Business And Ethics Are NOT Oil and Water

Ever see the movie "Boiler Room"?

It's all about a stock company where pump and dump and take no prisoners is the way to the ten thousand square foot Hamptons house and everything else. It's just about the worst example of business ethics run amok that Hollywood has ever captured. It makes "Wall Street" look like "Breakfast At Tiffany's."

The thing the movie did well to point out is the time frame that comes with a lack of business ethics. It's beyond short. And for good reason.

You go to the video store with a crisp twenty dollar bill and rent a video for the kids. As you pay for the rental (which by the way has gotten outrageous in price) you get your change back and all you see in your hand are three dollars and eighty-one cents. You politely tell the manager that there must have been a mistake, as you handed him a twenty, and he tells you that you only gave him ten.

Oh, boy.

You saw the twenty move into his till. You only had a twenty and there he is telling you that it was a ten. And his inflexibility is astounding. Quick inquiry here...no matter how close in proximity this video place is to your house, are you headed back there any time soon? More than that, will your friends and neighbors hear of your little encounter?

You'd better believe it.

Business ethics is a MUST. An absolute have to have to survive element.

And while it is easier to lose sight of that while operating online, no where else is it more important. Talk about irony.

When I write my autoresponders for my clients, I have one goal in mind...theirs. Period. And if possible, over-delivering is a smart way of operating. Writing emails campaigns affords a lot of people shelter from the ethics that they should be putting into everything they do. From experience, I can assure you that I'd be holding a tin cup filled with pencils feigning blindness for cash if I wasn't being ethical as I craft my campaigns.

Do the right thing.

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Ethics in Advertising

Introduction

Ethics have always been an important aspect of every business activity, although the term has meant different things at different times in different lands to different people. Nonetheless, as ethical concerns are an inseparable element of business, advertising can not ignore them. Sadly, the advertising industry has rarely cared to look beyond immediate marketing objectives. The argument in the industry is that it is the government's job to judge what is right and what is wrong. Shirking its own responsibility for regulation, the industry has belittled business values and agencies have harmed their balance sheets.

For any business, customer is very important, and businessman attempt to communicate to all their target customers using means of communication like advertising and sales promotion. Advertising is a very powerful and most commonly used tool.

Benefits of advertising

• Communication
The organization has to attract the customer and create a market for its products. For this purpose, advertising is the most powerful and widely used tool for communicating message regarding products/services to a large target audience.

• To raise the standard of living
In our developing economy, adverting with its micro and macro level influences, exerts vast and varied influences that have played key role in raising the standards of physical and material well being of the Indian society.

• To make market competitive
In India, one finds many innovations being introduced which has changed the market structure from seller's market, and thus the result is more competitive market conditions.

• Product differentiation
It is a fact that advertising brings about products variety through real and psychological product differentiation.

Critical evaluation of advertising
Though many benefits are achieved through advertisements, the ad message is becoming more and more exaggerated. To achieve competitive advantage, advertising magnifies unimportant differences, resorts to clever, tricky product promises, and claims more and more unbelievable benefits. The customer finds many advertisements as false, deceptive, or misleading. Consumers are uncertain regarding whether or not the performance of a product purchased will in fact meet their needs. If they find that the product lacks in quality, advantage, durability etc., as advertised they might not buy it again, and develop an aversion to every other product of that company.

Unethical advertising
Advertisement is considered unethical in the following situations;

• When it has degraded or underestimated the substitute or rival's product.
• When it gives false or misleading information on the value of the product.
• When it fails to give useful information on the possible reaction or side effects of the product. And
• When it is immoral.

Ways of misleading the consumers
• Many a time, traders entice the customers into their stores by advertising goods at a very low price, but they stock only a handful of such sale items in the store. When the advertised goods are sold out, consumers are steered towards the higher-priced stock or lower quality goods.

Retailers must ensure that reasonable supply of products is available during the sales, and retailers should not purposely avoid it. Retailers should make it clear in the advertisement that how many items on sale are available or when the sale ends.

• Sale offer should be for a limited period. Advertisement should declare that sale offer is for a limited time period. The period of the offer should be made clear in the advertisement only when the advertised goods are available for a limited period or stocks are limited.
• Traders often offer insignificant price reduction. To illustrate, a trader may advertise that the price of product is reduced to Rs.99.95, when the normal selling price is Rs.100.. The trader must include the normal selling price and discounted price in his offer .The trader sale offer is misleading if the trader claims the product is below cost , when the price is not below cost after discounts, rebates and other allowances it is misleading if the trader simply shows a fictitious higher price as normal selling price in the advertisement.
• Advertisement must clearly indicate the total price of goods or services. All price comparison must be truthful and must not intentionally or unintentionally mislead the consumers. Under the Fair Trade Practices Act, retailers have an obligation to ensure that they do not mislead or make false representations to customers with respect to price of the goods. The consumers who shop around and compare the prices of various products are less likely to be deceived by misleading claims consumers should also be aware of what is a reasonable price of goods and not take any advertised discounts at face value.
• While many sales are legitimate or genuine, the consumers should not get attracted to such sales offers i.e., "Hurry...very few days remain for sale''. The consumers should be aware of what to expect when retailers place items on sale and how to avoid being misled by discount advertisements. A marketer should take care to ensure that when goods or services are advertised to be available at a discount or as being on sale, it is a genuine discount or sale.

Remedies to overcome deceptive advertisements

• Cease-and- Desist Orders
The cease-and-desist orders, which prohibit the respondent from engaging any more in deceptive practice, are actually the only formal procedure established by the Federal Trade Commission Act for enforcing the prohibition of ' deceptive acts and practices.''
• Restitution
Restitution means the consumer is compensated for any damage caused to him by the product that had advertised claims not adequately substantiated. Restitution is rarely considered because of its severity.
• Affirmative Disclosures
If an advertisement has provided insufficient information to the consumers, an affirmative disclosure might be issued Affirmative disclosure require 'clear and conspicuous disclosure' of omitted information. Often the involved information relates to the deficiency or limitations of the product or service possibly relating to matters of health or safety.
• Corrective Advertising
Corrective Advertising requires the advertisers to verify past deception by making suitable amendment in any of its future commercial.

Self Regulation in Advertising
It is our responsibility to regulate our operations. And we must do it ourselves. Self regulation is not a quick-fix solution; it will be completely ineffective with out commitment from and the integrity of one and all. Self Regulation may require the following;

• The development of a self-regulatory code of conduct covering all forms of media that is sensitive to ethics, legalities, decency and truthfulness in advertising.
• Provision for monitoring and accountability, including a policy allowing for the removal of ads that violate the code.
• Greater participation of advertising professionals in the regulatory process.
• The inclusion of non-industry players in the process
• Consumer awareness of the self regulation system.
• Simplification of the complaint process against ads.
• Transparency throughout the entire system.

These reforms will achieve three goals. They will make the industry accountable for its actions. They will make regulators and critics think twice before attacking the industry and finally they will lead the public to trust ads, advertisers and agencies.

Conclusion

Reputable companies and advertising agencies avoid telling lies. They realize the cost of being caught. A dent in trust can prove to be much costlier than the failure of an ad campaign or for that matter, even a brand. The challenge before advertisers and agencies is to ensure that ads reflect our values. We must endeavor to see that "advertising" does not remain a dirty word.

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What Are Business Ethics?

In the business environment, there are number of different ethical and moral dilemmas that may arise. Typically, they tend to deal with interpersonal relationships, financial aspects as social obligations. In this article, I will give you some information on the different aspects of business ethics.

If you work in or on a business, it is important that you examine the ethical principles that govern your choices. This is especially true in the 21st century, where the marketplace has become more ethically focused. For example, many businesses are now feeling a social responsibility to cut back on their pollution in the environment. Of course, there are certain pollution walls they have to follow, but many of them believe it is ethical responsibility to do more than just what the law requires.

Business ethics start with determining what the exact purpose of the business or company is. For example, a corporation has an ethical duty to secure the maximum return to its shareholders. Therefore, one could conclude that it would be unethical for the company not to act in the interests of its stockholders, as it relates to giving them a higher return on investment.

At the same time, the business has a certain social responsibility. Again, this will depend upon what you feel your extent to society is, beyond just economic and capitalistic motives.

Also, there are ethical dilemmas which may arise between different companies. For example, there is a lot industrial espionage that is going on. This could be something as simple as technological surveillance or trying to learn other businesses trade secret. Isn't this ethical?

One of the biggest aspects of business ethics is human resource management. This deals with the employer and employee relationship, and covers the rights and duties that the employer is obligated to extend to the employee, and vice versa. Here, they deal with discrimination, privacy, and fairness of the employment contract.

Within every business there are marketing ethics to be considered as well. While there is a certain amount of flexibility and manipulation that is allowed with marketing, especially as it relates to hyperbole, there needs to be an ethical line drawn somewhere. Also, you have to develop ethics on the accounting process, production, intellectual property, knowledge and skills.

In conclusion, I have discussed with you several different facets of business ethics in this article.

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Ethics Sometimes Pays Off In Ways You May Not Expect

Survival skills.
Make a list of what it takes to succeed in business, and you might not think of ethics. As corporations merge and jobs are purged, a sense of values sounds like a luxury these days. But ethics can be plenty practical. Consider the case of Packard Brown.

Brown, 47, was a human resource manager at Pace Warehouse, until September when he resigned over a matter of principle. Brown left the company just two weeks before it was sold to Wal-Mart and 700 jobs, including his, were eliminated. By leaving at his own pace, Brown doubled the size of his severance package. Here's his story.

Brown directed an employee assessment program for Pace: a deep-discount merchandiser with 120 outlets around the country. Founded in 1983, the company expanded rapidly - but just as rapidly went into debt. In 1989, Pace was sold to Kmart.

In 1992, as the red ink flowed faster, Kmart brought in a new team of top managers. That's when Brown first noticed a change in the climate of the organization.

"The new execs held a series of 'mini-conferences' with the managers of each region," he recalls. "They wanted to communicate their philosophy to as many employees as possible. But when they visited corporate headquarters, less than a third of the employees were invited to the conference and most managers seemed reluctant to share what they'd learned with their subordinates.

"You could see people pull in their horns. There was a huge drop off in trust and communication." Still, Brown enjoyed his job. Pace had embarked on a training program to upgrade employees' skills and identify potential managers. Employees were offered courses in interpersonal relations, marketing, computer literacy, and financial management.

Managers were to be selected through tests of their behavior, not just on the basis of their job titles. Brown and his staff used role-playing exercises as well as paper-and-pencil tests to determine whether prospective managers had leadership skills for the job.

As the employees were tested, Brown's assessment team would meet to compare notes and come up with a joint recommendation on each person. That's where the system went sour.

Last summer, Brown's team was asked to evaluate three employees as possible managers for two new stores. They agreed that one person was an outstanding candidate for the job. "But as soon as the meeting broke up, my boss cornered the person who was to write up the minutes and told him to change the recommendation," Brown says. "It may have been because she had a long history of conflict with this individual. Some people thought it was because her husband wanted the job.

"Then, later that week, she tried to doctor the results again: this time to improve a candidate's position. That 's when I knew I had to take a stand. I wrote a letter to the CEO, pitting myself against my boss. I told him I knew I was risking my job - and I was right!. But this was becoming an environment I didn't want to work in."

The story has a happy ending. Less than two months after leaving Pace, Brown found a good job with an employee leasing company. Now he's in one of the nation's fastest-growing industries. The moral of the story? Perhaps It's just that good guys don't always finish last. But maybe there's another lesson: that unethical behavior is often a sign of stress in an organization. It's what people do when trust and loyalty break down. That's the time to take a stand, or stay in a rotting environment. Brown stood up and made a solid career decision.

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Corruption Can Be Cured

Corruption in big business is a matter we are hearing about in a seriously increasing manner. Why do so many people think they can get off with it and get away with it? They obviously do not know that Almighty God says, Behold your sins will find you out. It is not just just that your sins will be found out. It is much more serious than that. You will be found out!

Thieves can be forgiven - even those who have stolen from God. Aren't you glad?

Some people may not be aware that they can rob God. How is that done? There were those who actually asked God, "How do we rob You?" - and back came the answer, "In tithes and offerings".

Because God's people were not giving a tenth of their income, plus offering offerings they brought the whole nation under a curse.

Giving a tenth of your income was the law at that particular time.

We are no longer under the law. We are free from the law when it comes to being right in the eyes of God, but surely that freedom does not mean we give less. We are now free to give more.

When Zacchaeus met Jesus Christ he realised he was a rogue. As a customs officer he had lined his own pocket. He had been a totally corrupt character, robbing God and robbing God's people.

The transformation in Zacchaeus' life is astonishing. Knowing he had been a cheat and a swindler, he had to put things right and make restitution. He told Jesus that he was going to give back to the people from whom he had stolen, four times what he had sinfully taken.

God says stealing is wrong.

Funds are misappropriated in various commercial and business undertakings - the United Nations 'Oil for Food' programme in Iraq being presently under scrutiny. Even charities occasionally discover people with their fingers in the till, and overseas aid money is mysteriously siphoned off.

There is little 'love your neighbour' when man behaves in such an abominable manner.

Corruption occurs because man is corrupt, and Jesus Christ comes to correct that consequence of The Fall.

We witnessed hasty undignified mass burials being broadcast on our news bulletins following the tsunami. Why were they necessary? To prevent the spread of disease.

The spiritual parallel is equally essential. When a man comes to faith in Jesus Christ he is a new creation. The old man should be buried. It is inappropriate, even offensive, to leave an unburied body lying around.

God teaches us that when we are baptised in water the old man is buried and we are then able to rise to live a new life.

New Testament believers regarded baptism as important and urgent, submitting themselves to God at the hands of men, as soon as they came to believe. That prison officer, and those in his home, who came to believe, did not even wait for dawn to break.

All God asks for is obedience. The condition is obedience in small things and great things, for the small things are as great as the great things. God usually presents the small matters before those matters which we might regard as great.

The man who is faithful in small matters is more likely to be found faithful in great matters. Those who are not reliable in little things are likely to be unreliable in big issues.

The size of the work or project is irrelevant. What matters is obedience, and when you obey you no longer evaluate what is trivial or important.

We are not good judges of what is small or big.

Jesus was baptised by John to fulfil all righteousness and He says, "Follow me". It is unwise to overlook what Jesus says.

Don't dismiss some decisions as being unimportant. These might be key moments in God's plan for you.

Sandy Shaw

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Global Business and Ethics

With the advent of the Internet, everything from personal relationships to business has become 'global' for all intents and purposes. Today, you can talk to people across the world just as easily as if you were talking to your next door neighbor. Businesses can exchange documents of all sorts with the push of a button - without having to wait days, and often weeks, for those documents to be delivered by hand. We are global, and this has had a profound effect in the area of business ethics.

What we must realize is that what may be deemed ethical in our own country is not necessarily deemed as ethical in another country. This often makes conducting global business quite hard. At one time, because we did not have the Internet, it was more of a question of not accidentally disrespecting on another's customs and traditions. However, today, there is much more at stake. You must also not trample all over another businesses - or countries - ethical code, while you remain true to your own businesses or country's ethical code.

The first step is to understand business traditions and customs in the country that the business you are dealing with resides in. Hopefully, they will do the same for you, making an effort to learn about your business traditions and customs. Next, you need a way to clearly communicate. In this area of the global marketplace, hiring the services of a talented translator is essential. You need to clearly know what they are saying, and they need to know what you are saying as well. Don't rely on your one semester of a foreign language from high school to get you through this.

Global business also has a profound effect on your employees. For example, if you do business with a foreign country that only keeps regular business hours - in their time zone - one or more of your employees will need to be available for telephone calls and such, when it is convenient for the foreign company. Are you expecting your employees to be in the office to field those calls or to conduct those teleconferences at midnight, and expecting them to clock in bright an early the following morning? That is not very ethical.

Another area that has become a growing concern when it comes to global business and ethics is reporting income from foreign countries. If your company makes a sale to a company in Canada, for example, that sale will not be reported to the IRS in the United States by the company that you made the sale to or Canada's government. It is not, by anyone's standards, ethical not to report that income to the IRS yourself.

In many countries, bribing officials is a part of doing business. However, this does not make the practice ethical, and experts advise business owners to instruct all of their employees that such practices will not be tolerated when conducting global business - or even when conducting business in your own country.

Global business is seemingly easy with the use of the Internet, but in the grand scheme of things, when you start looking at what is and is not acceptable or expected in foreign country, in terms of ethical business practices, one must use a great deal of caution.

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Bullet Proof Your Automotive Dealership

At 7:00 a.m. in a perfect world, there wouldn't be a criminal coming to an automotive dealership, wandering the showroom while waiting for his car to be serviced, and while there, taking a credit application and several copies of drivers' licenses that were left on a salesperson's desk the night before.

Unfortunately, this major safeguards rule violation and others can happen at any time at any dealership unless there's an enforced process of adhering to finance and insurance compliance laws.

Some dealerships use the threat of termination to force employees to comply. This approach is effective on the surface, but doesn't truly make the employee care about protecting the dealership.

Unintentional mistakes can happen during hectic days. For example:

* A salesperson leaves the permission-to-drive slip in the car after a customer's demo drive.

* A sales manager pulls the credit of a "phoned-in" co-signer.

* With several deals waiting, an F&I manager has a customer sign a blank menu "in the interest of time".

But in a government investigation, offering busy-day excuse for such mistakes is like hiding behind a skinny lamppost to avoid machine-gun fire.

The way to bulletproof your dealership and potentially save millions of dollars in lawsuit payouts is to comply with every rule, regulation, policy and procedure.

The first step is to totally secure all personal and private information in the finance or sales office with locked doors and file boxes. Identify who will control that information and designate them in your information security plan. Every employee should be aware of the designated managers, and sign an acknowledgment.

Maintain a protected central location for copies of driver's licenses, deals in the works or any information the sales staff will need to access on a daily basis. Set up a procedure that defines the use of this information. Impress upon the staff that this is the system. Their daily routine will conform accordingly.

Stored deals from previous years and dead deals need to be in locked file cabinets at all times, with only the people designated in your information security plan having access. Sales people will soon realize that only an authorized manager can look up an old deal.

Teamwork is important to a culture of compliance.

Make sure every employee hears you say "we" are protected because of these procedures. And stress this: "We're a team in every aspect of this dealership, including doing things right."

That fosters sales people's respect and reinforces their desire to help keep the dealership compliant.

The goal is compliance as a natural way of doing business.

Take personal responsibility if you catch a violation.

Sit down with the offender and say, "We messed up, I'm counting on you to not let this happen to us again."

Explain that to protect "our dealership" is why, for example, the employee must fill out a permission-to-drive slip for a dealer plate. Say: "Don't let the customer leave it in the car next time; it compromises their personal information."

Because of gained respect for the F&I department, sales managers will enforce 100% turnover to F&I, knowing customers' personal information is secure.

Good habits developed in compliance will pass over to all areas of operation, such as menu selling.

The F&I manager will give a properly presented menu with all optional products fully explained and disclosed for every delivery every time, no matter how busy the day gets.

In a culture of compliance, the F&I manager will happily get used to making more money and enjoying higher customer satisfaction scores.

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Is Wanting To Have Money A Good Thing?

Money one of the most sought after things in the entire known universe. Money is nothing more than a tool that is needed to survive in this planet. Without it you do not eat in most cases, you do not have a roof over your head, and other essentials that are needed to survive require someone's money either your own or those who provide for you.

We work to earn or gain money so that we are able to purchase those things we deem needed. If you desire and expensive car or a piece of junk they both require money to purchase and to operate. To provide for your family, religious organization, government, and charities you must supply them with a source of money for their existence and well being.

Yet you hear people claim that money means nothing to them but that it is a means to an end. The end is something that they desire or need so they are not being true to themselves about how they value money. The more you have the more you may purchase or the more that you can contribute to what you find value in.

The poor are just dependent on money as those who have much. If there is no one to provide for the poor their very existence is in jeopardy. No person can survive without food and if no one provides a way for the poor to be fed they cease to exist. With out money to provide for bandages and medicine those who need such things will suffer greatly.

There is nothing in the world wrong with desiring to have nice and elegant things or to go on exotic trips. If you earn or make money by providing goods and services honestly and ethically you are actually assisting others by your spending and purchases. The more you are able to spread around helps numerous people obtain those things they need and desire.

If you belong to a religious organization as many people across this world, that organization likes it when you have more to give them to use in their activities. The charities across the world like those who give to their causes so the more you can give the more their causes can be met. Governments love to tax those who have much so they can sponsor their payrolls and provide the services they fund.

The love or obsession of money can and does lead to a multitude of evils that plague the world such doing harm to others by fraud, stealing, and murder to name a few things that can and do happen when people let the lust for money control their thinking. Money is not evil it is just a tool but the lust for it has cause many to stray from the road of honesty and values of human existence.

To not participate in today's economies and let other people take care of you when you have the means to support yourself does a disservice to those who provide for your needs and the world as a whole. Those who are in poverty through no means of their own need and deserve the assistance of those who have the means. Just as those who horde all that they have and give no assistance when able appear to give no value to the world or themselves.

Money is a great tool that used wisely adds to the value of human life and those who use it wrongly take away from the true values of this world which is human beings. So making money and using it wisely is a very good thing for the whole world.

Remember these few things that take lots of funds to operate, hospitals, medical research, providing food to the needy, police forces, fire departments, schools, and the roads you travel upon. So get out there and devise ways to make more so that you can do your share in aiding in these and other establishments plus providing the best for yourself and those you love.

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What Happened To Trust In Terms Of Home Based Businesses?

Every website on home based business makes a persuasive pitch. The young man stands by an expensive red sports car. Picture the couple in the foreground with the palatial house in the background. There is a house with fencing, manicured lawns, and scenic views. The visuals support the bait that if you join this program, you too will go from rags to riches with their step to step program.

The capture page which is the first page that opens the website with the message is usually in large print with lots of colors: red, black blue, and yellow. There are the webcams you can play with the testimonials. The only one making money is the promoter who collects money when you sign up.

There are people who are signing up and using money to try to improve their income. These sites are merciless. Even if the site is legitimate, how does someone figure it out. There are so many with no content that it spoils it for the authentic sites.

After trying the coupon sites and survey sites, my outcome was no income. Lots of surveys, cut off before you can get the prize. The information about your tastes are entered and your connection gets shut off before you can complete the prize contest.

Before you know it you have adware on your computer. The contest was a way to get information from you so they can pitch products. If you give dates of purchase for cars, then you emails for car loans or car deals.

If you say you have asthma, you get ads on asthma medication. It is very insidious. The original idea was to get paid for the survey and instead they shake you down to sell you something.

Other sites say they will pay you to sign up for certain products and then you cancel and you still get paid to placing the order. This gives you a chance to take money from advertisers pretending to sign up for the DVD. This can't hurt the advertiser, because they have deep pockets. What is really happening is the lie is that a customer wants to sign up for the product in good faith. Someone else is getting paid to drive customers to the product and this person inflates numbers with lots of people canceling.

Who is hurt? Every one gets hurt. We are desensitized to the lie. Everyone does it. We use to know the difference. Lying becomes acceptable in certain situations. Situational ethics clears the way since the individual's need to earn money justifies the recruiting of unsuspecting people. What is a little puff. They won't miss the low price. Those checks charged to credit cards add up for the sponsor. Nothing was offered, really. Maybe an ebook that is worthless.

The internet is idealistic where the creator of a website can possibly create information or offer a product or service that is worthwhile.

This pitching to make money is like the pick pocket of the internet. The break down in trust is huge. How do you decide who to trust?

The internet which has great potential to communicate without middlemen, gets thwarted by these people who trade capture pages for fraud.

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The Jungled Workplace

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.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Jungled-Workplace&id=1109346
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Fail Frequently

How many of us remember our failures more than our successes? My own divorce, the time I didn't get a research grant, the last job that I was fired from (come to think of it, there were some other messy situations that I still recall), the I time I rear-ended someone on a slippery freeway. The list goes on and on. You could say that I have had a full life.

Those of us in technology are fond of the line from the Apollo 13 book and movie: "failure is not an option." Back then, it was something to revel in, a bunch of NASA nerds working around the clock to figure out a strategy that would save the three astronauts' lives and get them back to Earth safely. It was a good story then, and still is.

But I wanted to talk to you today about a somewhat different point of view, that failure >is
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Fail-Frequently&id=1111260
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Be Professional Even When Your Boss Isn't

Be Professional Even When Your Boss or the Situation is Not Handled Professionally

How many of you have an unfair boss or co-worker? To be honest I'm sure that each and every one of you has experienced someone who has treated you unfairly. Sometimes these people just don't like you as a person. At other times these people may be intimidated by you and your job skills. You can analyze these areas for yourself.

There are times when we are faced with workplace situations that are unfair and unexpected. A few of the situations that may cause these unexpected circumstances are company mergers, being passed over for promotion for someone less qualified or others in taking credit for your planning and implementation strategies. Some bosses will take advantage of your dedication and willingness to work harder than others are willing to work. In all cases it is important to take the high road and be better than the employer or the circumstance.

I can only say that when you DO NOT let the situation, individual or circumstance overwhelm you, that you will make it through each instance with grace and dignity. As my husband once told me "Don't let them know where you hid your goat". In other words not only did he not want them to "Get my goat" but he did not want them to know where it was!

This is not always easy to do but at the end of the day you can put your head on the pillow knowing no only that you have not compromised your own reputation and that you have also been an example to your co-workers who might also experience these situations.

Basically, remember do the best you can in unfair workplace situations and keep your head up because this situation or experience will pass and something better will happen if you continue to seek the best in yourself and others.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Be-Professional-Even-When-Your-Boss-Isnt&id=1104637
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Lack Of Business Ethics In Online Marketing

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.

Their reasoning is that the fact that their customers are adults and can stand to loose that $19 or $7. After paying whatever the amount they will be handed over some huge unorganised data that will end up confusing them more or scare them into inactivity.

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.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

A business not about making money?
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.

accounting blog news

Honestly Earning Your Pay

The Bible says, "Money is the root of all evil." Maybe this is why many Christians in business today have a hard time charging for their services. As Christians, we sometimes feel that we are doing something wrong when we charge higher fees to complete work for our clients. However, God invented work, and therefore he believes that we should work and receive a wage for our work. After all, they did it in the Bible. Do you not recall the stories of the farmers paying the field workers?

God invented all of these concepts so he must agree that we should receive payment for what we do. Therefore, do not feel guilty for charging your clients for the services that you provide to them, as long as you are providing high quality work that you can be proud of, and that is not taking from your clients in any way what you do not deserve.

Other than that, you should not feel guilty in billing what you are worth. Decide what your time is worth, what your services are worth, and bill accordingly. Then, strive to put out high quality work, and you might even want to go beyond that. A popular concept is to "under promise and over deliver." Meaning promise that the work will be done, say, "by the end of the week", however deliver early, therefore over delivering on your promise. This will impress your clients and most likely win you repeat customers.

Being paid is apart of our lives. What is important is that we value the money that we receive correctly. Respecting that our clients had to earn the money, and remembering that we must give back to God a portion of what we earned. In everything that we do including the way by which you go about earning your wage you should be striving to honor God.

If you do this, you will surely not be guilty of allowing money to take the part of evil in your life.

customer services

Ways to Show Integrity in Business

In a world where crime is a constant and fraud is done everyday, we long to find people that we can trust and opportunities to work together where we do not feel threatened or scared of the outcome possibilities. As a business owner, we want to put our best foot forward and ensure that our clients see us as being "different from the others" in one way or another. Having integrity in your business can set you apart from the pack very quickly.

There are many ways to show your customers that you have integrity. Here are just a few of them:

1. Be passionate about your business. It is important that we are in a business or career that we love in the first place, if you are, it makes it easier to show your passion. So, do a heart check before going into any given business opportunity and make sure that you can be truly passionate about it, so that the passion you have will shine through to the customers.

2. Be upfront. Share information with your customers or clients from day one. Do not withhold information from them because you are afraid you'll loose a sale, or not make as much money in the end. You need to want more than anything, to do what is right, not only for you but for your client as well. Withholding the truth will only serve you poorly in the end.

3. Appreciate your clients. Showing appreciation can go a long way in helping your customer to see that you are genuine, and can be trusted. Give your customers extra to show your appreciation, not to bribe them into doing more for you, or spending more money with you. Just give back to them to show that you are grateful for their business and loyalty.

4. Be personable and available. You might be the boss, the head honcho, or the CEO, but that does not mean that you should hide away in your office never to be seen by anyone but your employees after all the clients and customers are gone. You want to be seen by everyone as someone who truly cares, you want to be available to help meet the needs of your clients. Availability to others also shows your integrity.

5. Take responsibility for your mistakes. Let's face it we all mess up. We are not perfect and we will make mistakes. When you do take responsibility and try to make things right. Your clients will appreciate you for it and will be more likely to forgive your mistake than if you tried to cover it up and not tend to it.

These are just a few of the ways that you can show integrity in your business on a daily basis, helping others to trust you with their time and their money.

branding news

Why Businesses Need to Use a Qualified EEO Investigator

January 3rd 2008 brought us the news that the largest single racial discrimination settlement ever was leveled against Lockheed Martin by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

This case illustrates the absolute necessity to have an experienced EEO Investigator perform the investigation into allegations of racial discrimination. Lockheed Martin failed to perform due diligence into allegations brought forward by an African American employee who complained to management that he had been the target of racial epithets, threatened with bodily harm, racial slurs, and offensive language. These allegations were made based upon three work locations in Florida, Washington State and Hawaii.

These allegations were investigated not by an EEO Officer but a Human Resources Director whose final conclusions contained the verbiage "boys will be boys." If that was the extent of the investigation then this settlement was certainly fair. A trained EEO Investigator would have weighed all of the evidence, taken statements from all concerned, supervisors and colleagues and any other with knowledge of and witness to the allegations. There were many statements printed in the paper by the complainant that were, if proven, racially motivated with the intent to create a hostile working environment. After reading the comment by the HR Director though, I doubt whether there was complete follow-up to these allegations to develop proper evidence and establish probable cause for either side. That is what an EEO Investigator's charge is; not to act as an employee or management advocate but to develop the evidence that is presented to him/her.

The entire EEO process demands complete ethical boundaries to protect that process. Without development of evidence, the weight of the case brought on by the complainant far outweighed the efforts of a large, well funded corporation who should have allocated funding for an EEO Investigator. If the HR Director found out these comments and other allegations has basis in fact, then disciplined should have occurred immediately for those who perpetrated those actions. Immediate diversity training should have been instituted for the entire department not only for those accused. Diversity and cultural competency training is essential to ensure inclusion in the workplace. Ignoring obvious racial comments and other allegations only creates the situation whereby the employer knew or should have known these things were going on. In this case they did and did nothing.

An HR Director would have some knowledge of EEO but is not normally a specialist in that field. Without a professional EEO investigator, it is like trying to wire a house without an electrician. You just cannot pick up an electrician's book and figure it out and expect the same results that a professional electrician would have. There is no clap on clap off solution here. With the lackluster investigation, Lockheed Martin will never know the true extent of the facts of the case. Too much time was lost between the incidents (up to 2001) and the settlement (January 2008) that the facts of the case most likely were never developed or reviewed properly. Lockheed Martin most likely lost a true professional who was trying to use the reporting system only to have his allegations ignored. The lost of human capital to businesses is extreme due to EEO allegations proven or not.

So, for all businesses out there, take heed - if serious allegations arise in any area of racial, sexual, disability, national origin, color, religion or any other protected category, use your resources for a qualified professional EEO Investigator. Assigning EEO charges to anyone else will be risky at best and the result can be as Lockheed Martin found out - devastating!

customer services

Just What Is Being Taught On These High Powered Business Courses - Are Morals And Ethics Mandatory?

It is astonishing to hear of so much fraud and deception going on in so many areas of life. People in business are being found out and some in leading and highly responsible positions are ending up in prison.

Such high profile cases hit the news headlines and so many in the circle of family and friends must be embarrassed, hurt and so terribly disappointed.

With so many Business Courses being offered it is difficult to understand why some people think they can get off with it. Is there a compulsory Ethics class on these Courses? Are there lectures on basic morals? Why are people not being taught how to behave in business?

I regularly read the adverts in "The Economist" and other reputable Journals and wonder just what the content of these Courses is.

It is not just that an individual's wrong doing and sins are found out - it is more than that - they are found out.

If the foundation is dodgey and questionable and shakey then no matter what you may attempt to build it will crash sooner or later. Many find that out to be true when it is too late and whatever they have been up to reaches the public domain.

There is such a great need for what is called prophetic ministry, which means men hear from God and speak out what God would have them say.

Jesus Christ taught that the prophet is a key to what God is doing, because what God is doing He reveals to the prophets.

Sometimes that 'word' will be for sharing immediately, whilst at other times prophetic people may remain quiet for weeks or months.

In all that is going on around us many are looking for a clear distinct sound, which gives guidance and direction in a time of alarming confusion.

The prophet is regarded as the voice or the trumpet of God, rallying the despondent from despair or discouragement.

Of course, there can be false prophets. That is where discernment has to be exercised.

A bank teller can feel a false 'fiver' or false Dollar note without having to look at it. "Excuse me sir, but there is something wrong here!" He has been so trained - and the counterfeiter does not present a coin kidding on it is a £5 note. He makes it as like the real thing as he possibly can.

A prophet penetrates and pierces and can even shock the whole religious world. Jesus Christ certainly did that when He spoke and taught on various occasions.

"Excuse me, but there is something wrong here" - and the ordinary people recognised that a great prophet had appeared upon the scene.

Prophecy has been accurately described as that ability granted by the Holy Spirit to a believer in Jesus Christ to speak forth words which proceed from God, and which do not come from the believer's own wisdom, understanding or education.

When a prophet speaks you have a choice - change - or kill the prophet!

Now, is it not time that such a Course was mandatory in every Business School?

Sandy Shaw

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An Ideal Worth Ten Thousand Pesos - Fighting For The Right To Party

One man cannot speak for everyone. Each individual point of view can only be as educated as his experiences, which essentially is the fabric of his beliefs. I myself am a 23 year-old, Philippine-born Canadian woman. I came to Colombia nine months ago to teach English and learn a thing or two about her culture. There are many prejudices surrounding her beauty, among which are kidnappings involving FARC, drug trafficking and violence due to poverty. I was ill-advised by my family and friends regarding my travel; they had their doubts about my safety. Up until last week, I had turned a blind eye.

My Colombian friends and I had gone to an Electronica bar in Bucaramanga City called Lala Lounge . We each paid an entrance fee of 15,000 pesos, which is approximately worth seven dollars. We had not danced for more than twenty minutes when the music came to a halt. The police had put an end to the bar's first opening night due to noise pollution. My friends and I waited for another half an hour before we approached one of the owners of the said lounge. We politely asked about the situation and he told us to wait another twenty minutes. We obliged, although we had made up our minds to ask for our money back in order to go elsewhere to finish the night. Again, we approached the same man who now claimed he was solely in charge of publicity. It was typical, I thought, that he should deny himself of any responsibility at that very moment. We then requested for the bar's administrator. I had related to him our concern and requested the partial return of our entrance fee. We did not receive the service we were entitled to; therefore, it was unreasonable for them to keep our money. He, like the previous gentleman, denied himself of his professional responsibility to handle such a simple matter. He told us it was "impossible".

In my opinion, just like failing to pay for an item is called stealing, failing to provide a service or a product which had been paid for in full is also considered stealing. Apparently, this principle did not apply to this entrepreneur because he simply looked at me in disgust. He snorted, mocking me in front of everyone that a gringa wants a mere 10,000 pesos back. I told him it was not the money I was complaining about. It was the lack of proper conduct on their part that was in question. He still failed to comprehend the situation. He motioned for his own wallet and waved the bill in the air, as if to pay out of his own pocket, although it never reached my hand. It was then that my friend advised me it was a lost cause. These people, he said, will neither go beyond their close-minded mentality nor will the situation turn into my favour. Within moments, the police started to get involved and asked me to leave. One of them threatened to bring me to the police station while the other pried me away from the table I was tightly holding on to. I could not believe he was using physical force to remove me. My friend, with genuine fear in his voice, told me to give up. The futility of my attempt at justice was apparent. Out of anger, I had blurted, "It's true what they say, Colombia es asi! " To which the reply was, "You're not in your country!"

Maybe they were right. I simply cannot expect the treatment I would otherwise receive had I been back home. The right to complain is something upheld and practised without fear of consequence in more fortunate parts of the world. However, this freedom is also too often abused when given. There are many who take advantage of fraudulent claims, sometimes even going as far as making a living out of it. The right to complain can also turn a Customer Service Agent into a Human Punching Bag of Verbal Abuse, whose job is to appease millions of rude whining customers unhappy about the service until they get something free out of it.

I am aware that my experience that night did not even begin to scratch the surface of the issues many Colombians face from day to day. It was not a fraction of the injustices of varying degrees that exist in this country. It did not compare to stories of maltreatment, of false accusations, and of the corruption that plagues the system. I was guilty of giving up. I thought it petty and downright worthless to pursue the solution to a legal level. In the end, the fight truly was an ideal; the humiliation of which only served as dramatic comedy to its audience at best--and at my expense.

One man cannot speak for everyone. A paradigm occurs when the idea is put into action by a mass. The strength of an idea can be powerful. It can fuel the action into something liberating, but it can also lead to brutality and destruction. This puts into perspective how some revolutionaries turn into tyrants, but also bears in mind the reason why they exist. I haven't changed my mind about Colombia. She is still as beautiful and as kind as I found her nine months ago. But as lovers often fall out of the state of elation when in love, I now see her scars and the sadness behind her smile.

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Punishing Those Who Commit Fraud

It is a rare occurrence that someone who commits fraud on a business owner gets punished for their actions. Why? Because 90% of the fraud perpetrated on a small business owner is done so by a close friend, relative, or trusted employee. The small business owner entrusts them with what they appear to know, accounting. Many times the fraud occurs over years of time leading to the statistic which shows that the amount of loss by small businesses is greater than that of all the Enron type corporations combined. One man started his business, trusting that his brother in law would take good care of his finances. He expected the first year to be slow, but when he continued to bring in the money and still seemed behind suspicion didn't enter his mind for a long time that something wasn't right. His brother in law was stealing from him, and even had the audacity to loan him some of his own money when the business "needed" it.

In another case, a man's God-mother, over a period of four years, stole over $900,000 from his business. He decided not to press charges and is still recovering from the loss. In yet another case, a close friend took advantage of being promoted to manager and used company funds for everything from paying for his child's day care to paying off relative's credit cards and vehicles. The owner has been hurt, but is of such a good heart, that pressing charges was a very difficult decision for him to make.

In one county here in Florida, the county commissioner decided to put his friend, previously convicted of stealing money from a private school foundation, in charge of the finances for the county schools. Several million dollars later, he sees his decision as 'unfortunate'. The fact is that as it becomes easier and easier for the fraudster to commit his or her crimes, the conscience is dulled and they tend to repeat their actions elsewhere. In Orlando, the mayor gave a multi-million dollar project to a friend who had been experiencing financial difficulties, and now Orlando has several vacant uncompleted buildings in downtown. The mayor's friend has just recently declared bankruptcy for his business and himself.

No one forced these 'criminals' to do what they did. And no matter how sad the story, the result is the same, they were embezzling or stealing from someone else. Some business owners have insurance that will cover fraud, but the insurance company will insist on pressing charges, or the loss will not be covered. And sadly, some business owners walk away from that in an effort to feel better about not putting a friend or relative through the horrors of prosecution and imprisonment.

Believe it or not, some business owners keep the fraudster on in another capacity so that they can 'repay' what they have taken. As a small business owner, you have to understand that chances are, the fraudster will repeat his actions elsewhere if allowed to go free. If the previous business owner had pressed charges perhaps you would not be facing the loss you have. Do a favor for the NEXT business owner, punish the criminal, for while forgiveness of wrong actions is admirable, there is still the fact of personal responsibility that must be applied to those who have broken the law. Forgive them after the barred door shuts behind them.

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Is There Hope for Ethics in Business?

Can there be any hope in promoting ethical behavior in the modern business culture? The public's general skepticism of corporate ethics is understandable considering the track record of organizations in recent years of continued downsizing, outsourcing, scandals, increasing executive pay and decreasing employee benefits. "Many believe that executives are not being held accountable for bad management decisions and the pain they inflict on employees as a result(Trevino and Nelson, 2005, p. 3).

For there to be any hope of promoting ethics in a business culture, ethics training, policies, programs and finally, actions, must be deeply ingrained into a culture of an organization in order to be seen as more than half hearted public relations gimmicks that only provide lip service to ethical behavior while the real culture of an organization runs in the opposite direction. Ethics must become a primary function and responsibility of the modern leader in order to have real impact on organizations and teams. While these leaders still must protect and promote the healthy profits of their organization, they also must recognize "that business has a responsibility to address certain social problems because of its unique abilities, and because a healthy social environment is a prerequisite for a healthy business environment (p. 7). Such a leader recognizes that by serving all of its stakeholders to the utmost of their ability, including their customers, employees, and community, that in the long run they will best bring a return on investment to their shareholders (p. 7).

"Ethics is a body of principles or standards of human conduct that govern the behavior of individuals and groups" (Bottorff, n.d., p.1). While ethical behavior is based on a set of values and principles, ethical behavior goes beyond mere belief; it also encompasses actions of individuals, groups and organizations (p. 2). For there to be ethical behavior in an organization, leaders must not only state a belief in a set of actions, their actions as a leader must be in alignment with those values and beliefs. The leader must work to establish clear business practices within the organization that reward and promote positive ethical behavior and promote the reasoning and consequences of ethics as strongly as they promote business results. In time all individuals and teams must be able to follow the ethical decision-making process involving; "moral awareness (recognizing the existence of an ethical dilemma), moral judgment (deciding what's right), and ethical behavior (taking action to do the right thing) Trevino and Nelson, 2005, p. 15). They can only do this if an organizational culture has been developed that clearly defines its values and supports actions in alignment with those values. Because individuals may have different values and cognitive ability that influences their ability to recognize and act ethically, leaders must ensure that training, rewards, recognition and consequences are clearly defined in the organization in order to help individuals act accordingly.

A perfect example of such a leader is the story of Aaron Feuerstein, who was the owner and CEO of Malden Mills, the New England manufacturer of "climate control" materials like Polertec and Polarfleece (p. 38). Feuerstein was a business leader who had built his business based on Talmudic teachings and values that extended beyond his responsibilities to the shareholders, but also to the workers and community (Shafran, n.d., p. 1). When a fire destroyed the companies' New England factories in 1995, Feurestein faced an ethical dilemma (moral awareness). While most other fabric manufactures were closing plants in the US in order to reduce manufacturing costs, he had maintained his factories in Maine. Now he faced a dilemma; would he rebuild in New England or re-establish his facilities overseas where construction and manufacturing costs would have been less. Feuerstein explained "that the ideas of his religious heritage had played the major role in his decision" (p. 1), (moral judgment). He stated in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1996 that "I have a responsibility to the worker; both blue-collar and white-collar...I have an equal responsibility to the community" (p.1). His final decision (ethical behavior), which was in alignment with his stated values, was to rebuild the plants and keep as many employees on the payroll until they opened operations again (p. 1).

All leaders must have the same moral courage to support and to make similar ethical decisions, even if they are on a much smaller scale. I lead the learning and development department for on of the world's leading organizations for all of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The company attracted and maintained top talent in part based on one of its stated core values of developing people. Because of this core value and our international approach to development, the company had been recognized for several years as on the world's top training organizations. I faced an ethical dilemma when the company, which was projecting loses in revenue in the coming years, decided to "downsize" and re-align the Leaning and Development Department. I saw this as a major departure from the company's stated value of people development (moral judgment). I had to decide whether to abandon this key value and go forward in support of the re-alignment or leave the company. I decided (ethical behavior) that I would stay with the company for one more year in order to ensure all cuts and re-alignments were carried out in a manner that showed respect to the people who had dedicated themselves to people development and to help our clients finish their learning and development commitments. I then left the organization in order to start my own training business where I could contribute to the development of others.

The public's trust in ethical business behavior can only be re-established by strong leadership of individual leaders within their own sphere of influence; great or small. Leaders must take strong actions to elevate the importance of ethical behavior based on clearly stated values that emphasize equal commitment to all stake holders equally. This may be a strong departure from traditional bottom line focus. Leaders and organizations would benefit from development and coaching from ethics trainers and coaches who can help leaders understand the steps to establish ethics within a team and/or organization.

References:

Bottorff, D. (n.d.). What is Ethics? Retrieved July 6, 2007 from http://www.ethicsquality.com/about.htm

Shafran, A., (n.d.). Aaron Feuerstein: Bankrupt and wealthy. Retrieved July 6, 2007 from http://www.aish.com/societyWork/work/Aaron_Feuerstein-Bankrupt_and__Wealthy.asp

Trevino, L., and Nelson, K., (2005). Corporate social responsibility and managerial ethics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Business online blog

The Universal Law

The law of gravity always works. What goes up, must come down. And as Blood Sweat & Tears said, "spinnin' wheel got to go 'round."

There is another law in the universe that also always works. Some call it karma, but I refer to it as the law of sowing and reaping. There is a wise ancient saying, "Whatever a man sows, he will also reap." Or put in modern day terms and heard from the mouth of your parents, "you made your bed, now you have to lie in it." These sayings are so true.

Sowing and reaping works no matter what the situation. Farmers know this law first hand. If you sow seeds, you will reap a harvest. In regards to the workplace, if you sow hard work, you will reap rewards. If you sow apathy, you will reap nothing. So the moral of the story...sow the right things. Sowing and reaping can work to your benefit or to your demise. The choice is up to you. If honesty is the best policy, sow honestly. Sowing lies will eventually catch up with you. If attitude determines your altitude, sow a good attitude. A good attitude not only gets noticed, it's contagious. A bad attitude is also contagious. The problem with a bad attitude (or negativity) is it spreads and eats away like a cancer. Negativity can overtake your soul, if it's not dealt with. Negativity should have no place in the workplace. I'm driving this particular point hard because I've been there. I'm telling you from experience, sow a good attitude.

Also, be careful of the toes you're stepping on. Remember, what goes around comes around. Try not to step on anyone's toes. Before you step on someone's toes, think about the outcome of your decision or actions. So many times we make decisions or act on impulse. If we can think through a situation for twenty-four hours (if it can wait that long of course,) it helps put our minds in the right perspective. Be nice to people on the way up, because you might be seeing those same people on the way down. Pride goes before a fall and grace is given to the humble. Don't sow pride, sow humility.

change management

Give 'Em Somethin' To Talk About

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

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

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

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

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

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

entrep

Image Consultant Viewpoint - Ethics

Written by Sandy Dumont

"Expertise is of more importance to a successful career, while ethics is of the least significance." This was the feedback of a study group at a well-known American university. This group recently completed a nationwide survey of university graduate program directors in the field of communications. They were commenting on the importance of the four professional competencies set forth by the National Speakers Association (NSA): Expertise, Eloquence, Enterprise and Ethics.

I was interviewed and asked to comment on some of the findings of the study group. My reaction to the above statement was shock. After all, if "ethical communication" is insignificant, does that mean that we needn't tell the truth? What would George Washington have to say about that? And where is our country headed?

As an image consultant, I teach a workshop entitled "The Expert Impact," a term I have trademarked. In essence I tell my clients that I cannot supply expertise, because that is up to them. What I can do is make certain they are immediately perceived as a highly-credible expert in their field. Credibility implies believability. We believe the other person is an expert and that he or she is professional and, therefore, can be trusted. Trust is one of the tenets of branding, and it is one of the most important. Ethical behavior produces trustworthy decisions and actions. The two are intertwined.

My experience indicates that the image of most clients does not keep up with their r?m? I do not teach others how to be credible. If they are truly experts, they already have credibility in terms of performance; they just don't know how to convey it non verbally. And according to social psychologists, non-verbal communication surpasses verbal communication in terms of credibility.

For the interview by the university's study group, I was asked to comment upon several other findings from the interviews of professors. For example, the majority of university faculty reported that their curriculum was the most effective in the area of expertise and least effective in the area of enterprise. This seemed a jarring contradiction to me, since the internet and the World Wide Web literally require an enterprising nature. Furthermore, the safe corporate jobs of a lifetime are a thing of the past, and the enterprising spirit of recent generations brought it about. Students who are enterprising, it would seem, surely have an advantage in getting on the fast track to gaining expertise. Perhaps universities need to take a close look at their curriculum.

Furthermore, a college degree does not necessarily bestow expertise upon a graduate. Knowledge, yes; and it sets him/her on the way, but expertise ultimately comes from experience. Four years of university studies should, however, give graduates a great deal of knowledge in various subjects. An enterprising nature puts the student on the fast track to becoming an expert.

One of the problems with new hires is their lack of experience, and most of us don't want our account to be handled by a greenhorn. So how is a recent grad going to get that first job. My 30 years experience suggests that the answer is to look experienced. Social psychologists have proven that if you look good, it is assumed that you are good. They have also shown that in order to be trusted or believed, you must be consistent with both

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Three Ways to Increase Your Business - Promotion, Ethics and Excellent Customer Service

A great way to promote your business is by giving speeches. Speeches are basically oral articles with an added benefit of inflection, intonation, gestures, and body language. If you are not a good public speaker, join a group like Toastmasters to improve your presentation skills. Always practice your speech so that you know it by heart. Relying on note cards is the surest way to guarantee a stiff and possibly disastrous speech. Once you've got several speeches prepared, let organizations like the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce know that you're available. Many civic and business organizations have a guest speaker at their monthly or weekly meetings. You won't get paid but the experience is invaluable. If the organization will permit it, have a friend video you so you can critique yourself and get better and better.

From the teenager running the cash register to the lady at the bank, treat each person you come in contact with as if they are a potential customer. Even if you know they would never use your service or product, they may have a friend or family member who will. If you are fair and honest in your dealings with other businesses, you will receive the perception of being fair and honest in your business when dealing with your customers.

Apologizing for your mistakes and "making it right" go a long ways in building your image of being a trustworthy person and/or organization. Given the opportunity to purchase an identical car from one dealer over another, most people will choose the one whom a friend mentioned in a favorable way, even if the price is higher. People ultimately buy relationships so offer a relationship that puts your customers at ease.

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Business Ethics For Many Continues To Be Do As I Say and Not as I Do

The recent news revealing that Gov. Spitzer of New York engaged in unlawful activities once again shows that ethics for many is for others and not for their selves. This individual was known for his high ethics specific to the behaviors of others. He forced many to resign and yet he was still in office.

What is interesting is to listen to everyone's comments such as in Europe this would not be a big deal to this one it is his private life. NOTE: America is not Europe.

Elected officials give their pledge to uphold American laws. Yes, this incident involved his private life, but the news suggested that he was violating the law (innocent until proven guilty) that he had pledged to uphold. Also, there appears to be some critical and questionable financial dealings that may reach into his public life.

When we have elected officials to chief executive officers behaving unethically, how can we ask others especially employees to young people (future employees) to behave with high work ethics and to have personal responsibility and accountability?

Ethics is not a one-time thing. Having established non-negotiable behaviors is critical to each person's success be it in business or in personal life. Individuals take their personal lives, their personal experiences and therefore their personal ethics into each and every position or role that they hold during their lifetime. All interactions are based upon personal ethics.

Now is the time for a business for review its values statement within its strategic plan. Are these values or ethics being consistently demonstrated by everyone? Do you need to have a review of what is acceptable behaviors and what is not acceptable behaviors?

For example, are your people timely in returning phone calls? Yesterday, I heard from a business associate who complained that she called someone who asked her to call and 3 days later she still hasn't heard from this company. The failure to return phone calls is not a time management problem as many allude to, but rather an ethics problem.

When you as an individual business owner to C Level executive to professional sales person demonstrate your ethics for all to see, you will be recognized as someone who can be trusted. And, remember, people do business from people they trust

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Business Ethics Is Not A Wink and A Nod

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why people fear telling the truth, I do not know. Alfred Adler once said: "A lie would have not sense unless the truth were felt as dangerous."

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

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

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Stop the Spin - Business Ethics Are Ethics as Lies Are Lies

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.

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Agreements, Integrity and Trust at Work

Healthy and conscious relationships are open, honest, safe and trustworthy, where people are acting and being in integrity. One of the major foundation blocks of open, safe and trusting relationships is that of keeping agreements.

The foundation of healthy relationships begins to atrophy and crumble when one feels betrayed. One feels betrayed when another fails to commit to or keep agreements.

What is an agreement?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines agreement as: when people approve of or accept something; a decision or arrangement between two or more groups or people.

The purpose of an agreement is to engender harmony so that two or more folks can engage in an interaction without any subterfuge, hidden agenda, duplicity or lack of transparency. An agreement is effective only insofar as it comes from a deeper, internal place of motivation. Seems simple enough.

Dis-agreements

Yet, our life at work often seems rife with disagreements, betrayals, dishonesty, being out of integrity, and disharmony in our relationships. Why?

The underlying cause of one's not living up to one's agreements is that often one enters into an agreement knowing that one's true desire for, and commitment to, an agreement is half-hearted.

Often people enter agreements because:

(1) they are afraid of what will happen to them if they don't enter the agreement;
(2) they want to feel safe in some way - mentally, emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, financially, etc.;
(3) they are "giving to get", that is, agreeing, in order to achieve some personal, self-centered goal; or
(4) they want to avoid the discomfort of disagreement or conflict so they agree to "go along to get along."

Such agreements never come from the "right place" - the place of integrity, trust and authenticity. Whatever the excuse for entering an agreement comes from a place of duplicity, follow-through with consistency, taking the high road, and being in integrity never happens.

Agreements, in and of themselves, never lead to safety, trust and harmony. Acting on agreements, consistently, is what leads to safety, trust and dependability. Effective agreements are always built on a clear purpose that leads to action.

When agreements work

For agreements to work, that is, for agreements to generate safety, trust, harmony and dependability, one needs to reflect, deeply, consciously and from one's heart, and inquire: "Why am I agreeing to this?" "Really, really, really, why?" "What is the true and real purpose underlying this agreement?" Without a deep sense of clarity, most agreements self-destruct sooner rather than later. The fallout and collateral damage from failed agreements can be quite extensive -again, mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, financially, and psychologically.

Once an agreement is broken, the first thing to erode is trust, followed by feelings or emotions around betrayal, fear, resentment, blame, guilt, and shame apologies and "making up for the broken agreement", notwithstanding. The level of trust can almost never be regained to the degree that it existed when the agreement was made. Without trust, there is no honest, safe, authentic and healthy relationship. Just toxicity, and a low-level-fever-grade type of agitation, fear, vigilance, unspoken, but felt, sense of guilt or shame, and a continual watching of one's back.

When you create agreements that reflect integrity, authenticity, heart-felt purpose and accountability for one's actions, you are creating a workplace culture that exudes safety, trust, harmony and well-being. Productivity, performance and conscious, healthy relationships grow and thrive in such workplace environments.

So, some questions for self-reflection:

How would you characterize your relationships at work (and at home and and play)? Healthy, authentic, in integrity, trusting, duplicitous, fake, phony...?
Do you honor and keep your agreements, consistently? What would your boss, colleagues, direct reports, clients, friends, spouse/partner say?
Do you find yourself apologizing regularly for not keeping your agreements?
Do you apologize when you break agreements?
Do you create agreements with a win-win, or win(me)-lose(other) motive?
Do you generally blame others when agreements break down?
What is the level of trust in your relationships? If low, how can you increase the level of trust?
Have you ever been betrayed as a child? Do you enter agreements with a feeling that you'll be betrayed at some point? Is trusting others a challenge for you? Why?
Is intimacy a common issue in your relationships?
Are your relationships characterized by communication and openness?
All of your failed relationships have one common denominator....you. Have you ever reflected on that notion?
How much do you trust people at work?
Do you believe that work is largely "political"? If so, why?
Are you continually vigilant of who are your allies, opponents, adversaries, and "friends" at work?
Why?

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

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Agreements,-Integrity-and-Trust-at-Work&id=1087455
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Business Growth - Ethical Best Practices, Part Two

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." Roy Disney

Ethics are worth working on. Would you want to do business with McNeil-PPC, Inc., the manufacturer of Tylenol? The company took immediate responsibility when several customers died after using Tylenol that had been tampered with. The company acted to ensure that tampering wouldn't happen again. Remember six years ago when the combination of separating Firestone tire treads and Ford Explorer rollovers onto weak roofs caused more than 60 deaths? Firestone took total responsibility and replaced all tires pretty quickly at a tremendous financial drain. Ford, on the other hand, initially took no responsibility. Instead, Ford blamed Firestone and repeatedly tried to cover up known manufacturing problems. As a result, Firestone cut off its 100-year long relationship with Ford. There was a conflict of values.

Though these are simplified accounts of complex events, they demonstrate how businesses deal with ethical issues differently.

Here are ways you can provide ongoing ethical best practices for your businesses:

Identify and communicate values. Let everyone know inside and outside your organization what the standards and values are for operating your company. Then be sure to live by them.

Play by the rules. Shortcuts are the fast route leading to dishonesty. Respect, live and work by the rules you make. Doing otherwise communicates that you believe you are more important than others.

Insist that people take responsibility for actions. First lead by example. Implement consequences for inappropriate actions. If you make mistakes, own up to what you did, others will be more likely to do the same. Covering up mistakes or wrongdoing destroys trust. Once that happens, it is difficult to repair.

Lead with a moral compass. Expect and deliver integrity in all your interactions. People who act the same when no one is looking as when being watched demonstrate strong character. Actions should not be based on individual situations, but rather on core values.

Take action against unethical behavior . Change vendors if they don't meet your standards. Renounce companies that use child labor to make their products, pollute the environment, mistreat people. Don't just talk about it; take action, show commitment. An international boycott of companies that invested in South Africa during apartheid is just one example of people and companies standing up for their beliefs. Hitting a target financially can be the impetus that changes the behavior of businesses and even a society.

Keep your eye on the ball. As a business owner, you are responsible for the actions of everyone connected with your business. Make sure they know your values. Your business will be more successful if it works with partners, employees and customers with shared values. If you and your business live by your values, you will feel good about what you do and it will affect the bottom line.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Growth-Ethical-Best-Practices,-Part-Two&id=1080651
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