personal activities without having to worry about your pending assignments.

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Tags: ethical, ethics, work, issues, information

Actually, there is evidence that suggests gender does play a role. Coleen Rowley had worked for the FBI for 21 years when she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify that the agency had ignored pre-911 warnings about terrorist activity in the U.S.

Sherron Watkins, Enron’s vice president for corporate development, testified before a House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee that her company had become “the poster child of corporate abuse.”

And Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom’s vice president of finance, alerted the company’s board to an internal phony accounting scheme that ultimately led to the largest bankruptcy filing in the nation’s history.

These brave women were named Time Persons of the Year two years ago.

One prominent theory of women as whistleblowers is that of the insider-outsider. “Women aren’t part of the ‘good ol’ boy’ system, so they don’t risk being pushed out of the network,” says Kris Kolesnik, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center in Washington.

“What’s important to them is doing their job, not protecting their buddies.”

Adds Rutgers University anthropologist Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They Are Changing the World, “Women aren’t as sensitive as men to status in the workplace. And when you’re not as committed to the hierarchy, you can see the ramifications a little better.”

In fact, Fisher believes that, thanks to social conditioning, women may be natural whistleblowers — because of the way they think and how they learned to play as children.

“As young boys, men jockey for position in the playground and learn early on to give and take orders,” she explains. “If boys don’t like the rule, they leave the game. Girls, on the other hand, play in leaderless groups, not hierarchies, and choose games with far fewer rules, which change if someone gets upset. Subsequently, as adult, women aren’t likely to play by the rules if they don’t think the rules are right.”

According to Fred Alford, author of Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power, another factor that makes women statistically more likely to speak out and fight for what they believe in is that they typically have one foot firmly planted in another world: the family. This, he says, connects them to a different way of thinking. “In fact, when they bring that model of ethics into an organization, it must put a lot of women through hell.”

University of California professor Judith Rosener believes that “women tend to see things in a much bigger context than men do.” In her e-book Ways Women Lead, Rosener notes that women also tend to see the implications of the decisions — such as who will be hurt — in contrast to men, who tend to think about whether they will make money or get caught.

“Not that men are more crooked,” she adds. “They just don’t think about implica-tions in the same way.”

Nancy Evans, co-founder and editor-in-chief of iVillage, agrees. Speaking at the Women’s Trailblazer Conference sponsored by the Business womens Network, she remarked, “Women tend to be straight talkers and sensible problem-solvers, and they raise the flag if something doesn’t add up.”

Best selling author Connie Glaser is one of the country’s leading experts on gender communication and women’s leadership issues. Her recently published book, GenderTalk Works, provides an upbeat guide to bridging the gender gap at work. A popular keynote speaker at corporate events, she can be reached here

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Tags: ethics, gender, issues, ethical, law