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

Maximum profit at all costs

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

Corporate social responsibility

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

A clever ploy or real

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

A special case: charities and non-profit organisations

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

Conclusion

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

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

References:

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

Do you believe that child labor is wrong? Do you believe that children should be in school as compared to a shop making clothes that people wear? If you answered yes, to both of these, you are not alone. There are many educational institutions nationwide within our country whom have a “Sweat free Policy” with their curriculum materials as well as certain apparel. These particular institutions have adapted a “Code of Conduct for the Manufacturer of Apparel”. The apparel industry has been exposed to rampant worker abuse. A man by the name of Andrew Ross reported back in 1997 the following, “The textile and apparel industries are a showcase of horrors for the labor abuses sanctioned by the global free trade economy, where child labor, wage slavery, and employer cruelty are legion.” ~ NO SWEAT: Fashion, free trade, and the rights of garment workers, Andrew Ross, editor, 1997.

The following is some examples of apparel made in sweatshops: Sports uniforms (This includes gym uniforms); school uniforms; shoes, athletic shoes or sneakers; sweatshirts, caps, and other imprinted clothing with school’s logos; academic regalia; lab coats and staff uniforms.

What is a sweatshop? A sweatshop is a workplace which consists of systematic violations of one or more of the fundamental workers’ rights have been violated according to international law and site-of-production laws and regulations. The rights include:

Workers receiving a fair wage and benefits; Children not being subjected to working conditions that could harm them physically, psychologically, or intellectual development; Freedom from excessive work hours and forced labor, freedom from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and protection of workplace health and safety hazards.

A code of conduct is utilized to hold companies accountable. Most companies of today have adapted their own “Code Of Conduct”, unfortunately, company codes are often inadequate to protect the workers.

The following is a list of CEO’s and their compensation for year 1998, do keep in mind all of these CEO’s are employed by companies whom do indeed utilize sweat shops.

Millard Drexler, GAP $660 million

Michael Eisner, Disney $177 million

Floyd Hall, Kmart $ 23 million

Phil Knight, Nike $ 3 million

Paul Charron, Liz Clairborne $7 million

David Glass $ 40 million

The following are samples of starvation wages around the world.

Guatemala 37 cents an hour

El Salvador 60 cents an hour

Nicaragua 23 cents an hour

Honduras 43 cents an hour

Haiti 30 cents an hour

Mexico 50 cents an hour

China 28 cents an hour

Indonesia 20 cents an hour

Burma 4 cents an hour

Bangladesh 13-20 cents an hour

These wages are called “starvation wages”. I use to be one of those people that constantly stated that our economy can not be compared to other countries, I was innocently stating this believing that what US Companies were paying workers within these countries were fair wages within their economies, but after viewing the evidence of what the company CEO’s are making and knowing that in countries such as El Salvador as well as others, these families are not making enough to even raise their families, I have definitely sustained a change of heart.

I do feel our own economy needs a serious face lift, but why can we not be humane about it? I feel that consumers have more power than they even know. I feel that consumers should hold corporations accountable to respect the rights of workers, but not only as workers, but as human beings and they need to be paid a “living” wage, not a “starvation” wage.

I do not feel we should boycott these corporations, for why should we? We enjoy their products, the reality here is that we enjoy purchasing these items, besides, boycotting these corporations would only hurt jobs in developing countries. I support jobs for developing countries, but I feel that consumers should want the people of those countries to have jobs with dignity and fair wages. I believe the CEO’s of these huge corporations could spare some money to ensure the people whom are indeed aiding in their wealth can work with dignity and support their families, and if the CEO’s refuse? The consumers should demand fair wages. What if these children were our own children? Our own families? This places a different perspective on things for every child performing these tasks is someone’s son/daughter or someone’s mother/father. This truly places a realistic perspective on this most often ignored epidemic.

For those of you whom are truly passionate about this issue, I have included some links that will educate you on this topic as well as direct you to organizations whom are striving to end “starvation wages”.

Please visit this site

Also this site

My Biology teacher way back in my secondary years said that the world is like a jungle and that our system is like a food web where everybody’s connected to each other. Her explanation is catchy and from that day on, I understood how the discussion of biology, specifically that of food chain works.

I take food chain thoughts on a different perspective though. Now that everybody’s working to get paid and survive in this competitive business world, I realized that to be a part of that food web or food chain, you have to be a major contributor as well– I scratch your back and you scratch mine. Fair and simple right?

But what makes this system really difficult is when there are others among us who are taking advantage over the others. You see, being advantageous in an unwarranted way is different from being advantageous because you’re deserving for such recognition. Again, if we are to imagine that this world is a jungle, how would you feel if you’re being attacked by a sly wild beast because you’re caught off guard while you’re alone? Realize that wild beasts have their unique hunting ways and most of the preys are caught without them noticing it because they’re caught off guard. You’ll be caught when you’re at your weakest moment.

Same holds true in the business or corporate world. If you’re weak and give in to your weakness, you’ll be eaten alive. And unless you want to survive the system, you’ll have to be extremely smart in counterattacking your opponents. So what’s your next step? I’ve got 3:

1. Show off that strong personality

Sly individuals may attack you when you’re vulnerable so why waste a painful experience being taken advantaged at if you can adopt a strong personality?

2. Never be alone

This is a tested fact. If you’re alone, self-doubts plus temptation will trick you. Who’s your opponent? You, yourself and you alone. So when you’re alone, lacks self-conviction, you can easily fall under a personality trap. So take time to socialize, you’ll be thankful.

3. Develop self-reliance

As someone who wants to survive in this business world, self-reliance is your best weapon. Learn how to fare, how to deal with other people. Hold back that vulnerability and improve on your subtle but strong resilience to be knocked down.

So never be afraid to be right, to be a credible person in this world. Others may not be pleased but again, you’ll have a sound sleep if you know exactly what you’re doing and you know your reasons why you’re in your position in the first place.

Mina Togonon is a Journalism graduate, someone who’s most willing to learn, adopt and would love to share her opinions and talents for development. She writes out of passion in her personal blog 24 Hour Paradigm, she teaches out of commitment and she lives in a society where women are garnering status and power…silently but getting stronger everyday.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do your ethics affect your success in your profession?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Example:

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

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

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

or

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

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

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

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

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

—————

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

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

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

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

Machiavelli said that “The first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him; and when they are capable and faithful he may always be considered wise”.

Similarly the selection of the employees in the modern organization is critical as they are the most valuable assets of the organization. Machiavelli proposed that those should be hired who believe in the grandness of the task and greatness of the leader rather than who are simply driven by other factors like money and reputation (Knowledge@Wharton, 2003). As per him the people looking for money and reputation will leave the moment they will get it better somewhere else.

Secondly all the employees and subjects should be armed as the power of prince will considerably increase with their number. This can be easily translated into providing more opportunities to employees in the work place. This will not only prepare them for bigger task but also improve their loyalty toward the organization.

End Justify the Means

The word ‘Machiavellian’ in English is now widely referred as ‘the political doctrine of Machiavelli: any means (however unscrupulous) can be used by a ruler in order to create and maintain his autocratic government’. The book time and time again mentions that it is prudent for a ruler to use cunning and necessary evil activities, either to instigate fear among his opponents or to protect his kingdom.

The philosophy today is as outdated today as media plays an increasing role in public life and people have zero tolerance toward unscrupulousness. Even in the business world anything unethical is looked down upon and there are strict regulations against it.

Time and time again we have witnessed how the companies which adhere to unscrupulous methods to justify the means are punished not only by authorities but also by the stakeholders. Nike has seen customer protest and product boycott against employment of child labor in its vendors factories in South Asia. Wal-Mart is criticized for not allowing its employees to form labor union and making illegal workers clean stores to cut costs.

The biggest of all is the rigorous punishment to CEO’s of Enron and WorldCom who were found guilty in manipulating accounting practices and fattening profits of the company.

Anand Mann writes Marketing and Business Management articles, journal and columns for Knowledge Weekly.

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Tags:ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

Recently a curious phenomenon has risen to the attention of the American public. Why do people plead guilty to crimes then profess their innocence? Or, to put it another way, why would someone plead guilty to a crime they did not commit?

Several bankers from England recently plead guilty to a Federal indictment and received prison sentences. All of the bankers plead guilty and did not go to trial. As part of their plea agreement they were permitted to serve their prison sentences in England. Why does this case matter?

None of the bankers agree that they committed a crime. They now claim that the only reason they plead guilty was to avoid the risk of going to trial and facing a prison sentence in the US. The press in England is paying attention to this case and so should we.

In another case that received scant press attention, an executive tried to plead guilty to a crime. He did not want to go to trial because he feared receiving a lengthy prison term. The judge would not accept his guilty plea. This man walked into court expecting to be sentenced to prison. He had been charged with a crime that he did not think he committed. He knew that he had very little chance of being acquitted in today’s environment. He knew the prosecutors had no concern whether he may actually be innocent. And he surely did not want to risk getting a prison sentence that would have ruined his life. So, he marched into court to plead guilty. The judge rejected his plea deal when he admitted that he did not think he committed a crime.

So this poor guy is now going to have to go to trial under circumstances where his chances of prevailing are almost nonexistent, in a system that most fear gives longer sentences to those who go to trial.

The statistics for the percentage of people charged with a federal crime who end up spending time in prison are overwhelming. Over 90% of all people charged with a federal crime end up convicted. Virtually everyone who goes to trial looses. And over 80% of everyone convicted of a federal crime spend time in prison. Those numbers are staggering.

Even more staggering is the risk of lengthy prison terms. And whether true or not, the belief is that courts issue higher sentences to those who go to trial rather than accept a plea deal.

Under the federal system, one of the most important factors in determining the length of a prison term is the amount of money involved. In drug cases there are mandatory minimum sentences, usually over 10 years. In cases involving money — business cases, investment cases, anything involving property — it doesn’t take much money to send sentence lengths soaring. And the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt does not apply when determining the amount of money involved in a crime.

For these reasons, reasonable people will agree to plead guilty to a crime they did not commit. The risks of going to trial, the risk that a court can find that your supposed crime involved substantial amounts of money, are too great.

The bottom line is that, if you are charged with a federal crime, you are probably going to go to prison. Guilt or innocence are luxuries. If you have been charged with a federal crime your first thought should not be that you are going to fight because you are not guilty. And heaven forbid, if you are guilty, you should not risk going to trial. Your first thought should be how to keep your prison sentence to the absolute minimum. Leave the question of guilt or innocence to the academics. Make sure your sentence is short enough so you can pick up the pieces when you are released.

Federal Prison Inc.
We Prepare White Collar Defendants

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Tags: unethical, practice, law, legal, business

With the growing economic problems of late, many corporations would be questioning whether it is prudent for businesses to still undertake corporate social responsibility initiatives, given that they should be starting to closely analyse their business operations looking for any and all opportunities to reduce unnecessary expenditure in an effort to batten down the hatches and weather the financial storm that may be set to continue for some years.

Naturally the first expenditures that come under the microscope are those viewed not to be directly related to the corporations core business, or considered a “luxury” item that the business doesn’t really need on a day-to-day basis. Many businesses may jump to the relatively new expenses they have started to incur, that of corporate social responsibility jobs and initiatives they have created and are funding. This may give relief in the short term but will it prove to be the wisest move in terms of the long term sustainability of the company?

Of course, if a company has the choice of spending a dollar in order to be an ongoing concern rather than on CSR jobs and activities, then naturally the choice is easy. Its obvious that if the company ceases to exist, any social benefits it can pass on become non-existent as well. Particularly for smaller companies, with smaller budgets, undertaking corporate social responsibility initiatives, it is much better to forgo investment in CSR now, in order to build a stronger company over the longer term. And once the company has starting earning well again it can re-institute efforts to develop CSR jobs and activities again, over the longer term.

Having said that, before any business (big or small) makes a decision with regards to corporate social responsibility jobs and expenditure, it should seek to question exactly what CSR means and encompasses for their corporate entity. Many may have the simplistic view that it is simply about giving money to charities, or donating the time of employees with needed skills to the community. However, the very phrase “corporate social responsibility” seeks to establish the notion of a company as a citizen of society. A citizen responsible and accountable to all of its stakeholders, neighbours and all others in society at the same time. Any citizen of society needs to do much more than just give money or services to those in need. First and foremost, it should be undertaking to ensure that it’s very own day-to-day business and actions are being conducted in a responsible manner. Ensuring that it is not creating and injecting ‘wrong’ into society, that may or may not be corrected by one of society’s other citizens. That is, corporate social responsibility should not be about debits and credits. (I’m doing some ‘wrong’ over here which I will balance out by doing some ‘right’ over there.)

It’s an important notion to consider in light of recent world changing events. Take this thought: If companies selling sub-prime loans had a comprehensive CSR practice in place and were truly working with the notion of being a participating citizen of society, and doing no ‘wrong’, then this should have prevented them from knowingly giving out loans to people that had no chance of repaying them in a sensible manner. That is to say, it is possible that the central root cause of the current global financial crisis could have been avoided if more truly socially responsible practices had been in place.

In conclusion, companies should carefully consider their next moves, if they are thinking about cutting back on CSR jobs and initiatives. Although such action could lead to short term gains, much more severe long term losses for both the ongoing viability of the business itself and society at large could be at stake.

Ant K,

Corporate Social Responsibility Jobs

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Tags: behaviour, ethical, issues, practice, work

Not too long ago people didn’t talk about heart and soul in connection with business. It seems that when manufacturing shifted out of the home and into factories, compassion stayed home. I think, for example, of the culture of Massachusetts, USA. Business men kissed their wives and kids good-bye in the morning and went out to join the fray that was American business. They believed they could not be entirely ethical and succeed. They believed competition was a basic truth. Actually they were making it up, creating a competitive world with their belief in it. They believed in scarcity and fought scarcity and drew scarcity for the many and even for themselves.

The idea of keeping women and children at home did not apply to the lower classes. Businessmen believed others deserved the lot of laborers. This was an age before pensions. The common laborer worked until he died. Keeping in mind that Social Security and Public Assistance did not exist until 1935 (these came about because of the threat of revolt during The Great Depression), we get a picture of the grim world of the 1800s. I used to live near Lowell, Massachusetts. Sometimes I drove by the deserted brick buildings that had once been cotton mills. I thought of the women and children who had worked eighteen hour days and died of white lung disease from the cotton fibers that accumulated in their lungs, something that did not happen to weavers at home or in cooperatives.

So, if you are a mill owner, you know you are killing people and just to get through each day you have to believe these people don’t matter. Not an ethical place to be. They made compromises-and split the (upper class) family into two parts, the kind world of home and the unkind world of business. It was as if these men thought they could leave their souls at home in the care of the women and return at night to reclaim them.

This mind set lingered through the 1900s. In the 1980s M. Scott Peck offered workshops to businesses to help with communication and mutual respect among workers and bosses. As reported in his book A World Waiting to Be Born, Peck would only do the workshop if the bosses agreed to participate fully. Sometimes a president or vice president refused. Peck concluded that such a person “needed” power based on something other than mutual respect.

The world Peck envisioned is being born today with internet business models that keep the heart and soul. I listen to the Business Whisperer, Kendall Summerhawk, and Jeff Herring the article guy, to name just two out of many, and I know I’m listening to people whose heart and soul are fully integrated with their business. It’s about service and success, and we can all do it.

Article by Patricia Lapidus, author of the memoir SWEET POTATO SUPPERS: A Yankee Woman Finds Salvation in a Hippie Village. Patricia is a writer, editor, teacher, and an encourager. Up coming books include SWAMP WALKING WOMAN, a mythic fairy tale about women’s strength, and GIDEON’S RIVER, a novel dedicated to all who live with a temper, their own or someone else’s. Note: SWEET POTATO SUPPERS is due out soon in a second edition. This memoir is for those interested in communities, in spiritual hippies, and in the personal journey of discovery.

While I was raising my family and working full time, my explorations into how to create a better world were often limited to reading books. I read Thomas Moore, M. Scott Peck, Riane Eisler, Alice Miller, and Winona LaDuke, to name a few. From these I stored up wisdom for the future. Suddenly we are here in that future. I see dreams coming true.

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Tags: ethics, training, course, practice, behaviour

An Arab businessman who was purchasing real estate in South Africa expressed amazement at the long time it takes to conclude a deal in this country. “In my country we just shake hands and the deal is done,” he said. He told me that if it became known that any person had reneged on an agreement sealed by a handshake, he would be ostracized and that nobody would do business with him again.

In South Africa it is standard business practice to shake hands at the beginning and end of meetings. But in the property arena the deal is not over until a host of legal hurdles have been crossed, the title deeds are registered and the money is in the bank. And even then, it is not uncommon for one of the parties to the deal to challenge its validity later on some legal pretext.

Early in my career in real estate, my partner and I introduced a buyer and seller who did a deal together but refused to pay us any commission. Armed with ample email evidence that showed that we had introduced the buyer to the property he bought, we consulted a lawyer, confident that the wrong against us would be righted. But the lawyer said our emails, handshakes and verbal agreements were worthless: we did not have a written mandate and therefore had no case.

So what does the handshake mean in our business culture? It seems that the origin of the handshake predates written history and so different stories are told about how and where this practice started. One tale is that medieval knights would show and grip each others’ hands to demonstrate that they were not concealing weapons and therefore meant each other no harm.

Our business handshakes seem to signal a willingness to interact but they may in fact conceal a hidden agenda. The handshake technique, perhaps is a bit revealing. The knuckle-cruncher wants you to know that he is a tough guy. The limp handshaker arouses your suspicions. The handshaker who adds twists and twirls to the ritual tells you something about his cultural, political or social identity. But sadly, except perhaps in my Arab friend’s world, the currency of our handshakes has devalued substantially.

Andre Viljoen is a registered estate agent who specializes in online property marketing. He is a partner in Skilpad.Com Property Portal, South Africa’s exiting new real estate portal and African Showcase Realtors (http://www.afshowcaseprop.com) which markets game farms and tourism property in South Africa. Before joining the real estate industry he was active for many years in the journalism, media and advertising fields.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

“It’s the old snake oil routine. Find out what people are worried about, sell them anything, and call it a cure. A certain number will get better, because faith heals. They’ll attribute their better health to the snake oil and others will buy.

I’m not saying all former business was a matter of fraud. Many people in any age gave honest goods for the money they charged. Farmers sold milk and butter and eggs and vegetables in town. Carpenters built houses and stores. Bakers threw in a thirteenth roll when you bought a dozen, still do sometimes. But somewhere along the way a two-by-four got shaved back to 1½ inches. And you can’t find a pair of cotton knee lengths anywhere in the mall.

All in all, throughout the industrial world, life has been a bit of a scramble, with winners and losers. Two things are true about that. One, some people haven’t worked as smart as others. Two, smart entrepreneurs deserve the money they make. Anyhow, before the industrial age was even a teenager, there were new levels of rich and poor. I suppose if you didn’t believe you had anything worthy to sell, you might decide upon trickery. Mark Twain used to love to write stories about how a couple of swindlers came into town and found enough fools to make a killing before the town caught on. But I can’t think the swindlers had any kind of a life, always having to move on before the sheriff came to find them. No friends, no community, no trust, no truth, no salvation.

It may have been Carl Sandburg, Chicago’s wry poet, who said, “”Only the rich can afford salvation.”" The poor seem to have to give up their ethics in trade for the barest survival. An example would be a young woman such as Moll Flanders, raised in an orphanage and surviving as a prostitute. Or any number of Dickens’ characters.

Are there, on the internet today, snake oil salesmen, swindlers, and forms of prostitution such as viruses, identity theft, and a host of scams? We know there are. These shady activities have grown from the seeds of the weeds our ancestors sowed, one of which was the idea you had to lie and be tricky to make it.

You and I have choices Moll Flanders and The Artful Dodger didn’t have. When I consider the careers of Kendall Summerhawk, Susan Liddy, Jeff Johnson—none of whom are paying me a cent to mention their names—when I watch how successful internet entrepreneurs turn around and offer a helping hand to anyone who wants to make it on the internet, it makes me downright cheerful. I know success comes with ethics, truth, and spirit.

Article by Patricia Lapidus, author of the memoir SWEET POTATO SUPPERS: A Yankee Woman Finds Salvation in a Hippie Village. Patricia is a writer, editor, teacher, and an encourager. Up coming books include SWAMP WALKING WOMAN, a mythic fairy tale about women’s strength, and GIDEON’S RIVER, a novel dedicated to all who live with a temper, their own or someone else’s. Note: SWEET POTATO SUPPERS is due out soon in a second edition. This memoir is for those interested in communities, in spiritual hippies, and in the personal journey of discovery.

Patricia is widely read in literature and the social sciences.

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

Recently, I had a gathering with a group of friends. We talked about everything and somehow we ended up talking about employment. Some of them were working in the company still. However, they are worried that they will be the next one to be on the retrenching list.

Suddenly, one of the friends mentioned, he was one of the unlucky ones that was in the retrenching list.

And I asked him, “Did the company compensate you?” He said, “No” in a very disappointed and full of fury. I asked him, “Why not?” He then told me the story.

The company is not running any profits for the last 2 financial quarters. In order to meet the company target quota, the management decided to cut costs or reduce the operating expense. Thus the department head is trying ways and means to reduce the operating cost.

There is a company’s Human Resource policy guideline that states Work Improvement Program (WIP) is to issue to staff prior firing the staffs. This gives the department head some leeway to streamline the staff’s performance. In the name of the staff’s performance, the department head is trying to make use of this WIP to reduce their headcount strength.

How does this WIP work? It is a Work Improvement Program (WIP) that initiated to the staff.

If staff is found to be under performing, the department will have the right to issue the WIP to the under-performing staff. The staff will then have to prove to the management that he or she is not under-performing within a short time frame. The timeframe could last within 1 month to 3 months. Each time, the under performer will have to report his status to his superior. After the timeframe, management will decide on the working performance. If the under-performer does not meet the requirement, he will then be terminated.

The management’s intention is to reduce operating cost. Chances are the management will not be happy with the staff’s performance. Thus there are 2 choices for the staff to make before taking up the WIP.

One is to go through the WIP and let the management decide your performance. Chances are the management will not be happy with your performance. The other option is to tender your resignation letter prior taking up the WIP. This will save both parties energies to go through the hassle.

Although the company has already given ample notice period to improve the performance, the staffs know the answer. However, the staffs know that no matter what options he takes. The ultimate result is to reduce his headcount in the company. This will indirect save the company from compensating the staffs. Indirectly it is a retrenching action but is not immediate.

This was a hard lesson learned by my friend. He was sad and disappointed. He tenders his resignation letter and served his notice period till the end. He is reluctant to resign but the financial crisis push the company to go into such move in retrenching staffs without any compensation.

For more information, please check my website

Dennis Kwan is a trainer, speaker, author, a volunteer at Changi prison and also a Neuro-Linguistics Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner, Hypno-Therapist, Time-line Practitioner. He graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Commerce. He is also certified in Project Management Professional (PMP), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

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Tags: ethical, work, issues, behaviour, practice

With environmental awareness growing by the day, it is not surprising that a number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India are increasingly adopting green technologies. Eco-friendly disposal of industrial waste and e-waste management have become interest areas in SME circles. Increased exposure to environment-friendly solutions is prompting small companies to adopt green technologies and resort to non-polluting modes of production.

Earlier, Indian SMEs used indigenous techniques and had limited knowledge regarding the importance of incorporating green technologies in their systems. Moreover, the high cost of clean and energy efficient technologies also acted as a deterrent for these small units to go green. Also, small companies had little expertise in research and development (R&D) to help them adopt green manufacturing processes. However, the scenario has changed rapidly in the past few years.

Many Indian SMEs are entering into tie-ups and collaborations with firms across the world to develop green manufacturing technologies and eco-friendly production processes. An increasing number of small enterprises are going green as it is cost effective. Companies are also adopting energy efficient, zero emission technologies to fulfill their corporate social responsibility and extend their support to environmental concerns.

Companies are opting for environment management systems (EMS) to send a strong message to their environmentally-conscious buyers in the world market. Some big IT companies like Wipro and Infosys have already begun sharing their internal green computing practices with their clients. Increasing awareness about such technologies is enabling SMEs to tread the green path in the face of growing environmental concerns. Green practices by SMEs will pave the way for a cleaner and greener environment for future entrepreneurs.

For more detail on B2B Portal log on.

David Parks is a well known author and has written articles on B2b Directory, B2B Portal, suppliers, Manufactures and many other subjects.

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Tags: ethics, will, practice, training, moral

Professional in any activity, sphere of influence or business has specific and unique qualities. What separates the true professional from the dilly-dallies who waste all of our time when we need something done right? For starters it is important to first define the professional.

A professional is someone who applying hard-won know-how in his activity. He does not operate off of luck or chance but instead utilizes this know-how with careful application. From a distance everything the professional does may seem easy. Yet on closer inspection you will see that the professional is taking care that every small action is precisely done and that it is just right.

This applies to anything from art to accounting, from law to graphic design. It simply applies to anything. What really separates the amateurs from the professional is the ability to work on anything as if it was the first time. Doing this one sees the necessity to do it right and has the self-determinism to ensure everything is done precisely. Not doing this will give you a decrease in product and service quality.

So next time you do anything, do it with an extra bit of care and a little extra push. There is no totally easy way to do anything. It has to be done with precision to create the desired result. Let’s make a pact between you (the reader), me and the rest of the professional world. Let us raise our standards so that we are always acting as professionals and really taking care that each little bit is just right. And I will see you at the top.

Article written by Brook Adyn

Manager at Sterling Web Design & Marketing
http://www.sterlingprm.com

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Brook Z Adyn – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: ethics, work, professional, define, practice

My beloved intelligent husband can tell when he has given me an explanation that goes way beyond my level of understanding or what I want to know. My eyes start to glaze over, I look down at my toes and begin to ponder if I am ready for my next pedicure, I begin tapping my knees, and begin to scratch my head. He has a background in Electrical Engineering and I have a Masters Degree in the Applied Healing Arts. He likes to know how and why things work. I just want to know that they work and be amazed by the mystery of it all.

I like simple words and easy reads. One thing that I get a big kick out of is Mission Statements that go on with way too many sentences and “impressive” business vocabulary—the kind that you have to read over three times and you still go “huh?” The average adult American reading level is 8th to 9th grade. However, nearly 1 in 5 adults read at or below the 5th grade level; and nearly 2 out of 5 older Americans and minorities read at or below that level.(“Adult Literacy in America (NALS)” National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (NCES 1993-275), April 2002). Perhaps that is why some of my best friends are monkeys.

My good friend Willie, a 10 lb. Wedge Capped Capuchin Monkey, adores me. When he sees me, he squeals with delight and reaches out for my hands. If he is eating, it doesn’t matter. He stops eating and squeals and drools with food in his mouth and everything. Nothing else matters when I am there. He looks at me with true love in his eyes and his entire body language says “take me, I’m yours!” ( Although I have caught the little devil red-handed on public TV exhibiting the same behavior to a gorgeous female reporter who came to do a segment on Frisky’s). Willie will make a slightly different high pitched stress squeal when Johnny, a Weeper Capuchin in the neighboring enclosure, is taunting him with something Willie can’t reach. Then there are sounds they make when they are hungry. “Much of primate communication consists of a variety of vocalizations and facial expressions. When a capuchin has lost sight of a companion, he or she may call out “Arahh-Arahh-Arahh” in an attempt to relocate the individual or its group. While feeding, “Uhm” is often heard throughout the entire session, especially when a particular food is enjoyed. Aggression is indicated by an open mouth threat while “Eh-Eh” is emitted. This is often heard while the monkey is lunging in a forward motion or slapping the ground and twitching the tail. A more pleasant sound is the low, quiet “Um-Um” or “groom” me vocalization which is heard in more rapid succession.” (The Primate Care Handbook, The Simian Society of America, p. 53).

In short, it doesn’t take long to understand the body language and sounds of the monkeys. Although studies are still being done on the complexity of non-human primate communication, we seem to understand each other with what we know now.

Human communication however, can be quite a bit more complicated (and that is even if we speak the same language). So much of business communication is now done through e-mails and conference calls. This totally eliminates being able to read facial expressions and body language. I personally do not like conference calls. They seem quite awkward to me. People often try to impress with business lingo such as “synergy”, “strategic fit” , and “gap analysis”. I was recently e-mailed a brilliant game to play while on a conference call. It’s called Bull Bingo. Developed by Theodore R. Marmor from the Yale School of Management, you simply listen for terms such as the ones above (and “result driven”, “ballpark”, “game plan”, etc.) that are on a Bingo Board instead of numbers. When you hear one of the terms being used, you cross off or mark the spot. When you get 5 in a row, you stand up and shout “Bull”! What fun! I can’t wait for my next conference call now (I don’t think I would ever REALLY do this?? But it could depend on whether or not I am drinking a glass of wine).

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to a book on tape called Why Business People Speak Like Idiots—A Bullfighters Guide, by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Harduway, and Jon Warshawsky. They make some points that had me laughing out loud, because I could see that I was guilty of using some of the lingo they were making fun of. For instance, instead of using a fancy sentence like “Let’s initiate an action plan” , why not say “Let’s get started.”
They define Jargon as “using big words to make small points OR using big words to make no point at all.
“Must we wear knee high rubber boots to work to wade through the bull? Kick the jargon habit. Make a point that is starkly clear.”

I’m off to Frisky’s Wildlife and Primate Sanctuary to see Willie. We understand each other.

Heather Wandell is a Certified Laughter Leader with the World Laughter Tour and is the CEO of her own company.

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Tags: ethics, training, course, business, practice

If you are opening a dollar store be sure that you support the community that your store is located in. One of the best things that you can do for your business is to establish a set of guidelines associated with giving to the community. Manage your business to that guideline by giving every month.

There are many options regarding how to best handle community giving. One of the easiest is simply to find the organizations that fit with your personal preferences. After opening a dollar store contact those targeted organizations and then work with them to find a means of helping. In some cases there will not be an easy way to match your offer to their needs. However in other cases there will soon be obvious matches that work for both you and the organization.

For example if you support local education there might be several giving options available. When opening a dollar store possibly you can offer free products to support parties or events that are held in the local grade school. Another much appreciated option is to provide a 10% discount on all purchases to teachers. The list of options is really limited only by your creativity.

Many times the offer that you make will actually result in sales. In the example above the 10% discount still results in sales occurring. While you are trading profit margin you are also increasing sales volume. When opening a dollar store you will soon find that higher volume can mean lower cost-of-goods-sold for your store.

While the purpose of giving is to offer help and support to others in the community there are benefits to you and your business. Word will soon be out that you provide a discount or that you give products to organizations. That word of mouth will create good will and that will soon mean increased sales for your store. If you are opening a dollar store never discount the value that good will has to the continued growth and to the success of your business.

To Your Dollar Store Success!

Do you want to own your own Dollar Store? Visit this site for more information.

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There is an old saying that goes like this. “You get what you pay for.” In the wholesale business this is way too true. We’re going to take a look at some of the wholesale scams that go on constantly and how to avoid them. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Let’s face it. We all want to pay as little for something as possible. It costs so much to live as it is and the last thing we want is to overpay for something. So it is very tempting to try to get things wholesale to save a few dollars. The problem is this. When you’re dealing with wholesale items you’re paying a much lower price than you would for the same item retail, but how much less should you pay? This becomes a problem on two levels.

The less serious level is actually paying too much for the item. In many cases what the wholesaler will do is display a retail price for the item that is actually inflated by as much as 100% over the actual retail price. For example, a Sony DVD that normally goes for $150 they may have listed for $300. Then they give you a wholesale price of say, $175. It sounds like a good deal but in actuality you’re paying $25 over retail and you’re not even aware of it. Scams like these go on all the time, not only with wholesalers but with retailers passing things off as being on sale. They jack up the price and then lower it to make it look like you’re getting a bargain.

The more serious level of wholesale fraud is when you’re confronted with a price that just seems too good to be true. In many cases, it is. Let’s take that same Sony DVD that goes for $150 retail. A good wholesale price for it may be something around $75 to $100. But then you’ll see somebody is offering the item for a ridiculously low price of $39. You know in your heart that there is no way they can offer a $150 DVD for $39. Something has to be up with this unit but the deal is too good to pass up and you go for it. One month later the DVD completely stops working.

So what happened? Something else that is just way too common. The make and model of the DVD is misrepresented. Maybe it’s a Sony. But the model is not the $150 model that is of better quality. The model is one of their cheaper models that normally goes for $50. You get it for $39 which isn’t even much of a bargain at retail let alone at wholesale. This is one of the worst abuses of wholesale fraud that you will find and it goes on all the time.

So what does somebody do? How can you tell if something is too good to be true or should be cheaper than what you’re paying? Simple. You have to be educated. Whatever it is you’re thinking of buying, go directly to the company manufacturer for details on the item. Find out the retail price. If the Sony DVD that they say they are selling to you is $150 and you find the model is actually one of the cheaper brands then stay away. If they’ve jacked up the price then confront them. Tell them you know this is a $50 unit and you’ll give them $25 for it and no more. In other words, don’t let yourself become a victim.

It may seem like a lot of work to have to do all this research for each item, but if you want to keep yourself from getting ripped off that is exactly what you’re going to have to do.

——————————————————-
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Wholesale
——————————————————-

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Tags:ethical, business, practice, organizations, company

We all have ways of testing opportunities that enter our lives. Some of us just dive right in based on feeling, others walk straight into what they know is right by a gut feeling or intuition. And if it’s not gut feelings or emotions that are the tests of opportunities, it is the logical mind persuading us to ignore those feelings and emotions and test it with our reality of reason.

Most of us do not have a predetermined strategy for testing opportunities, or even more generally to test the actions we take and the choices we make in our lives.

There is an easier way to determine if our choices we make and the opportunities we receive ‘pass the test’. This simple 32 word statement of business ethics was first created in the 1930s and used to turn around a failing company. These four questions were applied by each employee to each and to every minute detail of the company’s workings. This little list of four questions from Rotary International, a humanitarian business organization, is the most widely printed, translated and reproduced piece of business ethics today:

“Of the things we say, think or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

If we built businesses and our lives based on these very simple 4 questions we would be coming from a place completely the opposite of the competitive mind and the lack mentality. As you can see, these questions prompt you to choose what is true, fair, and good, making choices that can build friendships and goodwill. It helps us to see how the choices we make can be beneficial to all concerned.

Because of our societal influences, we most often are inclined to make choices and act based on a competitive mind. This comes from the perspective of lack, scarcity, and ultimately greed.

Any opportunity based on the model of competition and lack will simply not pass the test. Competition promotes strife. It embodies winning one spot, taking it away from all the other people who want it. It misleads people to believing there is only one chance for success, when in reality there is plenty for all.

The competitive model encourages people to rely on a source outside of themselves to give them what they need. This denies the power of their own ability to create what they want. This narrow focus shows they are choosing to ignore the possibility of creating this opportunity in their own lives, instead of trying to win the spot from millions of others.

This simple testing technique takes us completely out of the competitive mind of greed, scarcity and lack. It turns our thoughts and choices toward the positive, realizing there are opportunities we can take that can provide increase for all concerned.

I invite you to use these questions to test your actions and opportunities in your life. If you are seeking opportunity, these questions may help you see things in a different way. In doing this, perhaps you might find an opportunity in your life which truly allows you to benefit the world, while at the same time reaching whatever your dreams, goals, and desires are.

Carina MacInnes is an author and entrepreneur, currently offering a free in-depth e-course on wealth building secrets by her favorite mentor, She also offers a powerful opportunity to increase health, wealth and vitality in your own life. Visit her site here.

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Tags: practice, ethics, standard, professional, corporate

When Merriam-Webster assembled their list of most searched definitions for 2005, they could easily reason why certain words would make the list. Levee, tsunami, filibuster, and refugee were tied to events during the year. Even insipid was explainable due to the timing of the hits and comments made by Simon Cowell of wannabe singers during American Idol. Yet one word, the top word, seemed to be more wide-spread than caused by a single event. The word: Integrity.

More people searched for the definition of integrity than any other word during the year. The searchers were potentially hungering for the days when one’s words coincided with their actions under an umbrella of honesty and morality. There was a day when one could trust their supervisor to have concern for their interests and for the heads of the organization to be concerned about the future of the people working for them. You could work for a company your entire life and depend on them in retirement.

Yet in 2005 we saw cuts in pensions for retirees, the threat of double digit pay cuts, and hefty benefit reductions for workers across industries and supply channels. Even former lifelong employers like Ford, Sears, GM, Kmart, and others announced new layoffs while upper management seemed oblivious to the hardships created for their employees.

For Baby-Boomers, integrity in the business world seems to have vanished – evaporated from a glass once half-full.

People want to trust their customers, employees, and employers. At the same time employee theft is on the rise, pension funds are being raided, and customers are increasingly treated as interruptions.

Integrity slips away quietly even under the loud cries of those that inevitably see it happening. Customers complaints silenced by uncaring frontline employees or deaf managers and owners. Leaders isolated from the frontlines of the operations. Employees seeing owners buying beautiful new cars and homes while payroll and benefit deductions are reducing discretionary income.

A Life Lesson from Kmart

Failed integrity is often the result of good intentions derailed by business needs. While working at Kmart in the mid-1990s there was heavy investor pressure to the number of out-of-stock items in the stores. Wall Street was bitterly complaining about Kmart’s slumping market share, blaming the empty store shelves as a customer turn-off. Anderson Consulting had been brought in to assist in determining a way to get the merchandise on the shelves, especially during ads. At first the program had noble intentions.

A vendor report card would show each manufacturer which shipments were late so that supply chain impediments could be identified and eliminated. Unfortunately red ink was beginning to show on initial balance sheets and the scorecard became a way to generate revenue through penalties. Kmart’s president at the time had used the same tactic to save a supermarket chain ad previously led from almost certain bankruptcy. Before long the program was assigned huge income goals which destroyed many longtime vendor relationships.

As the manager of vendor development, I had been the most visible executive on the program in its early days, teaching vendors how to use the scorecard. As pressures built to generate revenue from the scorecard through vendor fines, I resisted. As the face of the scorecard, upper management spun off the compliance program and left the scorecard and training program under my responsibility while a different team was chosen to automate and expand the compliance program. As it grew to a nine figure income stream, my continued training and consulting duties solidified vendor thoughts that it was still my program.

Knowing what I know in hindsight, integrity would have taken me down a different road.

So it is with integrity. People do not judge your integrity by motives or intensions. They discern your integrity by outcomes.

My experience, exhaustive research, and interviews with experts, I developed a concept I call Trust Ball™, a vivid correlation of integrity, honesty, and trust built on the game of baseball. It follows a simple notion that trust is disciplined game with procedures and rules that make it easier to follow and understand. Just as in baseball, you get to go straight to the batter’s box when you first encounter a new individual or team. If your initial impression conveys honesty, integrity, and trust, you get to move to first base. Specific attitudes and actions will allow you to move around the bases, one at a time, until you eventually score a home run. If at any time you break one of the tenets of trust, it constitutes an out and you must return to the dugout. No longer can you simply go to the batter’s box, from this point on you must make a stop at the on-deck circle before you can get back into the game.

Five Important Questions

When you are faced with a new situation, policy, procedure, or opportunity (which I’ll refer to singularly as an “event”) ask yourself these questions:

1. How does this event apply to my personal belief system?

2. How will others view this in hindsight when the event is over?

3. If something goes wrong or is changed/expanded/shifted in mid-stream, how will others in hindsight view me?

4. What can I do in advance to prevent a negative impression of my integrity and honesty when the event is occurring and when it is completed?

5. Is the price worth it?

Integrity is an essential leadership quality. What are you doing in your day to destroy trust? Are your words consistent with your actions? Do you catch others off guard or do they know what to expect from you? Master integrity and you will build relationships stronger and faster than you ever imagined possible.

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Building on a strong retail background, Rick moved to full supply-chain involvement, working with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results.

As Rick’s interaction in varied industries expanded, he became troubled as he increasingly noticed that people and companies had untapped or unfocused talent.

Coupled with Rick’s passion for training and development, popular style of interactive workshops and seminars, and strong desire for continuous improvement, he founded Max Impact Corporation to be singularly focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve high performance.

Rick is a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences. He has spoken in 43 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. He is available to speak at groups of all sizes.

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Tags: ethics, practice, research, professional, corporate

“Ethics and Counselling Applications
By Pedro T Gondim
Pedro T Gondim
Pedro T Gondim
Level: Basic PLUS

Pedro Gondim is a writer and publisher for the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. The Institute is Australia’s largest counsellor training provider, offering the internationally … …

Article Word Count: 1067 [View Summary] Comments (0).

Ethics and History

“”Ethics (from Greek – meaning “”custom”") is the branch of axiology, one of the four major branches of philosophy, which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to distinguish that which is right from that which is wrong. The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called ‘moral philosophy’”". (WIKIPEDIA).

The origins of ethics are related to the introduction of moral behaviour in early societies. The application of concepts such as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and the definition of these concepts in different environments, induced the need for a formal approach to social behaviour – an attempt to create commonality and organisation in a society. In this context, codes of behavior were created, and different forms of behaviour enforcement adopted.

As societies developed, and increasing importance was placed in structural thinking – such as the advent of sciences – meta-ethics became an eminent topic of discussion. Meta-ethics refers to the investigation of ethical statements, an actual analysis of ethics itself. Names such as Hobbes, Kant and Nietzsche were prominent in this period.

Nowadays, ethics is still a main topic of discussion. As societies evolve, the relationships between individuals become more complex, and so do the etiquettes and codes of conduct. The development of business relationships has raised many ethical dilemmas, and ethical counselling is one of them.

Ethical Counselling

Because counselling is not a regulated profession in many countries (including Australia), the use of ethical standards is a method of guiding the quality of the services provided by counsellors, the quality of training provided to counsellors, and of protecting clients. These standards provide conduct guidelines for professionals and are an effective way support many counsellors lacking experience or knowledge of the industry. It also serves the purpose of structuring the counselling industry, providing common professional descriptions, definitions and service boundaries according to each type of counsellor.

There is a wide range of issues comprising the field of ethical counselling – which are also part of common guidelines for the practice of therapy. According to Daniluk and Haverkamp (1993), “”the main ethical framework referred to in many discussions of therapy is one based on the concepts of autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and self interest”". In this context, we devise several ‘problem areas’ in ethical counselling:

Law and Counselling

The need for professionalisation has created a common link between ethical behaviour and legal conduct in the therapy fields. Legislation was provided to primarily protect clients from misguidance, and ultimately to provide guidelines for the profession. However, as cited previously, in most countries ethical conduct in counselling is not yet part of the legal framework – which outlines the importance of professional and industry peak associations in providing guidelines and codes of conduct for affiliated professionals.

The Australian Counselling Association is one industry association in Australia that provides ethical guidelines and a code of conduct for counsellors. The ACA’s Code of Ethics and Code of Practice are part of the Code of Conduct – which can be accessed from their website at www.theaca.net.au/docs/code_conduct.pdf. An excerpt from this Code is:

Counsellors will:

- Offer a non-judgemental professional service, free from discrimination, honouring the individuality of the client.

- Establish the helping relationship in order to maintain the integrity and empowerment of the client without offering advice.

- Be committed to ongoing personal and professional development.

Confidentiality

This area is closely linked with the legal issues in counselling therapy. Confidentiality plays a major role in defining the communication between a counsellor and a client, bearing in mind that trust is one of the backbones of a therapeutic relationship. Albeit confidentiality is a key component of the relationship, it is also one of the leading causes of ethical dilemmas for counsellors. Situations which may put the client – or other individuals – in danger usually require the counsellor to make difficult decisions in regards to breaching confidentiality. In many instances, the actual breach is a legal requirement as it may incur the prevention of a crime against the state, or another person.

Other predominant issues such as consultancy with supervisors or colleagues; definition of the type of confidentiality to be used (absolute or relative) prior to the counselling relationship; and session record-keeping, must be considered by therapists when practicing professional counselling.

Bad Practice

The issues of privacy and power in a counselling session can be prejudicial in terms of unethical practice. The private nature of a counselling session leaves a ‘gap for unsupervised practice’, and therefore it is quite difficult to be assessed. For instance, fairly recent explorations of unethical practice in therapy have shown the emerging problem of sexual abuse of clients. This issue is augmented by the power relationship between client and counsellor, in which the therapist could take advantage of their position of power to practice unethical behaviour.

Training and Professional Recognition (Australian Industry)

As cited before, counselling is not regulated in most countries. In order to standardise the industry, and ensure that counsellors have the necessary skills to professionally practice, training and recognition must be accentuated. In Australia, the ACA plays a role in coordinating industry efforts, providing information to the public and maintaining records of counsellors in practice.

That system protects clients from bad practice, and supports training standards for organisations that provide counsellor training. The Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, as an example, is recognised by the ACA – which means that AIPC and the Diploma of Professional Counselling complies with industry standards defined by this peak organisation in regards to training standards for counsellors.

Safety and Negligence

These concepts are utmost concerns of counsellors in practice. A counsellor-client relationship is a very delicate encounter of an individual seeking help, and a professional providing advice. Primarily, it is the counsellor’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for the counselling session – particularly because physical and psychological safety is a premise for the counselling therapy to succeed. Negligence is closely related to the concepts of breach of confidentiality and safety. Observing principles for duty of care is part of ethical behaviour in counselling.

Complying with ethical guidelines is one of the most important aspects of being a professional counsellor. Creating awareness in both counsellor and clients of the boundaries of the services provided will lead to a better development of the profession, and overall improvement of industry standards. Counsellors are responsible for keeping up-to-date with professional codes of ethics, confidentiality guidelines, and other relevant information.

Pedro Gondim is a writer and publisher for the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. The Institute is Australia’s largest counsellor training provider, offering the internationally renowned Diploma of Professional Counselling.

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Author’s Note: I highly recommend Simon Clarke’s articles.

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Tags: ethics, practice, research, theory, legal

The challenge for many in their life at work is simply this: how to be a business person and a human being at the same time compete yet cooperate, be hard-nosed yet be ethical, keep ones nose to the grindstone yet take time to see and acknowledge others, be professional yet personal, make a profit yet not be greedy. You get the picture.

We don’t have to look far to discover folks whose life at work takes the low road. Business magazines, journals, and news shows are replete with instances of individuals whose workplace demeanor is described as rude, insensitive, disrespectful, unethical, uncivil, egomaniacal and self-serving, greedy and dishonest. You might rub elbows with one or more such folks on a daily basis. And, all this despite the plethora of books, courses, seminars, workshops, policy and procedure manuals and treatises focusing on ethics and codes of conduct.

On the other hand, there are those whose lives at work are driven by their internal moral compass, a life at work guided by principles that support one to behave decently, truthfully and in integrity who take the high road even when they face major challenges, problems and difficult choices.

What supports one to change lanes and move from the low road to the high road is Li, and Confucius expounded greatly on the nature and practice of Li.

Li, what is it?

Around 500 BCE, Confucius discussed the notion of Li a spectrum of rites and rituals, i.e., a code of conduct, that focused on such things as learning, tea drinking, how to dress, mourning, governance, and interaction with humans. The underlying notion of Li was how to be respectful of nature, and one another. The term Li has several meanings some of which are: propriety, reverence, courtesy, ritual or the ideal standard of conduct.

Li is what the sage uses to find that which is appropriate; it is both the means which sets the example for others, and the end which maximizes understanding, pleasure, and the greater good. In this way, the words and behaviors one uses to show respect for another are contained within the framework of Li.

As the practice of Li was continued through centuries, one central theme began to stand out the natural tendency to be decent and kind towards ones fellow human beings.

Confucius believed that Li was the source of right action in all behavior that living life from a place of respect for all others was at the heart of living a harmonious and worthwhile life.

Li, however, does not come to ones consciousness naturally. Li has to be cultivated. One must first learn and then practice the art of being in integrity, respecting the dignity of every human being and then become committed to, and disciplined in, the practice of Li.

Li in the workplace

The practice of Li runs the gamut from smiling at a co-worker, to holding a door open for another, to serving others, to being self-responsible, to questioning practices that are unethical, corrupt, and disrespectful or demeaning of others each behavior having a conscious focus and intentionality on working toward and supporting the well-being of the workplace, and those who work there.

The challenge in todays workplace is that the practice of Li is a practice that is, for many, one of fakeness, phoniness, and convenience where more often than not, rudeness and selfishness become the guiding principles where one is ego-driven and not cognizant of others around him or her interrupting others at meetings, speaking over others, one-upping others, hijacking others experiences, needing to be the first one on and off the elevator, not holding a door for another, not saying please and thank you, and speaking ill of, or gossiping about, others. In fact, the opposite of Li is me i.e., rudeness, insensitivity, verbal abuse such as bullying, gossiping, and being disrespectful, and treating others as irrelevant.

Cultivating Li

The way to cultivate and practice Li at work begins with becoming conscious asking ones self, How am I behaving right here, right now? Am I taking an opportunity to allow my natural tendency to be decent, good and kind to arise? How am I showing up? “Am I being authentic”?

Li is not syrupy stuff. It’s not fluff. Its not being effusive. Its not being fake or phony. Its not being patronizing. Li is being natural, honest, sincere, self-responsible and relaxed when we interact with another, any other.

Practicing Li does not mean we stop being firm and assertive, stop holding others accountable, stop telling the truth, stop telling the bad news, etc. Practicing Li allows us to come from a place of internal truth and integrity that supports us to be forthright, confident, courageous, and trusting that we will show up in a way that is respectful, decent and just be who we are right here and right now without the edge that we might heretofore have used to shore ourselves up.

Confucius believed that in order to truly achieve the principles of Li, the character of the true person, one must look within oneself. Confucius tells us to go inside in a sense, when he says, We know what is proper (li), especially in difficult situations, from the wisdom arising out of contemplation. regularly going into self-reflection, inner listening, and sensing our gut, to access our inner wisdom that leads us to right knowing, right understanding and right action.

Cultivating the practice of Li supports us to live our life at work from a place of self-responsibility, honesty, decency, integrity, strength, courage, and humaneness even when we feel it might be inconvenient. Each of us is born with Li. Over time, however, we have lost our sense of Li as we allowed (often unconsciously) life get in the way of being our True and Real self. Over time, our Li morphed into fake personalities, fake persona’s, and masks. So, many of us became poseurs. In the process, we learned to navigate life, even life at work, with our eyes wide closed – reactive, fearful, and resistant losing our humanity and decency.

Li supports us to live life, even life at work, with our eyes wide open.

So, some questions for self-reflection are:

·Do resentment or greed drive your interactions with others?

·How might you experience fear in your workplace? How do you act when you feel fearful?

·Do you ever lie or stretch the truth?

·Do you feel white lies are OK? Do you ever lie, cheat, or steal simply because its convenient…because you can?

·Are there others you admire because of their integrity, sincerity and authenticity?

·Does you organization have a code of ethical conduct. Do you follow it? Do others?

·What one or two things can you do to cultivate and practice Li at work?

·Do you keep agreements?

·Do you admit when you are wrong? Do you apologize for mis-deeds?

·Do you have a personal code of conduct? Do you follow it?

·Do you recognize the dignity in all others?

·Would folks at work (and at home and play) characterize you as a decent human being? Would you characterize yourself as a decent human being?

·Do you ever react to others in a way that communicates to them they are “irrelevant” or “irritants”?

(c) 2008, Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D. and SpiritHeart. All rights in all media reserved.

—ABOUT THE AUTHOR—

Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D, C.P.C. is a founding partner of SpiritHeart, an Atlanta-based company that supports conscious living through coaching, counseling and facilitating. With a practice based on the dynamic intersection of mind, body, emotion and spirit – that is, Essential Well BE-ing – Peter’s approach focuses on personal, business, relational and spiritual coaching. He is a professional speaker and published author. For more information visit this Source

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Tags: business, code, ethics, practice, professional

Have you heard of the “prisoner’s dilemma?” It is a situation where two people are apprehended as suspects for a major crime. They are separated from each other and interrogated. There are two options available to each of the two suspects:

1. Don’t admit to the crime. If each person refuses to talk, each will get one year in prison.

2. Admit to the crime. If one prisoner admits to the crime and implicates his partner, he gets off free and his partner must spend five years in prison.

A problem for each of the two prisoners exists if both admit to the crime. In that case, both suspects would receive a three prison sentence.

The best possible overall scenario would be for each prisoner not to confess to any crime. In that case there would be a combined total of two years in prison (One year for each suspect). Option 2 would result in a total of five years in prison (Five years for the first suspect and zero years for the second suspect). If each suspect admits to the crime it would result in a combined six year sentence (three years each).

The prisoner’s dilemma is an example of where acting in one’s self interest does not always serve one’s self interest. Greed, too often, gets the better of ourselves. This often happens in the business world, too. Just take Enron or Tyco, for example.

Business competition is great and healthy for the economy as a whole and great within individual businesses; it fosters innovation, growth, and profits. But, with many people being individualistic it can cause problems, just as in the prisoner’s dilemma.

Take, for example, two top salespeople in a company’s sales department. Let’s say that each one is so driven to succeed that they’ll do anything to achieve their goals and outdo eachother. Normally, the salesperson with the best numbers (most sales leads, most appointments, most referrals, most closed sales) would be seen as the top performer. But, being jealous, they both decide to sabotage eachother’s performance, eachother’s numbers, and they continuously talk trash behind eachother’s backs (office gossip). This happens in countless organizations, be it in executive management, the customer service department, the accounting department, or even the marketing department. I think we would all agree that if they co-operated, each of these two salespeople would be better off; I think the two salespeople would agree too. Yet it happens. Our jealousy and self interest, too often, gets in the way of what would be better off for ourselves and the companies that we work for.

We must remember the golden rule when it comes to business competition, as taught by the prisoner’s dilemma: Acting in one’s self interest does not always serve one’s self interest.

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Tags:ethical, dilemas, ethic, issues, practice