People tend to measure success in monetary terms. Financial success is, however, just one component of success. If it is achieved through greed (an excessive and selfish desire to acquire or possess more than what one deserves) it normally have negative consequences. This especially occurs when a person focuses on short-term gain at all cost – even if it involves “shady” or illegal actions. This article highlights the danger of uncontrolled greed for short-term gain and the potential long-term failure that often goes hand-in-hand with it.

The discussion is done under the following headings:

* Typical greedy behaviour;
* Perceived benefits;
* Reasons for failure;
* Consequences of failure.

Typical Greedy Behaviour

People that are controlled by their greed tend to go for the quick kill and try to make much more money in relation to the value that they add. They always look for short cuts. Some of their typical behavioural traits include the following:

* They embark on transactions that are too good to be true – they do this either as (foolish) investors or with transactions that promises phenomenal returns where they try to lure (foolish and greedy) investors.
* They take no or little risks compare to other people and investors – they often look for outside people (family, friends, rich people, etc.) to invest in their schemes.
* They charge very high gross margins – they often try to make a quick buck through very high gross margins that they charge to the unexpecting client.
* They are dishonest – they tend to lie and be dishonest in varying degrees. This includes websites that makes false claims, bribery of officials and other parties as well as many other types of fraudulent transactions.
* They tend to be very smooth – they try to win people over with their charm (not genuine), claimed religious beliefs (that have nothing to do with the transaction) and appearance of success (e.g. clothing, cars, secretaries, offices, etc.).

Perceived Benefits

The greedy person often sees many short-term benefits in bending the rules in business a little or even being outright dishonest or acting illegally. Some of the perceived benefits are:

* Financial independence – many people see this as the major aim in life regardless of anything else.
* Image – many people like to impress other people and believe that they can do this through the things they can buy with money.
* Respect – people believe that other people will see them as successful and respect them if they are financially well off.
* Social – people often see themselves as more socially acceptable when they have money.
* Marketability – some people believe they are more marketable if they have money.
* Success – many people equates money (irrespective of how they got it) as the measure of success.
* Instant gratification – many people are not prepared to work hard, honest and clever and delay their gratification. They prefer to enjoy everything that life has to offer when they want it and they will do (almost) everything to achieve it.

Reasons for Failure

Greed (and dishonesty) is generally not sustainable. People are caught out due to several reasons including the following:

* People see through them – it is not possible to fool all the people all the time. People will eventually see through dishonest people and then ignore them or expose them. Once a person has made a name for himself / herself as being dishonest it became more difficult to do business.
* Mistakes – it is not easy to remember lies in detail and to cover all the (dishonest) angles. One greedy fraudster that we knew gave us two written references (that we did not asked for). He made the mistake of swapping the telephone numbers of the businesses on their letterheads (that he falsified).
* Enemies – people that cheat other people tend to make unpleasant enemies that will expose them or get back at them at any opportunity that they have.

Consequences of Failure

Greedy transactions are generally not sustainable and will eventually come back to hurt the perpetrator. When the greedy person finally fails the consequences can be very unpleasant, including the following:

* Financial ruin – any wealth that is built on dishonesty can easily collapse and cause financial ruin at unexpected times.
* Legal ramifications – this include civil actions and criminal charges. The first one can take away your money and the second one your freedom.
* Lost of respect – people generally loose their respect for dishonest people. It is even worse if it is your spouse, children, family, friends and colleagues.
* Lost of self-respect – this is potentially the most serious of all the consequences. Once you have lost your self-respect and feel worthless (combined with all the other consequences) it can be very difficult to turn it around (but not impossible).
* Opportunities costs – while a greedy person was looking for all the short cuts they tend to miss the opportunity to built something sustainable that stands on solid foundations. Genuine opportunities are also ignored and lost.

Summary

People that act out of greed tend not to add value, they hurt a lot of people (including themselves in the long run) and it generally has very serious consequences. To do honest business can be so much more sustainable in the long run and with the potential of better financial rewards and self-actualisation.

Copyright© 2008 – Wim Venter

Wim Venter is the CEO of Ventex Corporation, a business development consultancy. To receive more information on how to start a new venture, to grow it sustainably and to finally harvest it successfully, sign up for our free newsletters or contact us via our website.

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Tags: business, decision, management, choices, ethics

Corporate social responsibility is a company’s duty to have a positive effect on society, the environment and its own employees. It has risen in importance as world issues have come to the fore – for example, child labour making clothes for western shops is quite rightly not allowed – companies have a duty to make sure that all their employees, no matter where they are in the world, are not exploited. If a company uses someone else’s land for its operations (again this is usually in a poorer country) they should provide schemes for native inhabitants such as schools, healthcare and employment opportunities. Companies are now judged by the general public based on their policies so it’s never been more important to be socially responsible.

Social responsibility is a difficult thing to pin down however, and it’s often unclear what the effects will be. Providing a school for the children of workers abroad for example might be great for the workers, but customers who buy the company’s products may never even know that school exists. This responsible scheme then has no knock-on effect on the company’s image. Similarly, making sure that the company abides by international laws is socially responsible, but no-one ever hears about anything like this unless the company breaks a law (in which case it’s all over the news).

Social responsibility is only good for the company if people know about it, so many companies try to publicise their good work or get something back out of it. For example, sponsoring scholarships for poorer students is a generous act, but those students might have access to fast-track schemes within the company when they finish their education. Sponsoring a charity event for a local hospital can be publicised in the news and helps to show customers that the company does a lot in the community.

When a company’s social actions pay off, they manage to present themselves as a caring brand and this can spell good times for the business. More people want to work for them and consumers recognise their brand as someone it’s ok to buy from.

It’s important for corporations to look after existing employees too, as this is also part of their social responsibility. Childcare schemes, extended leave options and even gym memberships all come under this umbrella. When a company offers benefits to its employees therefore it’s being socially responsible. It’s a business tenet that the more benefits a company offers the more likely staff are to stay with the company, and the more people will apply for available jobs.

Because of all these positive effects, companies have to look at social responsibility as an essential part of their PR and not just an expenditure. Some companies don’t participate in schemes unless they’re going to get some sort of positive PR out of it and whilst this does make economic sense it also comes across as a little cynical. Other companies do good just for the sake of it, but also make sure that they get something back most of the time. Whatever path a company takes, social responsibility is inescapable no matter the economic climate. In fact, it becomes more important as people start to struggle financially and the company that looks after its employees and dependents in bad times will have a head start in the good.

Bert Steiner has manufactured everything from worktops to plastic products He has owned a few small companies and likes to write about the issues faced by company managers.

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Tags: ethics, marketing, strategic, management, corporate

Igniting your workplace with a sense of integrity and joy- sounds lofty, huh? Truth be told the joy naturally follows from the integrity. Ever worked in a place that lacked integrity? I’m betting you didn’t have much joy there did you? What is it that makes a place be filled with integrity?

Webster’s defines integrity as an unwavering commitment to a firm moral code. In my experience it is much simpler. It is doing the right thing no matter who is- or isn’t- watching.

Take the grocery cart back.

Don’t detour to go to Walmart after your sales call & submit that on your mileage report.

Show up where you say you’ll be- when you say you’ll be there.

Keep the deal you said you’d make.

Don’t “”borrow”" the powerwasher from work.

Eat your green vegetables.

Expect to earn your salary- there is a reason it is called work.

Listen to your customers.

Inform and educate your customers.

Tell them the truth.

Don’t hide debt in off-balance sheet subsidiaries.

Refrain from price gouging.

Staying in a workplace that lacks integrity will soil your soul.

and a few specific ones for our friends in healthcare:

Adhere to the patient’s wishes.

Ask patients their names- AND what they want to be called.

Tell them your name & what in the heck you’re doing to them.

Worry about your scope of expertise not your scope of reimbursement.

Inform the patient- even if the new knowledge may cost you as a practitioner money.

Create a medical treatment plan not an insurance cost/benefit plan.

Remember “”getting creative”" is often a translation for “”Fraud”".

Demented patients do not benefit any differently from weekly psychotherapy than they do from a volunteer visit.

They actually benefit more from a visit from their dog.

Don’t order a dermatology consult on an actively dying patient.

Find out what quality of life means to your patient before initiating heroic measures in terminal
conditions.

Remember that no one ever has to die in pain.

Greet every day with love in your heart.

You’d be surprised at how few have the grit and the courage to adhere to these standards and demand them in their workplace. I met such a person today. She walked away from money and convenience and ease in the name of ethics and integrity- on multiple occasions. She simply has no stomach for grey areas when it comes to doing the right thing. She has paid dearly both personally and professionally for these high standards.

comfortable salary $320,000

retirement plan $1,000,000

health benefits $1,500,000

vacation, etc $600,000

ability to look self in mirror priceless- & that comes with a free dose of positive role modeling
for her kids.

What are you teaching your kids?

What do you see when you look yourself in the mirror?

MICE exists to ignite a sense of integrity and joy in your workplace or organization. We strive to make your workplace the place you most want it to be, and you the type of worker you most want to be. We do this by providing continuing education programs to healthcare professionals; customized consultation, training and direction to businesses; as well as entertaining and inspiring motivational seminars. MICE President and Owner, Jackie Barnes, is a licensed clinical Social Worker with an MBA who has over 20 years of healthcare experience in both clinical and managerial roles. Visit and contact her here.

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Tags: ethics, morality, philosophy, sport, management

In small offices these days, seems that the few works are not given enough praise on the good jobs they do. By the amount of cut backs that offices have, at times these workers are worked to the bone and never give recognition.

Managers and owners should take the time to give the staff an item that will show their appreciation. By taking time out of your day and getting a secretary a gift or small gift basket can make them feel they are needed and many times, they work harder to see if they get more. By taking your time several times a year to do this will keep your staff happy and they will know they are needed.

A simple gift basket that says thank you and maybe a card that has a note from you can go a long way. There are many baskets that you can purchase that can be just for a thank you, for example one might have: Thanks A Million Fortune Cookies, Chunky Salsa,
Brent & Sames Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ a Thanks A Million Label, Nacho Tortilla Chips, Parmesan Foccacia Bites, Crunchy Caramel Corn, and Thanks A Million Theme bag w/ Mints, Thanks A Million Bite Size Cookies in a theme box, Stone Wheat Crackers. Many online retailers have items as mentioned with printing on them, such as “thanks a million”.

Many times these gifts are too much for just one person, if there is several you want to give this thoughtful gift to, and then just personalize the card. In doing a gesture as this, you yourself should feel great. You too have done a good deed and now your workers will look at you in a different light.

Author is Michele Rogers, owner of Lilyputts Home Decor website, and Backyard Fancy website. Both online stores feature home and back yard decor and both have blogs where you can read tips on decor and view featured items. Please visit Backyard Fancy and Lilyputts Home Decor for descriptions and product presentations. Please, keep intact all author information.

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We live in a frenetic world and we are being brutally manipulated.

Every day literally and digitally thousands of messages, some overt and some subliminal, are being shot into our brains.

Our minds are being cleansed of rational thought and action and pushed to impulsiveness by clever, designing marketers and their cloned true believers.

If you are in the marketing business, you know that the online gurus are becoming slicker and their billfolds thicker.

Eat some humble pie: These guys and gals who are the next generation millionaire marketers are developing cookie-cutter methods which are well-grounded in how our mind works and how to make us lower our psychic guards through trigger words and images.

Are you up to dealing with these manipulators?

Are you ready to know what you need for success without being sold the Brooklyn Bridge in every email promotion you receive?

Well, I have got great news for you. My checklist of 10 guidelines for whether or not you should reach for your wallet and sell your soul to the next slickest pitch artist is guaranteed to lessen information overload. Keep these 10 guidelines posted by your computer ready for reference or folded into your billfold or purse.

1. Is this offer aligned with my goals? You do have goals, right? If it clearly isn’t aligned with your path, put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.

2. Do you need or just want such a product or service? Need means that it is or soon will become essential to the prosperity of your business or personal life. Want means it would be nice to have but is not essential in any level of my existence. The need item should then be compared with other similar products which can be uncovered using any number of search engines, review sites and online auction sites. The want items should be added to your goals list and a date for acquisition noted.

3. Do you trust this person or company? Is their identity masked or totally concealed? If so, the rule of thumb is to trash it. When the person or company is easy to determine, then contact them. Ask a reasonable question about the product/service that requires more than a rubber-stamp answer. If the response is wooden and plastic, then trash it. If the answer truly addresses and resolves your concern, then buy it.

4. If the marketer says that he or she is the only honest broker in a world of liars and thieves, then you will know that he or she is a liar him- or herself. This ploy which I call the “Savior Approach” is bound to weaken your psychic defenses. When you have been screwed by such linguistic gymnastics several times previously, you should know better than to jump. But it’s hard to resist. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.

5. Steer clear of any offer which is time sensitive. You know the takeaway-type offer I’m talking about: “This offer will only be available for the next 72 hours,” or “You will never see this offer again.” Both statements may even be true, but here is something to consider: Any product which finds success will be copied and offered at a more competitive cost down the pike. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks or months later.

6. Unsubscribe to any marketing publication which sends you three or four offerings per day(!) without giving one ounce of personal coaching or information for free. They somehow got you on their hook with a slick, initial offering; now it is time to wiggle your way out of their net and clean out your mailbox of such opt-in junk mailings.

7. Assuming you have a goal in mind when you turn on the computer, don’t let the newest and best marketers add you to their mailing list unless their information is definitively related to your goals. This is especially true for information junkies (such as myself) who are mesmerized by well-tailored copy and new ideas. I want to buy everything and read everything, but that is a formula for the poorhouse. Find your product or niche, and then run with it minus the information baggage.

8. Never buy an ebook or a software application which you don’t plan to read or use promptly. If you have tens or hundreds of such materials stored on your desktop in in the bowels of your PC, either trash them or read them first before you buy the newest hot item.

9. Listen to as many teleseminars or recordings of the people you want to buy products from. When you listened to these self-proclaimed gurus in more than sound bites, if they sound suspicious, seem arrogant and only seem to plug their latest launch…dump them. Your intuition is usually correct.

10. Your monthly self-training expense should be budgeted. If you are about to go over budget with this “must have” application or ebook proclaiming you’ll be making $3,000 in the next 30 days…go to your dream stealer or a negative person in your life. Explain to them that you want their opinion for what you plan to buy, and then, to the best of your knowledge, lay out what the ebook or application is supposed to do. If that neggie is neutral toward the idea or even wants to buy one too, go for it. Otherwise, sit on it until the next month. Don’t rob from Peter to pay Paul.

Noted motivational coach and multi-millionaire marketer Anthony Robbins said: “Stay committed to your decisions,but stay flexible in your approach.”

The easy way to avoid success is to spend, spend, spend and then read, read, read.

I just know you can show some discipline. And when you show discipline, you will become laser focused. And when you become laser-focused, you will absolutely achieve what you want.

Be creative without always reaching for your wallet.

If you want to take advantage of niche opportunities in Japan, subscribe to the Japan Business Insider Newsletter and use the 4000+ directory of English -language websites for Japan. To learn more, go to here.

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Tags: ethics, skills, work, interpersonal, management

Not everything that comes through the mail is valid. Most of the mail I receive–be it through US Post office or my e-mail–is just plain annoying. Still, there must be some people, even friends, who assume that I enjoy receiving so much garbage. They do not get it, even when I tell them, that the deletion of such stuff is an imposition on my time.

Why do they do it? I think, because someone else has sent it to them to be forwarded to a number of people, friends being the key word, and they don’t have the backbone to stop the chain. When this type of a chain e-mail comes from a friend, it is worse than getting it from a stranger, because I can’t block his e-mail since I want to keep my friends.

Chain letters, first in snail mail then in e-mails, started out as pranks or jokes or for circulating information, whether the receiver wanted to get such mail or not and whether he got the joke or the purpose of the mailer or not. In the beginning, I used to send the chain e-mail back to the sender to make him understand, but now I just delete it.

Then sometimes, I get another e-mail scolding me why I broke the chain. Some of the letters used to come with a warning such as: “If you break this chain and do not send this to seven other people, great misfortune will follow you and someone close to you will face adversity.” Nowadays, these types of warnings are passé. Still, the bulk mailing and chain letters remain as the preferred mode of communicating someone’s objectives that do not concern the receiver.

On the other hand, I enjoy receiving personal letters and e-mails from friends greatly and I love it when a friend e-mails me an article or a URL that he knows will interest me. I even like the bulk mail if the content is of concern to me and is sent by someone I know or work with in some capacity.

There are numerous kinds of unconstructive bulk mails and chain letters. A true list would fill volumes. A few examples to those are: addressing one’s soft side by imploring help to the poor, sick, missing, or dying people; political truths or falsehoods under the guise of news; matchmaking or meet-your-soulmate mail; online rumor against one institution, company or person; virus warning hoaxes; mail of advertisements with doctored photos or pictures; e-mail activist petitions that ask a person to add his name to a list; a prize for nothing frauds; and pyramid schemes hiding under false pretenses. Most of these are scams to get the receiver’s money, but even when they aren’t, they are just as leechlike because they take up your time and inbox space.

Although the Federal Trade Commission came up with a “Do Not Call List,” there are no laws I know of that forbid sending junk e-mail and chain letters, leaving spammers and swindlers free to gather e-mail addresses or personal information leading to identity theft and other harassments. FTC acts like a powerless waif against spamming and scamming mail and e-mail.

I believe, the best way to fight this trend is to not to forward any chain letter to anyone else, even when the content appeals to us and even if we think we know and trust a respectable company or business. Most scammers hide behind well-known names, associations and companies. The only weapon to fight this ill is to break the chain and just delete the e-mail from our inbox.

Joy Cagil is an author on a site for Writers. Her education is in foreign languages and linguistics. In her background are varied subjects such as psychology, humanities, and women’s issues. See her portfolio.

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For years conventional wisdom suggested that people do not leave companies, but rather they leave because of bad business management also known as bad managers. Poor business management practices are more related to the problem of poor business ethics or values than to the common symptoms such as poor delegation or poor communication.

Every organization, no matter size, should have a written business values statement of non-negotiable behaviors that will be demonstrated by everyone. Each employee from top down needs to consistently demonstrate the same values and ethics. Inconsistent values from managers can dramatically affect employee motivation and ultimately employee performance.

A recently released survey from Florida State University of 700 employees within numerous industries and employment levels provides an insight into the lack of ethics by many mangers.

* Failure to keep their (managers) word – 39%
* Insulting employees behind backs – 27%
* Blaming others for bosses mistakes – 23%

All of these behaviors demonstrate that these bosses lacked personal values and personal ethics. This lack of ethical behavior may be attributed to top management because upper management has probably modeled the same behaviors. Finally, there is probably no core values adopted by the organization within the strategic plan. Even if there is a values statement, it is much more for show than for alignment of organizational performance.

With all the national attention on corporate malfeasance to corruption politicians, we, as Americans, should not be surprised by the results of this study. Poor ethical behavior attracts poor ethical behavior and becomes the justifying reason for continued poor ethical behavior.

To stop this negative drain on productivity and the U.S. workforce in general demands that organizations adopt a values statement of non-negotiable behaviors within the strategic plan to be demonstrated to all external and equally important internal customers. Failure to adhere to these values is a reason for termination and termination will happen.

Ethics and values are part of the performance for all individuals. If management fails to treat everyone with respect, then how can management expect loyal employees?

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a business coach who specializes in strategic planning in Indianapolis and near Chicago. She writes, speaks and coaches people in businesses to quickly double results through the creation of an executable strategic plan.

One quick question,if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadblock holding you back from success, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give me, Leanne, a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible results.

Visit this site and explore everything from free articles to connecting with Leanne.

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As a business owner and coach, I come across the issue of building integrity and reputation on a daily basis. It is something I feel strongly about, as who can build a business without integrity and a good reputation. As business owners, we know that if we want repeat business and referrals (both of which are the foundation of growing our business) then we need to include integrity and reputation in everything we do. Now, this may sound like common sense, but sometimes business owners forget these 2 important key concepts and make a mistake. That one mistake, let’s call it a step forward, can take their business back 20 steps. From time to time, it may take them so far back that they won’t be able to recover and their business will fold. So how can we, as business owners ensure that we are continually moving forward in building our integrity and reputation in a positive light? Actually, if we remember a few simple “rules,” then we can continue to build and grow.

Rule 1- Always be timely.

I know, this sounds like common sense, but how many times have you been told something, and it has not been carried through. For example, you ordered a birthday present and it was promised you would receive it in 2 days (1 day before the birthday), and then not received it for 4 days. Now you don’t have the gift to give because someone was not timely. This is a simple example but I as a business owner live by this rule. In fact, if I tell someone I will have their project to them by a certain time, I shoot for 24 hours before. Why do I do this? What happens if I plan to send it to them when it is due, but oops, my hard drive crashes? They don’t get the project on time-even though it was finished in advance, and it puts them behind. This does not help my integrity or reputation, and it will probably affect if the client will do business with me again, or not.

Now, all of us understand that acts of God can interfere with our work or we can make a mistake (after all, we are all human). It’s bound to happen sometime. So what do we do?

Rule 2- Always be honest.

This is a hard rule to live by, because sometimes you are so ashamed of your mistake, you don’t want to admit your foolishness. Let me share a horrifying mistake I made that could have destroyed my business. I was creating an e-book for a client. I found beautiful pictures which I designed the cover with and added throughout the book. I sent the book to her and she was delighted. The day before she was to send it to her webmaster to get it added to her site, I happened to realize that the pictures were not royalty free, which means we did not have permission to use them. I could have pretended I didn’t know and let the book go on the market and hoped that no one said anything about the pictures and my client didn’t get in trouble. I didn’t do this. I embarrassingly relayed my mistake to my client as soon as I discovered it (who is by the way, still my client). Because I was honest, she was understanding. Now, do you think I charged her to fix this mistake? See the next rule.

Rule 3- Always fix your mistakes immediately.

Do you charge for your mistakes to be fixed? Absolutely not! It is not your client/customers fault that there was a mistake! How did I fix my big mistake? I went and bought royalty free pictures (with my money). I then redid the whole book (on my own time). I stayed up late that night and got the book fixed and ready to go. My client did not have to pay out a dime for my mistake. I took full blame and then went the extra step to fix the mistake. This client has been with me for a year now, and continues to refer me to everyone she comes across. We have a wonderful relationship, that could have been ruined had I not followed Rule #2 and #3.

Now these are just 3 rules to help you along the way in your business. There are many more things we must do to build our integrity and reputation, but if you follow these 3 rules, you will not take those 20 steps backwards, but go 20 steps forward.

If you would like to see the book I did for my client, Kimberly Chastain, you may visit her at www.kimberlychastain.com and check out her newest book “Help, My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!” If you have preteens/teenagers or children who will eventually hit these stages, this is a fabulous book!

In the meantime, take the extra steps to grow your business by being an honest, timely, and committed business owner!

© 2005 JERPAT

You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, as long as the text and byline remain unedited. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and JERPAT Web Design, which provides affordable administrative and web design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and realtors. Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entrepreneurs interested in venturing into the virtual assistance industry. She has developed a program that is affordable for all. Get program details and great business resources. If you would like to receive Patty’s articles and other tips in your mailbox every month, you can sign up at JERPAT .

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Many companies these days are getting on the Green bandwagon. If a company is marketing their products or services as being environmentally friendly, they sometimes scramble to find office supplies that back up their message. Turning to the big box office supply companies doesn’t always give you the best selection of recycled office products. Most companies find what they are looking for at smaller “Mom & Pop” type office supply stores; which are few and far between these days. These smaller stores know that they have to provide better competitive advantage to their larger competitor that will beat them almost every time on price. Some of these small office supply stores have turned to environmentally friendly office supplies to maintain that edge.

There are some great recycled papers that have a higher post consumer recycled content than what the bigger companies are carrying. Living Tree Paper out of Eugene, Oregon has some great papers that are 90% recycled and 10% Hemp/Flax. We are starting to see pencils made of recycled paper. One of the biggest problems has been with vinyl. Vinyl or PVC is a petroleum based product that is toxic to manufacture and dispose. When your binder’s rings bend or your cover rips, it’s off to the landfill where it will be thousands of years before that material can break down. Manufacturers really need to think through the impact their materials have on the environment. There are many materials like corrugated cardboard, non toxic chip board, recycled bending chip and even bioplastics that would make excellent materials for office supplies and recycled binders.

Office supply stores that carry these types of products will give them the competitive edge over their competition, as well as, give them the satisfaction that they are doing their part for the environment.

Brad Hole is President of Sustainable Group; a Seattle based manufacturer of environmentally friendly office supplies that include Rebinder and Repocket.

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A man went into the local Big and Tall Man’s store several times looking for a job. Finally, on his seventh visit, the store’s owner told him, “I will tell you what. I have this suit here on the shelf that has been here for years. I cannot find anyone to buy it. I have some errands to run, so if you will watch the store while I am out, you will get your chance. If you can sell this suit while I am gone, you will have yourself a job.”

A few hours later, the store’s owner returns to find the man
grinning from ear to ear, his clothes in shreds.

The owner was horrified, “What in the world happened to you?”

The man responded, “I sold the suit!”

The owner queried further, “Okay, you sold the suit, but what
happened to your clothes?!?”

“Well,” he said nodding, “The guy loved the suit, but his
seeing eye dog was really mad.”

————

How many half-truths or white lies would you have told to get the sale and the job? I hope your answer is “None.” But, the truth is, not everyone is that honest.

Did the wannabe sales person tell the blind man that the suit was ugly? Not very likely. But hey, the customer was blind and did not know it was an ugly suit. And his friends probably won’t say anything to him about the suit since they know he is blind. Further, the blind man did love his new suit! So, what could be wrong with this?

All too often in the business world, honesty is not black and white, but various shades of gray. People who consider themselves Christians think little or nothing of exaggerating the features or benefits of a product or service they are selling. They believe “white lies” are ok. They reason with themselves that “Everyone else is doing it.”

But of course as Christians, we have an extra obligation to be honest in all our dealings with others, regardless of whether they will ever know or not. We are called to live to a higher standard.

Colossians 3:22 says:

“Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not
only when their eye is on you and to win their favor,
but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”

If you find it difficult to avoid exaggerating and telling little “white lies” in the course of your daily living, you will be challenged even further when your family’s well-being and lifestyle are on the line. The responsibility of taking care of your family could very well push you to make decisions in your work you would probably never make outside of your job environment.

In our story above, our salesman isn’t even trying to justify his actions based on truth and honesty. He did not feel a need to.

He told the truth when he pointed out how well the suit fit the man. This truth would have been something the blind customer could have attested to by the feel of the fit. So you could say our salesman was honest in this regard.

When our salesman told his customer the suit looked good on him, how could he have done so if honesty was in his heart? This was not even a “white lie”, but an outright lie. Even the store’s owner agreed with the seeing eye dog — it was an ugly suit!

In the real world of business, a “white lie” could be something as simple as what is considered Standard Operating Practice in the car sales industry. If a buyer tells the salesman he wants this model in “blue”, the car salesman is instructed to tell the customer that he can get this car in “blue”, and proceed to show the “white” car as a sample. When all is said and done, the car salesman is instructed to sell the customer the “white” car because that is the one in stock. In the car sales industry, it is assumed that the client does not really care whether the car is “blue” or “white”. Therefore, it is okay to tell the customer a little “white lie” about whether they can get the customer a “blue” car or not.

Of course, this is only an example. Hundreds of examples exist in every industry, where the little “white lie” is considered okay and just a part of the industry’s Standard Operating Procedures. I am certain that if you applied just a few minutes of consideration to this question, you could think of dozens of examples within your own business where the little “white lie” is a perfectly acceptable means of conducting business.

The desire to be looked upon favorably by your customers and your co-workers is strong. Yet, you must always exercise caution in the statements you make, because failure to meet the expectation when you have exaggerated your ability to reach it, hurts your status and your business more in the long run, than complete honesty up front.

This is back to Business 101 — “Under Promise and Over Deliver.” It is imperative to the long-term viability of your business to meet the expectations you sell to your customers. Your clients have a strong need in being able to trust in you and your business.

Whether you are a Christian or not, “white lies” and “exaggerations” systematically erode your most valuable asset — your customers’ and co-workers’ faith in you. Can you really afford to pay the long-term price of this sort of behavior? Each time you find yourself in the position to have to make this choice, the final decision will be yours to make. Choose wisely.

“I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God
and man.” -Acts 24:16

Copyright Bill Platt – All Rights Reserved

Bill Platt is the owner of LinksAndTraffic

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Another day at work, another day of playing solitaire to ease the boredom. You quickly organize the suits with practiced ease. The cards fall obediently into their proper stack as you rapidly create order out of card chaos. You are the master of your domain… You’re so elated at your latest solitaire success that you fail to notice your manager darkening the doorway of your cubicle. The heavy hand of authority falls on your shoulder and you realize that this is the end of your game-playing escapades.

Sure, you could be working, adding value to the company, contributing to the corporation’s success. But where’s the fun in that? But it’s not just fun. A study by the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands suggests that game-playing at work increases productivity, morale, and reduces absenteeism. So really, you’re giving the company a better employee with your solitaire-playing escapades.

Surprisingly, somehow this logic doesn’t always jive, particularly in more conservative workplaces. However, don’t let this dissuade you in your attempts to give your company more. There is a solution for your gaming distress: enter the Iomega Monitor Rearview mirror, available at www.SewellDirect.com. This handy little mirror fits neatly in the corner of your monitor, giving you a wide rear vista, which prevents unpleasant surprises from behind.

I suppose that this mirror has other uses other than to act as an early-warning boss detection unit. Actually, we had one of these things installed in our monitor at home to prevent sneak attacks by siblings. For those with hypertension, this could be a great solution to prevent possibly deadly jolts caused by unannounced cubicle visitors. And for the computer user who has everything, this mirror is the perfect accessory.

So don’t allow restrictive company policies to stunt your productivity. Get one of these mirrors and watch your morale soar. And if anybody asks you, you didn’t hear about this here.

Nathan Kartchner is a copywriter for Sewell Direct, an online retailer of obscure computer accessories (such as the Iomega Rearview Monitor Mirror) and connectivity products, like the USB to Serial Adapter.

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Executive summary

Its revenues made up US $139($184) billion, assets equaled $62($82) billion, and the number of employees reached more than 30,000 people in 20 countries around the world.

While Enron Corporation was so highly praised by the outside observers, internally it had highly decentralized financial control and decision-making structure, which made it practically impossible to get coherent and clear view on corporations’ activities and operations. Of course, the problem was not exclusively due to poor managerial performance, all the departments of the corporation were involved in the ruining corporate ethical values and principles, but executives and managers bear primary responsibility for the absence of corporate culture, clear accountability and transparence of the company. If operations management worked properly, in its full force, and if it was given possibility to work in such a way, there could be a chance of escaping the tragedy.

Enron Corp brief history

Enron Corporation was one of the largest global energy, services and commodities company. Before it filed bankruptcy under chapter 11, it sold natural gas and electricity, delivered energy and other commodities such as bandwidth internet connection, and provided risk management and financial services to the clients around the world.

Enron was based in Houston, Texas, and was founded in July 1985 (though company with Enron name emerged still in 1930 (Swatz, Watkins, 2003)) by the merger of InterNorth of Omaha in Nebraska, and Houston Natural Gas. Enron Company quickly developed from merely delivering energy to brokering energy futures contracts on deregulated energy markets. In 1994, the company started to sell electricity, and in 1995, it entered European energy market. By the middle 2001, Enron employed about 30,000 people globally (McLEan, Elkind,2003).

Questionable accounting methods and techniques provided Enron with possibility to be listed as seventh largest United States company and was expected to dominate the market which the company virtually invented in the communications, weather and power securities (Bryce, 2002). But instead the corporation became the largest corporate failure in the global history and an example of well-planned and institutionalized corporate fraud. Enron became wealthy due to its pioneering marketing and promotion of power and communications bandwidth services and risk management derivatives, including such innovative and exotic items as weather derivatives.

In 1999, Enron launched an initiative of buying and selling access to high-speed Internet bandwidth, and also Enron Online was launched as a Web-based trading site, making Enron e-commerce company. In 2000, the reported revenues of the company made $101 billion. It had stakes in almost 30,000 miles of gas pipelines, either owned or accessed 15,000 miles of fiber-optic network and had stakes in global operations on generating electricity (Thomas, 2002).

In the result, for five years in a row, from 1996 to 2000, Enron was named “America’s most innovative Company” by Fortune magazine, and headed the list of Fortune’s “100 best companies to Work for in America” in 2000. Enron reputation was undermined by rumors on bribery and political pressure with the objective of securing contacts in South and Central America, Philippines and Africa. The Enron was blamed to use its connections with Clinton and Bush administrations to express pressure in their contracts. The events were followed by a series of scandals involving irregular accounting methods bordering on fraud which involved Enron and Arthur Andersen accounting firm and led Enron on the verge of undergoing the largest bankruptcy in economic history in November 2001 (Emshwiller, Smith, 2001).

Since Enron was always considered a blue chip stock, the bankruptcy was a disastrous and unprecedented event in the global financial world. Enron’s downfall was definite when it was found out that a considerable share of its profits resulted from deals with so-called special-purpose entities, limited partnership under control of Enron. It resulted in the possibility of not reporting many of the company’s losses in its financial statements. The final plan of Enron’s bankruptcy included creation of three new businesses which would be spun off the company.

The reorganization process started in 2003 with the creation of three companies – CrossCountry Energy, Prisma Energy International, and Portland General Electric. CrossCountry Energy was sold to CCE Holdings L.L.C., with the money to be used for the repayment of the debts, while Prisma Energy International and Portland General Electric should emerge as independent companies descendant of Enron (Swatz, 2003).

Operations management scope of functions

To understand the reasons of this bankruptcy and the level of managerial implication in the quality performance of the company, particularly that of operations management, it is necessary to outline the main functions of operations management and impact it should have of functioning of the organization.

The principal task of operations management is effective transformation of inputs into “desired outputs” of the company (Shafer, 1997). The outputs are traditionally understood in manufacturing and profit-making context within the organizations. But recently it has been recognized that operations management is a discipline which is not limited with such narrow functions; it can be deployed in practically any area where the organization aims at achieving its objectives (Barnett, 1996). For instance, non-profit or public sectors have to learn to optimize their internal operations and processes in the situation of limited resources; service companies come to conclusion that by reappraising their delivery process they can revolutionize and significantly improve their approach to manufacturing companies and their marketplace. Robin Wood (2001) gives the example of such operations management implication in Daewoo company, which understood that it can specialize and differentiate its product by adding definite bundle of benefits to its product which includes additional supporting services. Operations sector is the heart of these changes that are made by leading companies to improve their performance and increase customer base.

The survival of commercial company depends on ability of the organization to focus and shape its operational resources to meet the expectations of its stakeholders: customers, employees and shareholders, expressed in organizational strategy (Russel, 1995) . Irrespective of economic sectors the company operates in, the ability of operations management of this company to fulfill those above-mentioned tasks depends on their understanding that it is necessary to make trade-offs. They cannot avoid the situation of working under constraints and have to understand their capabilities and constraints to provide significant inputs into strategic decision-making process involving further resources of the organization.

Operations managers in the organizations are not empowered to make strategic decisions, but they play important role in shaping the organization’s strategy and contribute to the strategic thinking ( Pasternack, Viscio, 1998). Operations managers should be able to translate strategic aims and objectives into clear operational objectives and actions and to implement, design and improve the products of the company themselves and the processes of their delivery. They have to know how changes incorporated to external factors influence the operation and how changes in one aspect of the operating system influence other aspects.

Also, operations managers need to know how technological changes impact organization’s capability of delivery, and to incorporate their conclusions into strategic process (Peters, Waterman, 1982). Therefore, the heart of operations thinking includes the ability to think dynamically and systematically across time and space (Miller, 1998). Besides traditional tasks of operation management, new perspectives and objectives emerge connected with the emergence of new trends and developments of operations management, such as total quality management, shop floor control, global supply chain management, manufacturing planning software, and others.

Total quality management has become one of the most important developments of the operations management. The quest for higher level of products and services quality is caused by the globalization of markets, on the one hand, and increasing litigation over service or product failure. The relationship between quality and market share performance is doubtless. Those firms that fail to understand the issue of quality find themselves on the bottom of their industry hierarchy. A significant share of the responsibility for quality standards rests on the operations manager. Global supply chain management is another very important component of operations management. The world economy is becoming more global than ever. Looking for lower production costs, more flexibility and local risk reduction, companies are seeking to outsource and produce services and products on global scale (Heizer, 2004). Operation managers are responsible for fulfilling the task. Project management is yet another task of the operations management department. Operation managers bear responsibility for numerous projects which range from considerable capital projects to specific ones such as installation of new information system.

Effectively managing projects involves fulfillment and delivery them in timely manner and within the budget (Stevens, 2001). In a word, operations management is indispensable component of the organization, since it fulfills numerous important functions of the company. Operations manager handles daily running and functioning of the organization.

The implication of poor managerial performance for the collapse of Enron Corporation

Now it is necessary to find out and analyze whether operations management of Enron Corp performed all the functions mentioned above and what was the quality of their activity.

The Enron did have operations management department, which, according to their official source, fulfilled the following functions: setup accounts and notify utilities, agency agreement from customer, verify the format of invoice, setup invoice data transfer, test algorithms of invoice and file transfer to the customer, determine the reporting requirements of the customer (Enron Energy Services, 2000). As it is seen from the source, the functions of very operations management department are very limited. There are other management departments which perform the functions of operations management stated above: operations facility management, commodity management, energy asset management, financial operations, and capital management. Though, most of functions performed by these departments, according to the source, are purely executive and lack integration, systematic vision, responsibility, control and creative aspect. Besides limited scope of functions assigned to operations management in Enron Corporation, another important point concerns the quality of their performance and overall corporate culture and atmosphere created within corporation. As it was mentioned above, ideally, the functions of operations management include creating ethic values, integrity, competence and clear accountability within the organization. Enron’s management failed to comply with these tasks.

Anastasia Kurdina is a person of manifold gifts. Almost every her writing is followed by lavish testimonials from satisfied customers. Anastasia specializes in marketing, management, sociology, history, world cultures, literature and art.

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Tags: ethics, article, issues, management, strategic

I know, it’s the 21st century and yet a lingerie catalog was considered reason to fire a manager of a restaurant. It’s true, a manager that was just about to be promoted, did not have any other discrepancy reported, was known as a good performer, and yet a lingerie catalog cost him his job. Not only that, Ryan’s also denied him the ability to collect his unemployment check.

Here is how it happened; The company auditors came in to review the books and procedures of an Augusta Georgia store. While they were in the office, they started nosing around all the paper work and clutter, (hey, that is their job), under a bunch of stuff, on a shelf, they find the lingerie catalog. They approach the manager about it, not thinking that this was a big deal, the manager told them it belonged to him. A day and half later, they terminated him due to “inappropriate behavior becoming a manager”.

No one had complained about the catalog. The catalog was not in plane view. But, because an auditor felt that it was too risque, that a team member might see it and file a law suite against the company. During their investigation, they did, in fact, discover a few of the team members had seen some lingerie catalogs. Not one of them thought anything about it. Not one complained, not one thought the catalogs were inappropriate.

Now I grant you, in today’s world, law suites run wild, and they are to be fearful of. They can cost a company huge amounts of money, diminish the profits, and can even cause companies to go under. But, there wasn’t any complaints, this manager was known as a good performer, why terminate him at this stage? He removed the catalogs as soon as they brought it to his attention. I think a warning might have been a good idea. At most a suspension, a write-up, something other than termination.

Has corporate paranoia gotten to the point where they are willing to sacrifice good managers over the smallest infractions? Zero tolerance policies are taking there toll on american society. Restaurant mangers are hard to find, they have to work a very demanding job. Personal sacrifices, long hours, in a challenging position. Surely, it is a bad idea to toss them aside.
Ryan’s has let other managers go for the silliest of infractions, one male manager was reported as being terminated due to giving a female team member a ride home. Zero tolerance. They area supervisor even stated that this particular manager was the best he had at working the dining room.

I see that Ryan’s has started advertising for managers in the Augusta area. Three months have gone bye and they have been unable to replace this manager they elected to fire over a lingerie catalog buried under a bunch of stuff stuck up on a shelf. Maybe zero tolerance is not such a good idea, maybe, one day, corporate america will grow a back bone and start seeing the benefit in standing up and saying enough is enough. We live in a world where a disgruntled employee can have a manager’s career ruined just by making a claim of sexual harassment or racial discrimination, no real proof is even needed. Makes managing a very unattractive carrier choice.

I think it is time to start suing over zero tolerance policies. We need to take these policies to court in order for corporate america to wake up and see the cost of following such ridiculous policies. If unjust termination was a law suite infraction, then we could put a stop to this ridiculous practice.

Zero tolerance policies have worked their way into our schools, or jobs, our government, and our lives. Good students, and good workers a being sacrificed in paranoia. We need to take a stand. The Government, who also has zero tolerance policies, needs to start the movement against these kinds of policies. And then mayb

e, an honest manager that says “Yeah, thats my catalog, I thought I had taken that home.” won’t pay the price of paranoia.

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Tags: ethics, articles, hosmer, management, social

To say that today’s business environment is becoming increasingly more global is to state the obvious. Meetings, phone calls and conferences are held all over the world and attendees can come from any point on the globe. On any given business day you can find yourself dealing face-to-face, over the phone, by e-mail and, on rare occasions, by postal letter with people whose customs and cultures differ your own. You may never have to leave home to interact on an international level.

While the old adage “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” still holds true, business clients and colleagues who are visiting this country should be treated with sensitivity and with an awareness of their unique culture. Not to do your homework and put your best international foot forward can cost you relationships and future business. One small misstep such as using first names inappropriately, not observing the rules of timing or sending the wrong color flower in the welcome bouquet can be costly.

There is no one set of rules that applies to all international visitors so do the research for each country that your clients represent. That may sound like a daunting task, but taken in small steps, it is manageable and the rewards are worth the effort. Keeping in mind that there are as many ways to do business as there are countries to do business with, here are a few tips for minding your global P’s and Q’s.

Building relationships: Few other people are as eager to get down to business as we Americans. So take time to get to know your international clients and build rapport before you rush to the bottom line. Business relationships are built on trust that is developed over time, especially with people from Asia and Latin America.

Dressing conservatively: Americans like to dress for fashion and comfort, but people from other parts of the world are generally more conservative. Your choice of business attire is a signal of your respect for the other person or organization. Leave your trendy clothes in the closet on the days that you meet with your foreign guests.

Observe the hierarchy: It is not always a simple matter to know who is the highest-ranking member when you are dealing with a group. To avoid embarrassment, err on the side of age and masculine gender, only if you are unable to discover the protocol with research. If you are interacting with the Japanese, it is important to understand that they make decisions by consensus, starting with the younger members of the group. By contrast, Latin people have a clear hierarchy that defers to age.

Understanding the handshake: With a few exceptions, business people around the world use the handshake for meeting and greeting. However, the American style handshake with a firm grip, two quick pumps, eye contact and a smile is not universal. Variations in handshakes are based on cultural differences, not on personality or values. The Japanese give a light handshake. Germans offer a firm shake with one pump, and the French grip is light with a quick pump. Middle Eastern people will continue shaking your hand throughout the greeting. Don’t be surprised if you are occasionally met with a kiss, a hug, or a bow somewhere along the way.

Using titles and correct forms of address: We are very informal in the United States and are quick to call people by their first name. Approach first names with caution when dealing with people from other cultures. Use titles and last names until you have been invited to use the person’s first name. In some cases, this may never occur. Use of first names is reserved for family and close friends in some cultures.

Titles are given more significance around the world than in the United States and are another important aspect of addressing business people. Earned academic degrees are acknowledged. For example, a German engineer is addressed as “Herr Ingenieur” and a professor as “Herr Professor”. Listen carefully when you are introduced to someone and pay attention to business cards when you receive them.

Exchanging business cards: The key to giving out business cards in any culture is to show respect for the other person. Present your card so that the other person does not have to turn it over to read your information. Use both hands to present your card to visitors from Japan, China, Singapore, or Hong Kong. When you receive someone else’s business card, always look at it and acknowledge it. When you put it away, place it carefully in your card case or with your business documents. Sticking it haphazardly in your pocket is demeaning to the giver. In most cases, wait until you have been introduced to give someone your card.

Valuing time. Not everyone in the world is as time conscious as Americans. Don’t take it personally if someone from a more relaxed culture keeps you waiting or spends more of that commodity than you normally would in meetings or over meals. Stick to the rules of punctuality, but be understanding when your contact from another country seems unconcerned.

Honoring space issues: Americans have a particular value for their own physical space and are uncomfortable when other people get in their realm. If the international visitor seems to want to be close, accept it. Backing away can send the wrong message. So can touching. You shouldn’t risk violating someone else’s space by touching them in any way other than with a handshake.

Whether the world comes to you or you go out to it, the greatest compliment you can pay your international clients is to learn about their country and their customs. Understand differences in behavior and honor them with your actions. Don’t take offense when visitors behave according to their norms. People from other cultures will appreciate your efforts to accommodate them and you will find yourself building your international clientele.

(c)2005, Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved. Reprint rights granted so long as the article and by-line are reproduced intact and all links are made live.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL – ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors’ Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman’s Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, visit her website.

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While insurance fraud schemes have evolved over time to fit within the circumstances of modern society, the foundation of them has been in place for centuries….

Insurance fraud is one of the real threats facing the industry. The growth of the claims culture, together with research shows consumers believe insurers are ‘fair-game’, making for a dangerous combination. The costs to manage these claims come with a risk factor; bad faith suits, medical expense, investigation expense to name but a few. The utilization of third party providers to assist in managing these claims has opened the door to the added risk of provider fraud. The cost to the industry is enormous and affects the way the public view insurance companies and their service offerings.

MetLife director of special investigations, John Sargent stated in an article “that eliminating fraud is an unachievable goal”. But that hasn’t stopped his company or other industry leaders from trying. “”Our goal is to pay what we owe, and not a penny more or a penny less,”" Sargent says. “”The more efficient we are at identifying and preventing fraud, the better we can be at writing business at a more competitive rate.”"

Insurance fraud costs Canadian policyholders over $1 billion each year. To the average Canadian citizen, that means at least 10 percent of their total insurance premiums are used to cover the cost of fraud.
(see the site)

There is nothing new about fraudulent insurance claims or in the way they are adjudicated. The high cost of insurance fraud is passed on to the consumer and therefore, creates a situation where the industry might fail to seek a better solution to combating it. We’ve seen insurance claims directors reduce the numbers of claim handlers in order to ‘contain costs’, frustration amongst investigators when insurers exhort them to reduce fee’s, and then make a “”commercial decision”" to pay unnecessary claims. These cost cutting solutions are not and haven’t been effective, instead insurers need to re-focus on reducing claims before they become costly and problematic.

The History of Insurance Fraud

While insurance fraud schemes have evolved over time to fit within the circumstances of modern society, the foundation of them has been in place for centuries. For example, one of the earliest fraud schemes involved the purposeful sinking of ships, otherwise known as “ship scuttling”. One of the first incidents of ship scuttling was recorded in ancient Greece. The problem became increasingly worse, and by the early 1700′s ship scuttling became so prevalent that England passed one of the strictest insurance fraud statutes ever, providing for death by hanging as a penalty for conviction.

The sinking of the ship Adventure is typical. The Adventure was purposely sunk off the coast of Brighton, England in 1902. The ship owners, Easterby and MacFarlane, purchased the Adventure at a salvage auction (which like vehicle’s in modern day schemes, was where the most scuttled ships were purchased). The ship was then repaired so that it could earn the lowest passing grade of seaworthiness. The ship owners then, over-insured the Adventure and told it’s Captain (Captain William J. Cotling)to sink it, so that they could collect the insurance. As with many schemes, the characters committing the fraud were careless.

To maintain structure within a company you need a solid foundation. Insurium delivers practical solutions to bridging the GAP of escalating insurance claim costs

The Captain ordered an inexperienced mate to open the scuttle so that the ship would sink. The ship, however, was in shallow water and was sinking so slowly that the Captain had to refuse assistance from a nearby fishing vessel. In fact, the next morning the masts of the ship were still visible from the shoreline. In the end, the Captain was prosecuted for his actions and hanged. The shipowners however, were neither prosecuted nor fined.

The earliest recorded life insurance fraud a case of pretended death comes from England in the 1730′s. A father and daughter staged a succession of schemes in which the daughter appeared to convulse, with heart spasms then go limp in apparent death. While the father stood by in convincing grief. These schemes traveled from England to America and eventually with the advent of automobiles that we began to see related injury claims. Today the same schemes exist, though the mediums have changed. In a nutshell resourceful individuals have been quick to seize opportunities to steal money from insurers in just about every imaginable means.

Insurance fraud comes in many different flavors, ranging from isolated crimes of opportunity to sophisticated organized schemes. While it is unrealistic to expect insurers to eradicate fraud in its entirety, it is however, realistic for insurers to reduce their exposure to this multi billion dollar a year industry

Time for Change
Fraud Investigations are being scaled down, on the basis that it is reactive rather than proactive. Fraud has to be beaten by a more strategic approach, involving consumers, employers and claims handlers. The fraud problem in insurance relies heavily in the skills and effort of the insurer and their agents to uncover and manage fraud.

Lack-lustre investigations will not result in a dossier that is effective as evidence in a court. To discharge the burden of proof in a criminal trial, insurers need to provide evidence to convince a magistrate or jury beyond all reasonable doubt of any guilt. In civil cases, the usual standard of proof is on a balance of probabilities, in fraud cases there is a very high degree of probability. The costs associated with investigating fraud come with additional risks which could lead to reputational damage and loss of public confidence. This is an area of cost management that requires review and reconstruction.

To help reduce claims related costs and reserves, insurers need to become more proactive than reactive, to unjust claims and provider fraud. Being proactive requires a good understanding of the root cause. The root cause associated with fraudulent claims begins long before the claim is submitted and can be traced to human behavioral traits. The lack of understanding by employers or empathy by claims personnel coupled with a lack of good communication between, H.R, claims and investigators can a create a GAP in process and provide a green light for the claimant to fabricate, inflate or exaggerate their claims. With GAP’s, like these, there’s little wonder why insurers are seeing a rise in their claims portfolio. The answer is a lot simpler than it seems and corporate buy in is necessary. Proactive methodologies and practices will assist a company identify the motivations of individuals who are most likely to direct an act of fraud towards the insurer or their employer.

By being more proactive as apposed to reactive you have a better chance of reducing your claims exposure, reduce reserves and better manage your service providers while reducing the potential for litigation, bad publicity and poor public perception and at the same time ensuring compliance with your companies vision. In the war on insurance fraud, chasing the carrot will no longer yield the desired results. We need to stop looking at trying to remove the opportunity and focus more on the motive, thus understanding the root cause and effectively set about cost containment.

Insurium Inc., Enterprise Defense and Responsibility Consultants “Your Key To Corporate Preservation”

Visit Insurium Inc. website.

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Tags: ethics, programs, business, research, management

“Are you coach-able ? before we go on, give that question some thought. As a youth growing up a lot of us might have been a member of some sort of team sport. Within that sport there was rules in place to guide us in the proper manner of play. At times acting as a individual we may have had our own idea on how something was done regardless of the rules.

This kind of behavior was unacceptable, and are coach was there to reminds us of the right way to do things. Well in order to be a active team player you had to be coach-able, you had to follow your coaches instructions. Because the coach was a leader, and based his decisions on the rules of the game. Then the team perform their various duties to the letter.

The team made up of many individuals were all coach-able, and their coach-able attitudes assured the teams success. Have you ever been a member of some sort of home-based business, and it seem as through there was no real leader, no true path to follow. I, believe we all may have found ourselves in that kind of boat before. It’s a boat with out a rudder, no true direction, and no captain to guide your journey. So you would find yourself drifting aimlessly, and eventually running a ground without a clue why. So if you want to find success you must have a coach to guide you in making important decisions that will keep your business afloat.

A coach, or mentor is a priceless asset to any teams success. I, have some insight into this, and wish to share it with you. Stop your drifting, and start succeeding at your integrity based business endeavors, be coach-able. I, want to introduce you to a coach. It requires that you spend one of your most valuable assets, and that is your time. No other cost is involved other than your courage, your ability to listen, and most of all be coach-able.

Now I, must admit that is a higher price than most of us are willing to pay. Your desire to succeed should be stronger than your pride becoming embarrassed, or shamed of your pass failures. We don’t just want any run of the mill type coach, we want a winner who has won, and is winning everyday, right now. A coach that can prevent your failure, one who knows what lies ahead, and will be there to help you navigate around these hidden dangers ready to sink your hopes, and desires. So ask yourself are you coach-able, and are you ready to succeed.

If so go ahead, and visit me here to get started.

Join our team, we all have failed, and that was due to lack of direction. Let your business journey be a profitable one, and be a part of a winning team. To your success, I, welcome you. Kindly Yours, Kim S Elleman

I, live in Hawaii, on the beautiful island of Oahu. I enjoy skin-diving, and keeping fit. I love making smoothies, and over the years have gotten pretty good at it.

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Tags: ethical, management, power, financial, resource

I took a course in social deviance several years ago. What this course helped me understand is that societies and cultures have their own definitions of values and they exist on a continuum. Anything outside the boarders of the continuum is deviant. In relation to values, both ultraliberal and ultraconservative are inappropriate values within the society or culture’s definition. The problem with this is how one society and another define the same value.

When one experiences a significant emotional event it may tear the fabric of their values leaving them with the options you identify of confirmation, rejection, or modification. Further, when one wants to assimilate into a new culture, one tends to accept the values of that culture in spite of ones acculturated values.

We have evidence of this from our study of Paul’s letters last term. Paul had the option to reject his calling. He did modify his values accepting the values of the new sect growing out of Jerusalem.

We read an interesting argument in Joas (2000) on self and values. We base our value system on how we define ourselves, a declaration of what we commit to and from what we distance ourselves. Therefore, our self-defining becomes a “strongly valued good” (pg. 130). We make qualitative distinctions on our actions creating a value preference self-defining what is important.

Joas’ suggestion takes into account life-long development of values through interaction with others. Johnson (2005) writes of casting light that spiritual development goes through several stages. At the primal level, spiritual development is of trust of parents and caregivers. Progressing, one begins to internalize beliefs and values of family and those barrowed from others, until one has an “individuative-reflective faith” (pg 111) of doubt and question. At mid-life, one accepts others’ beliefs and values and may reach the stage “universalizing faith” (pg. 112) desiring to serve a greater good beyond oneself.

In a biblical world view, both seem supporting Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”

Joas (2000) opens us to a new level of value development through the internalizing of new experiences and “interpretation of complex activity in which we strive for harmony…” (pg. 135). Values change based on experience coupled with new experiences and new “ways of life and practices” (pg. 135).

Leaders within organizations who are founded spiritually display inward, outward, and corporate disciplines that aid in developing new values in workers. Inward values include disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study. Outward disciplines involve simplicity, solitude, submission, and service. Corporate disciplines shown by leaders are confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. Johnson (2005) presents these 12 disciplines of individual and corporate values as a way to seek a level of leader servanthood.

Compare Joas and Johnson with the spiritual gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, the similarity is striking.

References:

Holy Bible: New International Version
Joas, H. (2000). The Genesis of Values. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Johnson, C. E. (2005). Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers.

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Tags: business, ethics, leadership, code, management

Previously, one of our sister companies also faced a similar problem with their brand name. Due to some legal issues, this sister company of ours was viewed in the eyes of the public as “Cheater & Scammers”. Worse, Hong Kong and Singapore’s governmental bodies were involved and there were many police reports filed against this company.

I will not go further here as this is separate case.

We received a reputation management assignment from our bosses. A hardcore, solid case indeed. The 7 of us sat down at a roundtable for discussion. “What would probably be the best option?” we thought to ourselves. Since we had one prior bitter experience happening to ourselves, we didn’t like the situation at all.

The Case Story
They came clean – The top management had serious issues with the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and a number of political bodies. They were slapped with charges, got the attention of both domestic and international press, screwed their brand name real bad and their advertising agency were desperate to make things right.

This company knew that their generic branding practices will not work in such cases, nor do any amount of monetary injection to shut the press up. The problematic company was asset rich, but they didn’t see how any of the generic, traditional-style marketing could help. According to one source, they searched for a professional ‘Repo-man’, referred to as the Master of Turnarounds – Where he holds high level, influential and strong contacts/relationships with certain parties, helping problematic companies like this to turnaround public perceptions about them. A service like that would cost them around US$60,000/mo for a professional to come in.

Brand reputation is on a very thin line, their business is at stake. When their story got blasted out to the public, this company’s corporate sales dropped tremendously. In point form, here’s what happened:

The Problematic Company (herein referred to as “XXX”) got caught ballooning a project cost to a total of 418%, costing billions of Ringgit. The public questioned “Where did the difference (or extra profit) go to?”.
XXX failed to explain the price increase despite being handed over a recommended price by the Ministry.
XXX also gave the public wrong impressions (and statements) on its marketing works, leaving questions flying all over about the huge amount of ‘allocated’ sum to branding, publicity and marketing.
XXX was accused to have received millions of dollars to cover up a scam, by telling another story to cover the already failed one.

Summary & Timeline
April 2008 – XXX’s advertising agency sought help from sub contractors to handle their reputation online. Our company was selected, director was briefed on the situation and the message was passed on to us. We worked out our first plan and work initiated.

May 2008 – Having received proper processing, XXX still has some issues to clear. They tried releasing positive press releases to both domestic and international news aggregators for best intentions. It was clear that it’s a waste of money trying to rebrand the brand locally. Their budget was VERY SMALL.

June 2008 – Name still wasn’t cleared. I received massive amounts of unnecessary pressure from the advertising agency looking to ‘make things happen or we’ll fire you’. Our team rediscussed our strategies and proceeded. Bad press continue to pour in huge amounts. We figured another way out.

July 2008 – Stunningly, with the help of some external tools, our strategy worked. It was a minor success, but good enough to fend off some bad press only for some months. We continued heading towards marketing their brand overseas, ignoring domestic incidents.

August 2008 – Although XXX was relieved off its online negative press sentence (dominantly Google & Yahoo search), I reported to my boss, iterating any continued work will not be viable for our company’s business. Our work stopped immediately. #Mistake: The contract did not correctly (in legal terms) state ‘Reputation Management’ as an added service with proposed costs.

September 2008 – Full payment still not made by XXX’s advertising agency. It’s already due. We consolidated, collected data, wrote a case study, sum up reports and documented a list of workable solutions for XXX based on our experience.

Activities Performed
When we first received this reputation management assignment, we were banging our heads on the wall, trying to think of a viable solution by leveraging our resources and the power of the Web. There were a number of common solutions (to our understanding back then) such as relieving the top 30 results for keywords (brand names, conversion keywords, product names, etc). But these processes cannot live long.

Raking search results for converting & brand keywords (Top 30) through notable, third party mediums.
Liaising with local press, webmasters and discussion mediums to release positive-oriented resources.
Creating positive profiling in the international arena through influential organizations and media houses.
Organizing small discussions in large volumes through international mediums to slunt positive public perspectives.
Increase internal activity transparency, and mass publish for short term purposes during the uptrend of bad press.
Introduce differential point-of-view towards bad press.

We achieved #1 and it was an effective one. #2 wasn’t really working; #3 made its way through certain organizations in Hong Kong, Philippines, Dubai and a few more areas which I cannot remember; #4 worked very well, #5 had a minor success but we were deprived of more information than transparency; #6 worked effectively on niche markets only.

That was the first set we did, and it took us about three months to complete. The remaining activities were mostly supporting works.

Why were our campaigns not sustainable?
Running reputation management programs isn’t an easy task – You don’t learn it everything in a day, profile a company immediately and handle bad press in a flash. There are numerous activities such as requesting bad press removal (which is one of the most difficult things to do), changing public perspectives towards a situation, notifying potential markets through trustable medius (which might take forever) and so forth.

Not only that, reputation management programs for companies like XXX is like fighting a losing war, or playing a losing team in a football match with a 5-0 score at the 80th minute. If you don’t work as a team, collaborate, define specific goal values, increase business value and target the correct audience, all your work may just go down the drain in a flash. Some of the reasons why our campaigns couldn’t sustain was because:

All internal communications between our company and XXX have to go through many layers.
There is no collaborative work between XXX’s advertising agency and us. We were on our own – With no resources and enough information to continue pursuing.
Their reputation management budget was minuscule: The whole program didn’t make any business sense.
There were no informational support (internal and external).
We were forced to perform an unnecessary, money-wasting campaign (and I WILL TELL YOU WHAT IT IS – Google Adwords).
We had no control over the website architecture, content and structure – Which should be the base of all our work.
XXX continued delivering messages that are negatively translated by local and international press.
International repo works started 1 month after the planning – Days before I proposed the ‘no-viability notion’.
Our team did not have contacts influential enough to fend off bad press.
Campaign period was short, and was panically performed during the ‘hot news’ period.

A very notable problem these unsustainable works in the whole campaign tilts further towards inadequate communication between XXX and our company.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of my story.
*Sorry peeps, I can’t disclose their identity due to privacy and legal concerns.

Elioe.com is the only organization in Malaysia that integrates human behavioral sciences, psychological criterion and disciplines into web marketing practices in an extensive manner. They’ve advised a large number of notable Malaysian corporations in many areas including organic & paid marketing, strategic conversion, conceptual technologies and forecasting.

If you’re looking for profiling, strategic analysis or audience intelligence, head over to this site for summarized pointers or you can visit this blog.

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Tags: reputation, management, pr, international, public relations

While lauded as the friendliest industry on the planet, it’s no secret that the hospitality industry is often at odds with local residents about issues such as resort zoning, noise restraints, and abuse of local resources. To combat the negative stigma that surrounds multi-million dollar resort developments, especially in small island nations or underdeveloped areas, it is important for resort management to have a firm grasp of how effective public relations can affect the perception of the company as a whole.

Above all else, any company must appear responsible in the eyes of the local community in which it operates. This is no different for the resort management business; any responsible executive at a resort management company understands the importance of relating the desires of the company to the desires of the community as a whole.

While many benefits are apparent for the community, such as increased revenue from tourism, there are also drawbacks that prevent many resort management companies from being allowed to develop in a specific location. In order to cultivate a positive relationship with the local community, a few basic steps can be performed:

* Be mindful of local customs. Don’t assume that everything your resort offers for its guests is acceptable by the local community. If a local freshwater spring is considered holy ground, don’t send guests there to bathe in a natural spa.

* Clean up after your mistakes. While resort managers can’t be liable for the crimes of their guests, it is important to notify local law enforcement if a particularly raucous guest list is booked at the resort. When every fraternity in Illinois books at your hotel for spring break, give the community a heads up.

* Take advantage of relationship building opportunities. When the small island of Cayman Brac in the Caribbean was hit by a Category 4 storm that wiped out much of the island’s infrastructure, a popular Caribbean vacation resort company was left with one of the only remaining large structures spared by the storm. Graciously, they offered the hotel free of charge to workers rebuilding the island. This kind of public relations move will go a long way when other Caribbean island governments hear of the generosity they extended to their neighbor.

Public relations is one of the best tools a resort manager can use, and by building positive relationships, the resort’s image and business will improve.

Robbie Foglia writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company. Robbie Foglia is an SEO Specialist with Ciniva. Ciniva is in charge of SEO for Divi Resorts, Caribbean vacation resort company.

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Tag: public relations, management, relationship, community, industry

Most businesses understand the benefits of good PR. If you raise your profile and get your good news stories out in the media then people will remember you, associate you with a good product and go on to become customers.

But sometimes things go wrong and your reputation, or that of your business, is in danger. This should also be a time when you turn to PR, and use its tools to avert disaster and get a better result for yourself and your business.

So, what do you do in a crisis? What if you have a journalist ringing you for comments about a bad news story? How to you handle the fall-out?

Each situation is different, and calls for a different response but one thing you should never do – NEVER do nothing. If you bury your head in the sand, wish the reporters would go away, batten down the hatches or simply hope for the best, the best won’t happen. With nothing from you, journalists can put their own spin on a story; if you reportedly “refused to comment” or were “unavailable for comment” people will invariably draw a bad conclusion.

But this doesn’t mean you have to “spill the beans” about everything that has happened. You just need to keep calm, take a breather, and analyse what the best thing is to say.

So, if something has happened and you think the press may find out, then be prepared for that eventuality.

For example, you could have an employee arrested on a criminal charge; you might have had to let someone go and you believe they may have an axe to grind and choose to do so through the media; a customer may have a problem (real or imagined) that they are likely to shout from the rooftops.

In this case, prepare for that call by doing the following:

1. Decide who is allowed to speak to the press (senior managers or directors usually) and inform all staff that any media calls must be referred to them.

2. Make sure the spokespeople are fully briefed.

3. Come up with an agreed statement which can be issued to any reporters and don’t stray beyond it. Keep it brief, factual and unemotional. If you aren’t sure what to say, then at least say you are “looking into the matter” or “taking the matter seriously”. “No comment”" is rarely the best option.

You never know, the call may not come, but at least you were prepared.

In fact, whether you are likely to experience bad news or not, it is always a good idea to decide who is the company spokesperson, and instruct staff accordingly.

And if you aren’t expecting the proverbial to hit the fan, and a call from a newspaper comes out of the blue? Then buy some time. Ask them when their deadline is (you ought to at least have a few minutes, if not hours) and promise you will get back to them with a statement. Don’t speak off the cuff unless you are very confident.

Respect journalists’ deadlines, otherwise you will only aggravate them and – as far as possible – you need to try and keep them on side.

Then make sure you do go back to them with a prepared statement. Again, come up with something better than “no comment”. Remember, they have heard one side of the story and this is your opportunity to put yours but only let them know what you want them to know. Don’t get into a slanging match with the other side: it may make good reading but won’t do your reputation any favours.

If you are happy to be fully interviewed then go ahead – but make sure you know all there is to know about what you are talking about and prepare yourself for tricky questions.

Should you go for off the record? Journalists should respect this, and sometimes – just sometimes – it can be helpful to give them a little background information (off the record and not for publication) which might just take the wind out of their story’s sails. Again, think carefully and rationally about this first before you jump in.

If you use the services of a PR professional, they can organise all this for you, even take the calls and deal with the press so freeing you up to take any necessary behind the scenes action

In a nutshell, be prepared if you can, don’t be an ostrich and hope it will go away, make a plan, and come up with something.

Jo Smyth
Coutts Smyth Communications
Intelligent writing – effective PR

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Tags: public relations, management, relationship, crisis, industry

New York is by far one of the most vibrant, most sophisticated, most glamorous and most exciting cities in the world. A must visit in the itinerary of almost every traveler who has occasion to visit the area, the Big Apple draws thousands upon thousands of people into its delights every year.

Because of the large influx of visitors to the city-not to mention the millions of inhabitants-you can well imagine that social events, functions, and all types of gatherings are a constant part of the New York City social scene. In truth, it is easy enough to find a New York event planner anywhere in the city given the booming demand in event planning. If you are looking for a New York event planner to organize your event for you however, you will naturally want the very best in the business, and that would be EMRG Media NYC.

Billing itself as “New York’s Premiere Event Planning Company” EMRG Media NYC can provide, among other services, the most experienced, most competent, and most knowledgeable New York event planners that you can find in the city…or anywhere else for that matter. With more than 8 years experience in the marketing, event planning and publishing fields, EMRG Media NYC is THE New York event planning company for all of your needs. The company is well equipped to handle every single aspect of your social function, from New York event planning to finding a venue, from organizing the actual event to getting the word out about your function to some of New York City’s biggest influencers, trendsetters, and corporate movers and shakers.

This last concern is particularly important as the success of any social event depends in large part on exposure and EMRG Media NYC can get you only the best kind in order to ensure that your event can be all that it should be.

If you want your event or function to leave its mark on the social calendar of the city, you should hire only the best New York event planning company around and that would be no less than EMRG Media NYC.

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Tags: pr, events, jobs, production, management

Facing a high-profile crisis could have serious ramifications for your company for years to come. When a crisis situation arises, you will need to act right away to put your crisis management plan into full swing. Form a response team in advance of such a potential future situation and conduct the proper crisis media training.

Here are 5 tips for training your response team effectively on how to prepare for interfacing with the media in crisis situations:

Tip #1: Mobilize your media crisis response effort as soon as the crisis arises: In the era of when traditional media like TV, radio and print dominated, negative publicity about companies spread like wildfire. In today’s wired world of the Internet, viral videos and text messaging, such news literally spreads at light speed. With the ability to produce and spread news and gossip lying in the hands of the general public, it is imperative that your response team act swiftly to get out the right message about your position on the issue at hand. The history of PR is littered with companies who waited too long to respond credibly and promptly to a crisis situation and ended up paying the consequences with a damaged reputation and lost sales.

Tip #2: Understand first, respond second: It is important that your team not just fire off a knee-jerk response or quickly take an official position on a newly-released media story or viral campaign that portrays your company in a negative light. As any seasoned media veteran will tell you, perception equals reality. Stated another way, in the world of PR there is no distinction between perception and misperception. The way the public perceives a breaking story is precisely the reality that your message needs to address.

Tip #3: Get the facts: Just as it is when meeting new people, it holds true for crisis management that you only get one chance to make a first impression. The last thing you want to do when making media statements is to come across as unsure, nervous, or uninformed about the facts or about your official position on the situation. Instead, be sure to spend ample time separating the facts from the fiction about a developing crisis and how it is being spun in the media.

Tip #4: Master the art of the sound bite: Regardless of how well you control your message and choose your words in your public communications, the media will find ways to break it into sound bites that they can easily use in broadcasted news segments or quote in print. There are ways you can learn to effectively serve up these sound bites to the media so that you can better control the message that reaches the public. Remember, it is not what you say to the media but rather what they choose to report on that becomes the news. Master the art of creating effective sound bites in order to gain better control over how your message is received.

Tip #5: Practice media interviews in advance with a hands-on television crew: There is no better way to polish a skill than by actually doing it over and over again in a realistic setting. You cannot get any more realistic than actually hiring a professional television crew to interview you in preparation for a media statement. Sound like overkill? Think again. Imagine the confidence your spokesperson will feel after having rehearsed your media statement two or three times in front of an aggressive (mock) reporter while the cameras are rolling! By the time the actual media statement is made, your spokesperson will come across as cool, confident, and in control.

Preparing a crisis media training plan will significantly increase your organization’s ability to position itself in the best-possible light. The control your organization has over your message all comes down to mobilizing your team quickly, understanding current public perception about the situation, separating fact from fiction, mastering the art of the sound bite, and rehearsing in a realistic setting.

anthonyBarnum is an Austin-based PR firm that has conducted crisis response training for international, U.S., and Texas-based clients. You can contact Melissa Anthony, founder of anthonyBarnum, by visiting this site

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Tags: media, crisis, management, communications, training