Ethics

Document Shredding - 103 Types of Document You May Want to Shred

2008-06-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is rampant, and these days it is a good idea to make use of a document shredding machine or mobile document shredding service to get rid of paperwork that contains non-public information. But what kind of paper work falls under this category?

Here is a list of 103 types of documents that you may want to shred.

Account numbersAccount records Accounting Files/RecordsAddressesAdvertising misprints All Employee InformationAll Financial InformationAnything storing electronic dataAuditsAudits/SurveysBank Account InformationBank Statements banking or financial records, Bids and Proposals Billing InformationBrokerage account information Business PlansCanceled ChecksCancelled Checks CD'sClass RostersClient FilesClient Lists Competitive informationComputer Generated Reports Computer printouts Computer Reports Confidential correspondenceConsumer InformationContracts CorrespondenceCredit Card InformationCredit Card NumbersCredit card receipts Credit CardsCustomer estimates & quotesCustomer Lists Debit Card numbers disksDoctor/Nurse NotesDrivers License Numbers EducationEmployee InformationEmployment Information Executive Correspondence Fax Machine Ribbons Financial Data Financial records Financial StatementsID CardsInsurance InformationInsurance Policy data Internal Memos Inventory lists Invoices Junk Mail Legal DocumentsMagnetic media Management Reports Maps and blueprintsMarket ResearchMarketing Strategies Medical Charts/HistoryMedical Records Meeting notesMemos & correspondence Microfilm and ficheNamesNew product drawings New Product InformationNew product proposals Obsolete Brochures/Stationery/Files Obsolete DocumentsOrganization ChartsOutdated business records Passport NumbersPay roll records Payroll InformationPayroll Records Personnel FilesPersonnel Information Photographs Prescription InformationPresentations Price Lists Price Quotes Printed e-mailsProduct Design Product Information product prototypesProfit & Loss StatementsProposals and QuotesR&D Files/Data Receipts Research Data Sales Receipts Sales statistics Sensitive Correspondence Social Security Numbers TapesTax Records Telephone Numbers X-rays

That's a lot of documents! Fortunately, you probably only deal with a handful of these types of documents on a regular basis. For home use, a good paper shredder will probably do the job. For businesses which deal with large amounts of data like this, a mobile document shredding service is recommended. To find a paper shredding machine or a suitable mobile shredding service near you, visit The Document Shredding Directory today.

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Importance of Ethics in Business

2008-06-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ethics is important not only in business but in all aspects of life because it is the vital part and the foundation on which the society is build. A business/society that lacks ethical principles is bound to fail sooner or later. According to International Ethical Business Registry, "there has been a dramatic increase in the ethical expectation of businesses and professionals over the past 10 years. Increasingly, customers, clients and employees are deliberately seeking out those who define the basic ground, rules of their operations on a day today...."

Ethics refers to a code of conduct that guides an individual in dealing with others. Business Ethics is a form of the art of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in business environment. It deals with issues regarding the moral and ethical rights, duties and corporate governance between a company and its shareholders, employees, customers, media, government, suppliers and dealers. Henry Ford said, "Business that makes noting but money is a poor kind of business".

Ethics is related to all disciplines of management like accounting information, human resource management, sales and marketing, production, intellectual property knowledge and skill, international business and economic system. As said by Joe Paterno once that success without honor is an unseasoned dish. It will satisfy your hunger, but won't taste good. In business world the organization's culture sets standards for determining the difference between good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair.

"It is perfectly possible to make a decent living without compromising the integrity of the company or the individual, wrote business executive R. Holland, "Quite apart from the issues of rightness and wrongness, the fact is that ethical behavior in business serves the individual and the enterprise much better in long run.", he added.

Some management guru stressed that ethical companies have an advantage over their competitors. Said Cohen and Greenfield, "Consumers are used to buying products despite how they feel about the company that sells them. But a valued company earned a kind of customer loyalty most corporations only dream of because it appeals to its customers more than a product".

The ethical issues in business have become more complicated because of the global and diversified nature of many large corporation and because of the complexity of economic, social, global, natural, political, legal and government regulations and environment, hence the company must decide whether to adhere to constant ethical principles or to adjust to domestic standards and culture.

Managers have to remember that leading by example is the first step in fostering a culture of ethical behavior in the companies as rightly said by Robert Noyce, "If ethics are poor at the top, that behavior is copied down through the organization", however the other methods can be creating a common interest by favorable corporate culture, setting high standards, norms, framing attitudes for acceptable behavior, making written code of ethics implicable at all levels from top to bottom, deciding the policies for recruiting, selecting, training, induction, promotion, monetary / non-monetary motivation, remuneration and retention of employees. "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get" - Warren Buffet

Thus, a manager should treat his employees, customers, shareholders, government, media and society in an honest and fair way by knowing the difference between right or wrong and choosing what is right, this is the foundation of ethical decision making. REMEMBER: GOOD ETHICS IS GOOD BUSINESS. "Non-corporation with the evil is as much a duty as is co-operation with good" - Mahatma Gandhi.

customer services

Brown People Competing For Green Dollars

2008-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

A new study from the University of Georgia concludes that Hispanic spending power will surpass African American buying power in 2007; marking the first year that Hispanics control more disposable personal income than any other U.S. minority group. This conclusion leads me to question the motive behind the research and the social consequences if Hispanics and Blacks buy into the competitive research. Will corporate America pit the two groups against each other when disbursing advertising dollars to their respective ad agencies?

The business case for diversity in corporate advertising has been a solid one for decades. Corporations have slowly realized the importance of advertising to ethnic markets and the results of such efforts to their bottom line. Despite the recent projections, African American consumers continue to be a powerful force in the U.S. economy.

Ethnic spending power is vital to the US economy. The vast majority of states continue to see Blacks as the nation's strongest ethnic market because of the concentration of the Hispanic population is limited to a few key geographical areas. Hispanics are expected to have buying power of $863.1 billion verse Blacks estimated of $847 billion in 2007.

Despite this collective buying power, minority consumers are still greeted with suspicion about their intentions and with skepticism about their ability to pay. Many companies still function under a non-urban dictate when working with ad agencies. A non-urban dictate means that a company does not want their marketing and advertising materials placed in media that claim an urban audience as their main target.

Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group and will comprise 8.5% of the nation's total consumer market next year. Rosa Rosales, President of LULAC, says that she hopes the study will get the attention of companies who have ignored the Hispanic consumer.

I find it hard to believe that the Hispanic consumer has been ignored given the tremendous success of Hispanic owned advertising agencies. Maybe it's time that African American consumers themselves take a stronger stand by taking their dollars to companies who advertise directly to them. Not only will this send a large economic message to companies who engage in discriminatory practices, such as non urban dictates, it will also send a strong message to all other companies that consumer discrimination will not be tolerated.

Imagine a pep rally where all of the ethnic groups competed for the top spending power chanting "We spend more! Yes, we do! We spend more! How about you?" Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Pitting two ethnic groups against each other is nothing to cheer about it. Inclusion is about engaging everyone. Separation is about keeping things apart. Which team are you on? Which team are you rooting for?

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Advertising Ethical Dilemmas

2008-06-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

accounting blog news

The Transparency Catch-22 - How Too Much Transparency on Industry Can Hurt Us

2008-06-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

We often hear a lot about the need for Transparency in business; to protect consumers, shareholders and to insure that the companies are following the rules and regulations. Unfortunately, what we do not hear much about is the flip-side to that coin; transparency is a double edged sword. Let me explain.

You see, too much transparency is a Real Problem because each business has methods that give them advantages, if there is too much transparency then the competition gets this important information without earning them. This is bad because it allows those who try new things and learn the hard way to be instantly copied while the same school-of-hard-knocks were not endured.

Too much transparency gives intellectual property to competitors. Often government agencies demanding transparency actually harm the market place and help competitors steal insightful information, while they create barriers to entry with such incessant over regulatory demands. Thus, the government agencies are in a way in cahoots with competition and work at un-leveling the playing field often for off-shore or foreign competition.

This forces American Companies to lose profits, hurting shareholders and causes good jobs to leave. Perhaps this is why you have a low-paying job a retail box store instead of something better, although everyone has to and actually should start behind the counter or on the floor. Read Ray Kroc's book; Grinding it Out.

Meanwhile on ethics read; Warren Buffet's Essays, because he discusses the importance of transparency and ethics also. Beware those who demand transparency to help the consumer, shareholder or ethical business practices, because the flip-side is over disclosure and transparency hurts the very people the regulators claim to be protecting. Transparency must be dealt with in a serious manner with all the issues addressed.

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Four Tips For Increasing Your Value at Work

2008-06-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to add value in the workplace. The most basic is to show up and perform the job you were hired to do. Let's look at four ways to improve your value-add at work without spending a dime.

1. Start with Your Reputation

An old saying goes like this: "A good name is hard to regain once it is lost." The trick is never to lose your good name to start with. So what's your reputation saying about you?

Don't let your name be tarnished because you're late all the time. Learn how to manage your time more effectively. Sign up for a time management seminar like Franklin Covey. This type of seminar will teach you how to prioritize your activities to align with what's most important. That's a valuable skill you can use over and over again. The more you use this skill the better your reputation gets.

Do you do what you say? Are you in the habit of over promising and under delivering? Stop it your reputation is at stake! You have complete control over what you say. Start doing what you said you would. Else be selective with your words. Whatever you say people are expecting you will do it. If you don't plan to do something, don't say you will.

2. Be Willing to Learn

The most tedious jobs can be rewarding when learning opportunities are taken. When a new class or training is offered, sign up for it. Keeping your mind active by constantly learning new things makes you valuable.

Be willing to learn from others. No one person can know everything, even though some act like they do. We can all learn from each other. I am some what of an advanced Excel user. Yet, I still run into others who show me great keyboard short cuts!

Use what you know. Put into practice any skills you've been taught. For example, say you took an email etiquette class. Your employer will expect you to craft email messages using the tips you were taught.

Don't forget to share. If you come across a new short cut, or fancy way to format a presentation, share it with your co-workers. That way the whole team benefits from your experience. A word of caution: Don't act like you know it all. Instead offer gentle humble suggestions that are more readily received by others.

3. Know Your Company's Priorities

Take time to learn about the company you work for. Discover history behind it. What are they known for? Who are their customers? What products or services do they sell to meet the customer needs? What goals does your company have? Are they trying to increase market share? Are they trying to create new markets?

Understanding your company's priorities helps you map your job to the bigger picture. When you know how your part fits in the larger context it drives your motivation. Improving your internal motivation allows you to put up with lesser important burdens for the stake of the larger, more important goal. Having a hard time figuring out how your part fits? Ask your boss. Talk to others about their part. Maybe hearing how Jane Doe fits may help you envision your place.

4. Get Creative and Make Things Better

Just because you have a job with specific tasks that are not very efficient, it doesn't mean you should continue to do it that way. There may be a better way to organize the tasks. Try doing things differently. You may change a process for the better and save tons of time for you and your co-workers.

Look for problems. Listen for business needs. What is not getting done? Why? Ask why a few more times to get to the root cause. Figure out who's involved, ask questions. Then brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Two heads are better than one. If you have a room full of people, that's even better.

There's always something you can do to make the situation better. Asking questions may reveal information being requested is no longer needed. For example, I know someone who stopped sending a certain report to see if anyone would miss it. Guess what? No one missed the report and she stopped producing it. Other times there might be improvements for better systems or documentation. Still other times questioning might reveal the need to automate a manual process, which could save time and money. Which ever you choose, do something to make it better. What good is it to recognize a need and not do anything about?

Let's recap what we've discussed so far. Tip 1 was about focusing on your reputation. Take small steps to improve your reputation. Tip 2 talked about how your willingness to learn becomes a value to your company. Tip 3 discussed the importance of knowing your company's priorities so you can understand how your job fits with the bigger picture. Tip 4 was all about making things better. Solve problems. Improve your working conditions. All of these tips can help you increase your value-add at work.

accounting payroll news

Business Ethics

2008-06-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

You all know I'm pretty much posting about my skin care products to get men/women more familiar with them and how they can change your skin. However, today I'd like to talk about ethics or professional respect.

I had an unfortunate encounter with another consultant that I found really disturbing which made me wonder how often this kind of thing happens. In my situation, I was communicating with a potential recruit, answering her questions, sending her information and product samples, etc. Before I knew it, another consultant (from the same company) reached out to this person offering all sorts of free stuff if she'd sign up with her!

What I found annoying was that I had already put time, effort and expense (catalogs, opportunity brochure, samples, postage, etc.) to introduce the Series Opportunity to this person now someone else comes along offering her the world to get her sign up under instead of me? I don't know about anyone else reading this but I think that's just wrong. Not to mention unprofessional and disrespectful. I could not imagine doing that to another consultant. In the end, it worked out OK - she signed up with me & is one of the best consultants on my team.

Later, I've heard similar stories from other people, some of which made me cringe, and I never realized how much this is happening out there. Why can't we all just get along? How is it OK in someone's mind to go ahead and butt in on a fellow consultant's potential recruit? Why can't a consultant do their own work, get their own leads and work their own business? If anyone out there can shed some light on this, I'd really appreciate it. If you have a horror story you'd like to share, tell us about it. What can be done to stop people from doing this? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Business Ethics In America

2008-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

In order to fully understand ethics and how they relate to business, one must first define its key components. Ethics can be broken down into three categories: social, organizational, and individual. Corporations are bound by social ethics which challenge them to hold accountable for their own actions its company officers, management, and stakeholders, who aspire to gain financially from traditional and unconventional economic activities. Organizational ethics involve a shared sense of pride and responsibility for employees, managers and corporations. They are part of an overall business philosophy that is shared throughout the company. Individual ethics involve our conceptions of right and wrong which stem from many different sources. Religious beliefs can often play a significant role in the ethical path many choose to follow.

What prompts a company to act ethically in business? What prevents businesses from generating as much profit as possible, regardless of the ethical ramifications of their actions? The general public, as well as company stakeholders, have come to expect that corporations will conduct business ethically and with the highest regard for social accountability. When companies fall short of these expectations, the end result often involves punishment and harmful publicity. Companies which conduct business in an unethical manner run the risk of harming not only its stakeholders, but also the general public. Companies that act ethically impart a sense of trust and responsibility in both local and national communities; this type of trust can often promote strong business alliances.

Ethics problems occur in many forms for many different reasons during the course of business. Unfortunately, companies often unwittingly employ people whose moral values are less than that of a responsible corporate citizen. These employees often put their own greed and selfishness ahead of the welfare and safety of others, simply for their own financial gain.

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First Generation Hispanic Workers

2008-06-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Where are First Generation Hispanic workers?

Well you will see a lot of them working in the field or outside in the hot sun. Why do they do this kind of labor? Good question, the answer to that is easy. First Generation Hispanics are willing to do the jobs that no one else will do. That of course is not to say that others will not do it, but these workers have no choice because this kind of labor does not need a W-2, you just work for a days pay. They provide excellent services and they do the best work. They will work until they are about to pass out. The sad thing is that many companies in America will take advantage of these workers.

Since a lot of First Generation Hispanic workers, not all, do not have a social security number they will work for a days pay. These workers get paid daily as supposed to receiving a check every two weeks or every month. These workers are constantly looking for work. You will see them in the Southern part of the United States waiting on corners or close to high traffic areas waiting for contractors to pick them up to do work. Most of these workers will specialize in some kind of work for example, a welder or a carpenter. Since they don't speak fluent English it is difficult for these workers to negotiate prices with contractors so they usually do work cheaper, faster, and better than the normal worker in America.

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Long Haul Trucking - A View From the Cab

2008-06-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

Trucking is not just a job; it is a lifestyle. For most, the transition to the trucking lifestyle is a difficult one. This is the reason why the vast majority of CDL school graduates are no longer in the trucking business after six months... or shorter. They are not prepared for the challenges or for the days and weeks spent away from home and family. Some universal truths about the trucking industry are not always pretty.

One of the first, and most obvious, is that any company engaged in the trucking business is not going to offer the normal amenities that are taken for granted in most other jobs. For instance, sick leave is non-existent in most trucking jobs. If you don't work, you don't get paid... period.

When I worked a "normal" job, it never posed much of a problem if I needed to take half a day off for a doctor's appointment. In trucking, keeping a medical or dental appointment is often a roll of the dice. You never know if you are going to be home to keep it. I once lost a crown on one of my front teeth, and had to drive around for two weeks looking like a prizefighter that should consider alternative career options.

When I worked a "normal" job, no matter how stressful or harrowing the day had been, I always had the comfort of knowing that I would go home at the end of it and sleep in my own bed. In trucking, a long-haul driver eats alone in his truck or at a truck stop at the end of a long day, and then retires to the "comfort" of a small sleeper berth. Then, he gets up after a few hours rest and does it all over again. I never thought it would be possible to miss the company of some of my annoying former co-workers, but the loneliness of the road is very real.

One of the biggest issues affecting many truckers is anti-idling laws adopted by many states. These laws put limitations on the amount of time a truck is allowed to idle and offers stiff penalties to violators. For instance, in the city of Denver, a truck can legally idle for 10 minutes per hour. Well, if it is 8º in the Mile-High City, it takes 10 minutes or longer just to warm up a diesel engine. Do the lawmakers expect the driver to get up throughout the night every hour to idle for 10 minutes and then return to a freezing cocoon? The only word that pops into my mind is... DUH!

In Illinois, the law states that a driver must be present when idling. I wonder how law enforcement intends to discern this. Should they knock on the cab to wake us up? This seems like an equally brilliant method to assist a driver in developing a healthy sleep pattern.

The laws in other states are proportionately ingenious, but I think that the people who drafted these laws should attempt to rest in a 20º truck in the winter, or a 95º truck in the summer. Then, let's drive 600 miles the next day and-think safety!

Unfortunately, this indifference to basic humanity does not stop with bone-headed lawmakers. I have experienced it, firsthand, from a trucking company. The story goes like this:

Shortly after I had arrived in Odessa, Nebraska, my air-conditioning compressor died and it got well above 90º in the truck. I called the breakdown department to tell them that I needed to drop my load at a nearby terminal so that I could have it repaired. The initial reply that I got was, "The Company doesn't consider air-conditioning to be a valid reason to reassign a load."

My reply was, "That's probably because 'the company' is not the one who is trying to get some rest in a ninety-five degree truck so that they can drive 600 miles tomorrow. If the roles were reversed I'll bet the pointer on their 'validity scale' would have a dramatic reversal."

It boggles my mind when I consider that most people would be prepared to come to blows over an issue of having their pet subjected to extreme heat or cold, but many trucking companies and lawmakers seem to pay no heed to a moral thermometer in regard to subjecting truck drivers to sub-standard conditions. This seems to lend support to my assertion that a trucking company appears only to care about the amount of revenue generated-not the welfare of the driver. Despite their sophist rhetoric to the contrary, the reality lies in their actions.

On this occasion, it was necessary to threaten to quit in order to afford myself a basic necessity. However, playing the "I'll quit" card isn't always the smart option. If a driver quits when he is a long way from home, and then expects the company to provide him with transportation, he is in for another wakeup call. As another driver points out on a popular trucker's forum in regard to this:

"They will bend you over and give it to you with no Vaseline every time... guaranteed!"

The smart option is to suck it up and wait until you are routed home and all of your belongings are removed from the truck. A trucking company will not pay to have your belongings shipped either. At the very least, the truck should be turned in at a company terminal and the driver should have the financial forethought to provide his own transportation for himself and his belongings. Believe me, if you get mad and quit when you're in Moose Turd, Ontario, you'd better have a heavy parka and a good pair of snowshoes!

When it comes to large trucking companies, there seems to be no way to get past the impersonal nature of it. One of the reasons is that dispatchers are assigned to zones. As a result, the drivers and the dispatchers never get to know one another on a personal level. To me, the dispatcher in whatever zone I happen to be in is a faceless "John", and to him, I am merely a truck number. I have encountered a few exceptions to this rule, and I tip my hat to the precious handful that has attempted to insert their own personal touch. But in the end, the grinding cogs of the huge corporate machine tend to drown out their tiny voices, and the machine spews out a number.

I have often gotten the distinct impression that many managers and dispatchers actually think that they know what road life is like. Having resided on both sides of the fence, I'll say that they can understand the trucking life by sitting behind a desk about the same way that I can understand what it's like to be a cowboy by watching a rodeo. I may get a narrow snapshot of what it's like to be a cowboy, but I still have no inkling of the cowboy life.

While sitting in an air-conditioned office, it is impossible to understand what it's like to have the need to make nightly applications of Emu oil on your feet to keep your heels from cracking; or the necessity to urinate in a milk jug; or being forced to drive 600 miles with a toothache; or the need to spray Lotrimin in your crotch to prevent jock itch. Neither, can they understand the necessity to spend an entire day of precious home time making preparations to go on the road again.

I'll be the first to admit that my "view from the cab" does not provide me with an insight to the inner workings of a trucking company or the stresses, responsibilities, and headaches contained therein. I also concede that successful management does not always coincide with the desires of employees. Despite my railing, I have a high degree of respect for strong, competent, and ethical business leaders. Like truckers, they do not live in a world where "just anyone" can thrive. My contempt is only for the business leaders who are greedy and unethical, and whose primary goal is to line their own pockets like a squirrel stuffing acorns into it's cheeks, with no regard to the hardworking people who make their standard of living possible.

The trucking industry sheds a bright spotlight on the fact that there are often ethical conflicts between making money, and doing the right thing. A description on a trucker's website paints the trucking industry as: "...basically a slave industry with truckers working on the average of over 70 hours per week, many of are not paid while sitting in shipper's parking lots for, sometimes, 8 hours or more (a whole workday for average Americans!) Truckers are not paid overtime as others."

I probably wouldn't go so far as to call it a "slave industry". Any driver is perfectly free to quit at any time, but the trucking industry certainly, in my estimation, lags behind in affording the basic amenities for drivers enjoyed by the majority of the American work force. Trucking, certainly, is an industry in which you have to stand up for yourself, or you'll have footprints all over your face.

On a few occasions, I have been asked to offer an insight by people who are considering a career in trucking. The following is the advice I would give to any prospective new truck driver:

· Trucking is a lifestyle more than it is a job. If you are not prepared to make a MAJOR lifestyle change, save your CDL school money and forget about it.

· Research the companies. Check them out online, talk to experienced drivers, and do not be afraid to ask questions. Interview the company. Yes, you heard me right. Prepare a list of questions for a company that you are considering and do not be shy about asking them. Any recruiter worth his salt will be glad to indulge you. If he isn't... run like the wind. Join a trucker's forum to get straight answers and to separate the wheat from the chaff. A recruiter isn't going to tell you that the company he is recruiting for has a 120% turnover rate among drivers. Research the companies!

· Your first trucking job will probably not be with a blue chip company. The genuinely good companies only hire experienced drivers and they do not use recruiters... they don't need to. All but the most fortunate have to pay their dues before they have a fighting chance to get hired by a really good company that will treat them with respect.

· Even the "good" startup companies are going to treat you like a piece of meat. They care about the freight being delivered... period. Your home time, your quality of life, and your job satisfaction are purely secondary concerns. Be prepared for it.

· If you are thinking of becoming an owner/operator, educate yourself as to what this entails. I've seen plenty of new owner/operators who were desperate to sell their truck after 6 months. I'd recommend that anyone start out as a company driver to ensure that trucking is actually what he or she wants to do for a living. I cannot stress it enough... Educate yourself!

· Even with this being said, trucking can still be what you make of it. It affords a freedom and autonomy that most other jobs cannot come close to. Trucking can be a rewarding career, but it doesn't come without major sacrifices. If you aren't prepared to make those sacrifices, don't waste your time and money.

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Is Your Nose Growing

2008-06-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

How often can one "misspeak" and still maintain credibility? When the puppet Pinocchio told a lie his nose grew. His proboscis gave clear evidence of the lie. With people we cannot always tell whether a statement is true or not. Hillary Clinton was recently awarded four Pinocchio's by the Washington Post for exaggerating her landing at the Tuzla, Bosnia airport in March 1996. Videos of Mrs. Clinton and her daughter being greeted by officials on the tarmac at the airport soon appeared on YouTube. The video record clearly shows there was no sniper fire as told by Mrs. Clinton, more than once. Clinton after a week said she may have misspoken and if she did it was a minor blip. Ethical business communication starts with the truth.

Mrs. Clinton isn't the first person in the public light to "misspeak". What about those whose lives are not recorded, your boss, your coworkers or even you? You probably have known someone given to exaggeration or even hyperbole. I worked with such a person. His stories often were a little too fantastic. I was never quite sure what I could believe from his stories, and after a while, what he said related to work.

Another coworker's lies qualified him for what one author called a snake in a suit. Are the exaggerations and lies these people tell just "misspoken?" While these men were not in the position to make high level decisions like those that led to the collapse of Enron, they still had a negative impact on working relationships of the organizations where they were employed. Several current business books discuss the importance of trust in building business relationships.

In this post-modern era many people question the concept of absolute truth. Where is the ethical standard for our speech, if it isn't based on truth? The book of Proverbs considered part of the world's wisdom literature says, "Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." (Proverbs 23:23 KJV). Our courts still ask people to take an oath to tell the truth, before they testify.

As individuals we can only be responsible for our own speech. Over time we may forget some details. We might accidentally attribute a quotation to the wrong author. In these cases we can say we misspoke. I was in a humorous speech contest with one other competitor. I took second place. I could report that I came in second and the other fellow came in next to last. Embellishing the facts, leaving out important details, obfuscating the facts all amount to lying. It is a matter of personal integrity. How do you avoid these situations? It comes down to that old maxim, think before you speak.

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Do You Want To Get Paid? I Do!

2008-05-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

We have all had good days and bad in business. The small business person, lives daily on the hopes that he has a good sales or service day. In the case of employees who work independently at home for a living, it can be a different ballgame.

A friend of mine sent me an email, frustrated and upset because she had 3 client invoices outstanding, and her clients had not so much as even "suggested" the money due, was on its way. My friend was in desperate need for the money, she had worked hard for her income, and her own bills were now overdue.

"I have sent two invoices to each client, and have not heard back from them yet," she complained. "I go through this every month with at least one client and it is so frustrating,".

Business is business and one of the most important aspects of considering your business a success, is of course, the revenue generated. But there is also a certain ethic about getting paid, that parlays the success factor as well. Everyone hates to pay bills. Everyone also knows they have a responsibility to do so. In a harsh economy, or when times grow tight, the bottom line is that employers and employees must still get paid. Even if it is a small amount due, say, $125.00, that may be just what the employee needs to pay that electric bill, and the utility companies do not wait for THEIR money anymore. So the electric or water is turned off. Then there is a turn-on fee, and late fee adding insult to injury, and the rest of the budget goes haywire, all because that one check did not come in the mail on time.

I personally have never understand a system that punishes you for NOT having enough money. Another friend of mine, lost her husband in the war. She had to move out of the army housing with her 2 children, and find a p. She had no "extra" funds, but a little bit to get started until her husbands probate was cleared.

When my friend went to get the utilities turned on, she found that each utility company, the water, the gas, the electric and the trash company, all required deposits. Now she and her husband had fallen on hard times, just before he left for another country, and they had been behind in their bills with the collectors demanding payment. They worked out an agreement with the creditors, like responsible people do, however, the companies had a policy that the deposit amount you pay, is based on your credit score.

This poor woman, had to pay $300.00 just to have her gas and electric on, and $150.00 to have the water turned on. The policy did not care WHAT anyone's circumstances were, they just knew your score was not up there where THEY thought it should be, so they made lots of money off of people who were already barely able to live. I had heard the same complaint from a disabled senior, who became sick suddenly, and had to move. Her deposits were sky high and it didn't matter that she was disabled.

Business people have to realize that bills have to be paid. When one bill falls short, a whole chain reaction of events take place that your not aware of. Remember, the small business person or contractor, do not have the option of collection agencies, and rarely, deposits...so let's remember to pay the small guy first. Their lights may depend on it.

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Love As A Rational Business Strategy

2008-05-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

A business strategy gains power, when it flows with the tide of nature. It can grant you the pivotal wisdom to plan and execute your significant approaches in business. You need to be aware that your strategies are actually not decided by you. Each moment of your life, nature manages them, without your conscious awareness. It assembles the required data and focuses your system for action. Powerful intelligences within your mind formulate those responses and control your every action. Many such entities operate in the background even now, as you read these words. One among them recognizes the black and white pixels on this page, identifies them as words, fetches their meanings, evaluates the grammar and conveys their final purport to you. Such massive data processing occurs within the few milliseconds in which your eyes pass over these lines. So too, the strategies of your business are decided by the same deep wisdom within your nerve cells. To grasp that concept, it is useful to know the neural mechanisms, which have evolved over millions of years to formulate your strategies in life.

Before the development of the neocortical brain of humans, a string of more primitive brains assisted animals to survive. The earliest nosebrains used smells as a basis for approaching, attacking, or retreating from a situation. Later, the mammalian brains developed emotions for more sophisticated controls. The emotions of anger, fear, jealousy, love and laughter manipulated the nervous system to employ highly focused strategies. Anger followed an aggressive strategy. Fear managed a defensive approach. Jealousy sought to put down the competition and love sought to cherish and protect. A relaxation of the tensions of conflict was achieved through laughter. These emotions activated physical systems for fight, flight, or relaxation. Even more important, they provided contextual information to the mind to assist each strategy.

Each emotion recorded and recalled contextual data. The background of every hostile response faced by a person is recorded into memory in the context of his anger. Later, an angry person can only recall past irritating incidents, which intensify his anger. The system inhibits memories of favorable actions carried out by the antagonist. When influenced by anger, the person fails to recall past acts of friendship. On the other hand, fear focuses on the results of failure and removes memories of previous successes. Negative emotions suppress useful data. Anger removes memories of the benefits of a cooperative effort and fear, the valuable recollections of past successes. When you are controlled by hatred or dread, your brain works without access to critical knowledge. While negative emotions limit your wisdom, positive emotions expand the data available to your mind. It is in this context that you need to see the remarkably powerful impact of the emotion of love.

While fear may compel you to be frozen into inactivity, love opens vast databases of strategic options for your mind. Centuries ago, the bible had recorded the impact of the emotion of love on behavior. Love was patient and kind. Love suppressed the emotions of anger, irritability, jealousy and rudeness. The deepest needs of the person were subdued to give way to an intense awareness of the needs of the loved one. Past wrongs were forgotten and forgiven. Love persisted in spite of problems, keeping faith in the loved one. Love did not gloat over injustice and was happy with the victory of truth. Nature's pattern recognition processes had crafted an incredibly high standard of behavior through a single emotion, to impel the best in mankind. The impact of the emotion of love has been acknowledged by generations of people across thousands of years.

In business, love is a radical option. The conventional advice is to be guided by paranoia for survival in the harsh commercial world. There, deceit and treachery appear to be the standard. A colleague may lack even the basic norms of decency in interactions. He proceeds to act with utter selfishness, without any concern for the anguish inflicted on years of friendship. A trusted employee plots against you behind your back, even while you have persistently supported his advancement in every forum. Such situations are common in business. Anger and vengeance appear to be the natural reactions after such episodes. In this milieu, love is not exactly a natural option.

But, emotions can be simulated. It is possible to simulate lifelike fear, dread, or love. Great actors achieve this every day. For ordinary people, it is true that, emotions are the automatic responses to situations. But, even they can consciously cultivate emotions. Those emotions will, in turn, control their minds. Even anger can be simulated. Say "Stop it!" with an angry look. When your eyeballs thrust forward a couple of millimeters, your words will suddenly have an aggressive tenor. When you glare, your system adopts a belligerent mode of speech. The Buddhists have been known to practice the development of compassion as an approach to life. They try to imagine the pain of a bird, or the anguish of an enemy. Though it appears quite unconventional, it is possible to simulate a loving viewpoint towards even your worst enemy.

A loving viewpoint effects a remarkable transformation. When you look at your opponent from a kind perspective, his most vicious actions will suddenly appear to be pitiable weaknesses. Short sighted selfishness is often an inherent defect. Such failings are usually permanent liabilities for the affected people, transporting them inevitably into lonely and friendless situations with the passage of years. The view, which exposes such behavior as weaknesses, will also see the strengths and agreeable parts of such a person. It fetches memories of the benefits, which accrued to you over time from that relationship. While anger would have terminated the association, a kinder view enables you to cautiously continue interactions. In the end, you will draw on the benefits of that relationship, which you would have otherwise terminated. Love prevents the constriction of your world into a small acceptable circle for cooperation. It enables you to broaden your relationships, while keeping you fully aware of the serious pitfalls.

The cultivation of a loving viewpoint maximizes your strategic potential. It is the massive wisdom of the evolutionary process, which created the emotion of love. The simulation and application of love can give you a powerful strategic vision for your business. It swiftly presents helpful data and empowers you to make decisions, which will, in the end, benefit all life. Love has a bearing on the larger realms of your business. A kinder view perceives that the efforts of your competitor does also expand the potential of your business. Jointly, you may find solutions to the problems in your industry. When you care for your customer and the environment, you will make adjustments, which will ultimately enhance the reputation of your business. Incredibly, the whole strategic plan can be set in motion with a simple decision to view the world with kindness.

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Mainstream Propheteering - Prophets Seeking Profits

2008-05-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

With so many wealth and business gurus out there, how's a person to know what is real and what is not. Today's knowledge campaign trail is filled with new renditions of very old songs but are all worthy of an attentive ear? The problem presents itself in deciding which wannabe prophet we want to follow. True, all of us have a gift or message that needs to be shared but there is a certain level of integrity that must prevail in earning the respect of an audience. And unfortunately our standards for "FOLLOWSHIP" have become somewhat turned inside out.

In fact, it's almost fashionable to be inappropriately popular. This brings to mind the MAFIA. Growing up in the seventies, gurus were plenty and the MAFIA was still quietly regarded as the GOOD BAD GUY. Meaning, it's okay to kill, mame and pass judgment as long as you make some philanthropic demonstration to balance the scales. Today the MAFIA is not what it used to be (the popular clique on the block) but there are other similar social scams out there; some far more deceptive than the mafia of the 70's could have ever imagined. These can be identified in every facet of life; music, education, government, business, spirituality and healthcare. It's called "politics"... I call it "propheteering".

Propheteering is a strategy used to market ideas and make icons or gurus out of great actors and actresses. Little attention is given to the integrity of the message. In fact, they can be singing the same song and consumers are made to believe it is something new. I don't care if we are voting for a President or looking to sign up our company with a business consulting firm promising wealth, we must look at the intention behind the firm. Intention is everything.

Questions to ask:

1. Is there more than one expert on staff?

2. Is the playground shared in terms of promoting the product or is the attention primarily focused on one or two individuals in terms of making the OPRAH circuit?

3. Do company representatives serve well outside of their career pursuit?

If the answer is yes to all three questions, make an appointment to listen to their sales pitch. We don't need anymore Prophets seeking Profit. We need people serving people.

Perhaps I'm dating myself, but remember when the customer came first and was always right?

I do.

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Concerning Business Ethics

2008-05-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ethics is not an easy path, in most cases, nor is it a path taken by businesspersons without thought or consideration. That is not saying that ethical decision-making is complicated (although in some cases it may be confusing and culturally complicated, and we shall think through that), but even decisions that are not complicated are not always easy courses to take. Let's take a close look at some of the kinds of situations and events that may arise in the ethical daily travels of a businessperson and consider whether the right choice is easy, or not. As a side thought, remember that some ethical and moral decisions are small in the grand scheme of business, but those decisions, like a dripping faucet now, can become a flood later.

Decisions that do not overtly attract moral condemnation, but nonetheless contain value judgments and may be considered more or less ethical across cultures, are made every day in organizations throughout the globe, for instance, think about these decisions, shall I call in sick to have a day off, or, should I use the office telephone to make a private call?

Ethics in business is serious whether we speak about stealing from one's company, doing personal business on the corporate clock, or rigging the accounting process to hide (or at least try to hide) a multi-billion dollar corporation financial scandal. Is there a dilemma in the businessperson's life surrounding ethics and integrity, or have we made it seem so, and in fact is there always a right choice available?

The point is, as Drucker noted in 1974, any means can be justified if the end is determined to be for the overall good. We will examine several issues; the perspective of clarity and precision versus flexibility, top-down influence versus bottom-up influence, substance versus process, confrontation versus compromise, and tangible versus intangible. In most cases, research shows that the best choice (at least in business environments like the United States) is to have a corporate code of ethics (integrity), and in the larger corporate enterprises, there is usually a compliance division with a hotline, and webpage. This is the best arrangement for a business, and if the top leadership has given thought to the matter, there should be no confusion, or complication in the matter of ethics/integrity.

In CSO Magazine, March 2004 edition, a Chief Security Officer wrote anonymously about a scattered approach in the corporate environment that did not comprehensively define or guide the corporate body in the area of integrity and ethics. If this individual reports a situation that is a reflection of the condition of this important matter in corporate America, then the situation may be that the Enron fiasco is doomed for repetition.

Ethics and integrity in business would seem to beg for a well-defined, and fully trained (and regularly reviewed) corporate code of ethics/integrity. Should integrity be focused from a top-down perspective or can it be driven from the bottom-up? It seems the prevailing thought is that it is best driven from the top down. One could certainly agree that either an executive, or an executive sponsored committee writes policies and procedures at departmental level, and then the HR training directorate normally provides the written guide and training to the corporate body.Cultural issues will confuse and provide a bit of complication in the matter of ethics and integrity. The debate over child labor has been a contentious and difficult matter, with the arguments rising about the need for a family to survive even if that survival comes in part by a working child. In addition, the use of prison labor brings the debate over rehabilitation and instilling a strong work ethic, and can there be harm in a company accruing some benefit from that labor.

Change in this cultural ethical confusion has begun as following the Asian financial crisis many Asian businesses are rethinking their ethical stances and applying a system of governance that is clearer, and more professional, which several management researchers indicate is modeled on Western business practices.

Sometimes there is difficulty in decision-making where ethics is concerned due to confusion since a practice may be ethically problematic and legal today, but then the law may change tomorrow rendering that business practice both illegal and problematic ethically. What must the course of action for the manager and the company be at this point? It is a conundrum that many companies must face as BP did in the early 1980's by making a corporate choice to act more responsibly in relation to the environmental area.

Clarity and precision are fine goals for the ethics and integrity of a business and they encourage improved communication and understanding as to context, tone, timing, and reference points. The final question is how to implement the better practices once they are decided? Here are a few methods that may assist in ensuring clear policies, goals, and the code of ethics are well communicated; peer discussion groups, regular or ad hoc stakeholders' discussion groups, appropriate information and decision-making systems, and training for managers in necessary ethical decision-making competences. Certainly this is a start, many of the questions and struggles around this business ethics area will be resolved by personal decisions within the mind of the individual worker. Yes, it is a start, but there is a ways yet to travel.

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Business Person of Integrity

2008-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I believe that all of us can be honest if we really want to. It is not something that comes naturally to us, because we are selfish creatures, we are apt to only think about ourselves and what we can get out of the situation. Well if all of us take that attitude we are in a pitiful shape. I am a business owner and i have purposed in my business that i will have integrity and honesty in my dealing with my customers. I will work to the end to make sure that what i say, that i will do, and what i sell i will stand behind. I will not sell a product that i can't get behind 100% and know that the quality is good for me and for my customers. So many times we think that we need to sell anything in order to make a dollar, well that is not true for me.

I will not sell certain things, simply because i need to make a dollar. It is important to me to be able to tell my customers that i use what i sell, that i cook with and will give what i sell to my family as gifts so that they know that what i am doing is of importance to me. I believe that integrity is short sited for so many people today, and we just go along with what someone else is doing. Well that just not good enough for me. When i stand before God i want him to say "WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT" . All of us have the opportunity to be honest and to have integrity, but will we? I am just one person who has decided to live a life that shows my ethics and to live what i say i believe, and to do what i say i will do, what about you. You can decide today to treat others as you want to be treated, or to talk to others as you would want to be talked to, or live your life doing unto others as you would want them to do onto you. Now what would happen if all of us as of this day decided to have integrity in our dealing with us, not just in our business life, but in our everyday life as well.

A few years ago i allowed my circumstances to dictate whether or not i would be honest in a situation, this is the story: we went into a grocery store and the cashier forgot to ring a large item, and i didn't tell her that she had forgotten to ring the item, so i paid her what she said i owed her and i left the store, my husband said we didn't pay for that piece of meat and you knew that the cashier didn't charge us, so we should go back and pay for it now, i said absolutely not it was her mistake not mine. Well not the end of the story, we argued about this for sometime and it really caused a great deal of confusion in our marriage.

The thing that came out of this was, we agreed that from that moment on we would not allow our needs to dictated our integrity, you see we had just gotten married and our money was very tight and i tried to rationalize that maybe that was a blessing from God, well of course you know that God will not give us a stolen blessing. So we agreed that if someone gave us to much we would tell them and give back the overage, or if they owed us we would tell them and get back what was owed us, and i can truly say that from that time forward we have tried to live our lives using that philosophy. We have chosen to have integrity and honesty in our lives on a daily basis.

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Why A Code Of Ethics For A Home Or Small Business?

2008-05-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

We have seen Conrad Black, Martha Stewart, Enron, Tyco, and countless others in the headlines as their career or business is examined to see "what went wrong?" Newspaper headlines scream about insider trading, companies cooking their books, and other scandals involving business executives at mostly major corporations. Even today, many are questioning the ethics of lenders and investors in the sub-prime market as people are losing their homes to foreclosure and investors are losing their money through direct or indirect involvement. Why was money lent to people who could not afford payments when normal market rates would come into effect? Why would lenders package these loans without identifying the inherent risk of them to the purchasers?

Scandals such as these tarnish the reputations of business in general, including the small business owner. Investors perceive higher risk, customers are more wary, and the financial industry gets reluctant to extend credit. In spite of this, many small-business owners think a written code of ethics unnecessary. There are even more home businesses that would not believe that a code of ethics is necessary for them. This assumption is simply false. There is a huge benefit to having a written code of ethics for the small business including your home business.

A code of ethics will identify to suppliers, customers, contractors, and employees what behavior is up to standard and what is not. We will come across ethics violators in the normal course of business and we must stand firm to our code of ethics and avoid dealing with these people.

A written code of ethics identifies those basics that you consider essential in operating a business of integrity and character. Communicating this on your website and other informational material will give you an advantage in the marketplace. If you live by it, you will have the added benefit of being able to sleep at night.

A useful code of ethics will have some basic ingredients such as adherence to applicable laws, conflicts of interest to avoid, sexual or other harassment, workplace safety, environmental concerns, industry rules, regulations and practice as well as accuracy of financial information. Be careful however, as one culture or society's norms may not be the same as yours. For example, some locales require that "special inducements" be paid in order to obtain or carry on business. Or it may be that oppression against people exists where the business will occur. What will the rules be around this? The code of ethics should address these issues.

The code of ethics must fit with the personality, values, and mission of the particular small business. As confusing as it may sound, ethics are a very personal thing. For example, one person may think it unethical (at least to that person) to sell a product of questionable value, while another will say that the determination of value is made by the buyer and to withhold the good from sale would be unethical. (This example assumes that no fraud or misrepresentation occurred.) It will help if you can include your stakeholders in developing appropriate pieces of your code of ethics, thereby gaining a second opinion.

In the examples stated above, a code of ethics was in place, but they were ignored, not understood, or the people involved justified their transgressions as being "in the greater good". So simply having a code of ethics is not enough. Post your code of ethics, and set up a reporting system that could include accepting anonymous reports. While you don't want to encourage a culture of "tattle-tales", stakeholders will need a way to inform someone about any ethics violations they may see. Most important is to show others that you live by the code of ethics yourself. Living by a set of high values will garner trust and confidence in the business and you. They will be then willing to discuss areas of concern with you.

Failing to act on ethics violations will disable even the best intentioned of your efforts just as failing to announce and endorse your code of ethics to your stakeholders renders it practically meaningless. When formulating your code of ethics policy, specify what consequences go with lapses and breaches. Your leadership skills will be tested as you strive to holding people to ethical conduct. But it is worth the peace of mind.

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How Healthy Ethics Work - Principles, Processes, Evolution & Revolution

2008-05-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

In the realm of ethical decision-making, familiarity breeds a kind of ethical stability. In other words, as long as the people, cultural setting, values and issues are relatively known to those involved, then the kinds of ethical decisions those people are required to make will be sufficiently familiar for them to do so in relatively manageable ways. Being ethical will be neither too challenging nor too difficult for them to understand. Thus, ethical familiarity breeds ethical stability.

Newness and change, however, can breed a kind of ethical instability. When new people enter the setting bringing a very different culture and a somewhat different set of values, and having different customs and practices, then it is likely that new problems will arise among and between both groups. The meeting and interchange between and among the principles and processes familiar to these groups is where the difficulties arise. To use a different vocabulary, this is a conflict between their principles and processes.

Ethical Principles are the values and preferences of a group as imagined, articulated and understood. They expect that all the ordinary activities of life revolve around them. They actually see and perceive the reality of the world from the perspective of those values and preferences. For example, a group will articulate just how much and what kinds of assertive behaviors are allowed (e.g., organized sports) and which ones are outlawed (e.g., gladiatorial combat & dueling to the death).

Ethical Processes are the ways in which ethical decisions are made. This includes how the ethical principles and issues are perceived, how they are analyzed, how the principles are applied and how competing principles are seen in relationship to each other. For example the ancient Oath of Hippocrates "not to administer a poison nor to recommend such a course" seems clear, and yet, in modern medical practice "chemo-therapy" is precisely that, the administration of poison, but in a controlled and prudent manner for the good health of the patient. Indeed, the Hippocratic Oath has changed with time. Clearly competent health care professionals had to actively engage a moral dilemma, analyze the facts, and with great information and imagination, devise and risk a new course of action. Hence, big changes can come about, but ideally of course, only with careful, responsible, competent and reasonable engagement by all concerned.

The Reality of Ethical Evolution and Revolution: The process of applying principles can be anything from simple and easy to most complex and difficult. Circumstances and situations demand a nuanced appreciation for many ethical issues. That is why civilizations have developed classes or professions of judges of all sorts (e.g., the judiciary, boards of review, and umpires in athletic contests) who spend their time studying, practicing, reviewing, assessing, weighing and deciding within the contexts of real-life issues. It is from just such considerations as these that principles and processes are sometimes found to meet their limits because of changes in circumstances, situations, knowledge and popular moral insight and acceptance. Some ethical principles and processes formerly considered ethical become unethical (e.g., those allowing for slavery and polygamy, and vigilante law enforcement and dueling, respectively). Some principles and processes formerly considered unethical become ethical (e.g., charging interest on loans, and economic capitalism and chemo-therapy, respectively). And to make things even more complicated, there often develops a rationale for exceptions to the ordinary ethical norm.

For the various ethics systems of principles and processes to be healthy, meaningful and manageable, both principles and processes must be in constant states of development, evolution and revolution. Thus, we must avoid taking refuge in a few preferred principles in order to avoid healthy growth or genuinely new issues. We must also beware of becoming so shallow and unhealthy as to have simplistic or silly principles. Likewise, we must reform and revise ethical processes (even some ancient ones) some of whose effectiveness have diminished and even become destructive (e.g., tribal prejudices, cultural hatreds and superstitious beliefs) in the various 21st Century, cosmopolitan, multicultural ethical frames of reference. (Yes, there are numerous healthy ethical systems in the world.) And, we must avoid having ethical processes which are far too complicated for ordinary society members to grasp, understand and find effective in ordinary daily life. All ethics is personal. The ultimate ethical question is how both the collective society and society's individual members are helped by the ethical principles and ethical processes we embrace and use.

Healthy ethical dynamics between and among ethical principles and ethical processes are crucial to making good sense a way of life.

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Active Ethical Thinking

2008-05-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Perhaps we've all had the experience of being in an unpleasant, distasteful and messy situation which demanded that we make an ethical choice among undesirable options. In the midst of the anguish, we yearned for the problem to be a clear-cut, "black or white" no-brainer. But, it didn't happen! Reality has a way of not going away whether we deny it or wish it away!

But, happily, we got through those trying times. And, here we are, to live another day, and to engage in more of those very messy life situations. In fact, every life has them. We can avoid them sometimes, but not completely. In fact, such challenges can bring out the best from within us. But, what were we doing? And how did we do it?

WHAT were we doing? We were engaging life fully, as thoughtfully and intuitively as we could, with our abilities. We were actually working hard at "active ethical thinking," i.e., grappling with the messiness of life using the various values, hopes and realities of which life is made. Among the first principles of engaging reality is the acknowledgment that life is messy. One's willingness to engage that complexity in noble and virtuous ways is what makes life a thoughtfully ethical endeavor.

But, HOW did we do it? There were a number of dynamic tools we used even if we were not aware of them.

The Accurate Perception of Reality: Whether the situation developed slowly or suddenly, whether we liked it or not, we had to figure out what was going on with sufficient truth so as to be able to engage realistically and appreciate what was happening. Naming the problem truthfully is the first step in coping with reality. Inaccurate labeling is always destructive.

Thoughtful Consideration: One must have thought about what was happening and what might be the possible ways of responding. We had to be realistic, intelligent and wise all at the same time. Some of this effort was intellectual (i.e., reasoned out) and some was intuitive (i.e., more instinctively felt). This might have happened very fast because some issues are nearly instantaneous in their demands and require quick response.

Engagement with Reality: Dealing with the truth and applying genuine abilities to the situation is the real business of life. This might have included everything from philosophical insights to the survival instinct. But, all our human intelligence and intuition worked together to allow us to engage the situation well enough to be effective.

An Ethical Frame of Reference: In other words, the contexts and perspectives from which we worked -- our background experiences and memories, the information we possessed and our abilities to process all that information applying the ethical principles and lessons we have learned - determined much of how we approached the issue. From such a frame of reference we engaged the problem applying wisdom and taking risks all at the same time.

Once I had to compose a definition of "being moral" in order to teach a class of gifted high school students. It is quite challenging to put a huge concept into a few words, but here is the definition I crafted: To be moral means to freely do the truth in justice and in love.

By elaborating on those four components (freedom, truth, justice and love) I was able to describe and nuance the messiness of life from the perspective of active ethical thinking. Active ethical thinking is not merely about avoiding the wrong and embracing the right. (Believe it or not, one can arguably avoid breaking any of the famous 10 Commandments by merely doing nothing at all!) Active ethical thinking is about engaging life as fully, intelligently and wisely as possible so as to be good and do well all at the same time. Active ethical thinking is possibly the most effective approach to making good sense a way of life!

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Ethics - The Beating of the Heart in Business and in Life

2008-05-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ethics is all around us. Just turn on the radio or TV, open up a newspaper and you can read about how a variety of people are handling this critical issue of ethics.

Ethics originated from the Greek word ethos that means character. Today we use ethics to mean someone who demonstrates high character to positive behavior. Ethics goes to the heart of individuals' behaviors.

With the political season in full swing, we can truly understand how ethics are the beating heart in business and in life as all candidates share their business backgrounds. I read an editorial discussing the right to vote in the Indiana primary and in this discussion stated "Limbaugh with questionable ethics". What is interesting this is the first time I have read this qualifier given in our area of Northwest Indiana where many of the elected officials have questionable ethics. One would think it would put the same phrase after the majority of those running for national office.

Another political ad that ran in the state of Indiana talked about how this candidate would not "sell Indiana's assets." The current Indiana governor, Mitch Daniels, did not sell state's assets, but leased them.

Gov. Daniels borrowed a strategy from Mayor Daley (Mayor of Chicago, IL) who also leased a major highway. A lease allows the owner to retain all rights such as in leasing an apartment. This candidate's business ethics not to mention business acumen and self leadership from my perspective are at best questionable.

Much emphasis is directed to business C Level executives who make millions of dollars compared to average workers. Yes, some of these C Level individuals are unethical. Others just worked really hard to get to where they wanted to go. Yet, it appears that those in private industry, Limbaugh included, are held to a higher standard than elected officials who are entrusted with the public's trust. Does this really make sense?

The demonstration of self leadership through individual character and this includes business ethics should be consistent for everyone. This consistency begins with each of us as we conduct our daily business actions.

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Top 10 Things That Improve Work Ethic

2008-05-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

10. Have a ridiculously comfortable desk chair: The nicer your chair is, the longer you can stand to sit in it before your desk without having to get up because you're antsy. And of course if you're antsy and walking around the office with a general aimlessness, you're not working.

9. Make a To-Do List: Lists are great because the simple act of making the list gives you something to do in those moments of lost energy when you don't actually want to be working. By making a list you'll find yourself doing something remotely work related, and you may simply motivate yourself by looking at the sheer length of a list of things you have to get accomplished! (The Tasks feature in Microsoft Outlook works great for this.)

8. Be Better Than Someone: You don't have a lot of control over this, so pick your target wisely. Nothing makes people feel better about themselves than feeling like they're better than someone else. Choose your target- it could be a parent, sibling, friend, or even a lackluster coworker. The smug sense of satisfaction you get from besting this person will be enough to keep you driven every day to never lose your edge.

7. Set up Google Reader or Technorati: You can tell yourself that you're just taking time out of your busy day to keep up to date with the latest industry news, but what you're really doing is reading a few industry blogs intertwined with Popsugar or Best Week Ever. If having your own personal interest blogs mixed in with the industry ones make it easier to remember to read blogs, do it. You may not be enriching your working knowledge as much as you'd like to think, but the industry stuff will stick and you'll be able to bust out interesting relevant factoids in meetings and the latest celebrity gossip at the water cooler.

6. Piss off your Friends and Family: This is a surefire way to free up your time for more work at the office. If everyone you know outside of work is mad at you, that removes the temptation (or option?) to go out after work for drinks or spend your weekends poolside with the family. Who needs weekends anyway? Just lost opportunities for more work!

5. Supplies: Make sure you have the supplies you need to do your job. If you're running out of staples, get some. If a certain program would increase your productivity 10%, ask for it and make your case. It's much easier to do the job when you have everything necessary. Once you get into the niche where there's not much else for you to ask for you'll be able to apply all these tools to hone your skills and do a better job. You have to prove to the company that you're worth investing in.

4. Money: Of course, that's what we're all in this game for, right? Get the jobs that get you the khakis that get you the chicks. I believe it's probably a fact that your work ethic and dedication to the company goes up exponentially as your salary goes up. Don't be afraid to ask for a raise every year if you've seriously been rockin' at work. Be sure to do something that makes the bigwigs take note and want to give you more money and you'll find it's much easier to get out of bed in the morning!

3. Befriend your Coworkers: If you have a vested interest in the people around you, inherently that comes with a vested interest in how work goes for them. A job well done on your friendly coworkers' part will often help make your job easier, and vice versa. As long as you have a mutual respect for what your coworkers are trying to accomplish and how that fits in with your goal, you will be more willing to go the extra mile on your end. Eventually your coworkers will reciprocate by making something easier for you and it will become a productive cycle.

2. OCD: OCD, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, really helps in those tedious projects that just need doing. Spend hours late into the night working at something as boring as updating a database for formatting for the simple reason that everything HAS to be right. Not only with this give you a false motivation to get a project done, but your supervisors will gladly take advantage of this affliction of yours and praise the results!

1. Care: It's as simple, really, as caring about doing a good job. Have some pride in what it is you produce or how it is you help the company overall to succeed. If you genuinely care about doing your job well, that's really all you'll need to motivate yourself and have a great work ethic.

Business online blog

Banks Change Rules For Whose Benefit?

2008-05-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Recently we believed the tax advantage to having all our credit card debt moved to an equity account would be simple and painfree. We set the plan in motion made an appointment, signed papers, tried calling to verify the loan payment and loan agreement during the 3 day cool off period. No one answered the phone at the branch and there were no clear answers from the coroporate office. We soon received our first scheduled payment invoice. The bank had set up the plan to be paid off in five years. We signed a contract for a 30 year loan, and not a 5 year loan. So they could change it to 25, but not 30, and we would still have to make a high payment. Which bank, you might ask? After seeing the news that 7 to 8 thousand homes are foreclosed every day, I believe it could be any bank.

I am receiving an interest free transfer check for our credit card for the same amount, so I plan to pay the bank off instead of being bothered with the ethics of a bank that quotes great rates for new clients, but much higher for existing clients. There are proactive steps we can take when a bank is unethical. The court system is not always the best place, but it can be valuable for those who cannot negotiate with a bank.

I tell insurance sales people all the time that if they are not ethical with me, someone else might be even more unethical to their family. They are the one who stands in the way of ethics and kind treatment. Each one of us makes a difference where we stand and how we allow others to treat us, as well as how we treat others.

fundraising

There Is No Such Thing As Business Ethics

2008-05-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Are you ethical in your business dealings? Are you ethical in your personal dealings? There are many people that would say that your business ethics and your personal ethics have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but truthfully they have everything to do with each other because there is no such thing as business ethics. You are either ethical in life or your not!

I look at the state of business in America today and I believe that the lack of ethics and character are a large part of the downturn in our economy over the past years. Some may say that there have always been scandals in business and government and I would agree with that but at no other time in history has it ever been as excepted as it is today. In today's society people think it's just business as usual if they have to lie and cheat to get ahead. As terrible as that sounds it is true! Where do people get the idea that being unethical is ok? In large part I think they see the scandals of former presidents, CEO's, right down to the people on their children's school boards making unethical decisions and doing unethical things. This problem will only continue to get worse until we, the American citizens stand up and say no more! We need to begin teaching Americas youth that there is right and there is wrong. To many people are to busy worrying about doing what it takes to get ahead whatever the cost , to realize the example we are setting for the next generation.

Are you willing to cheat on your golf score? If you go to the grocery store and the cashier gives you change for a $20 bill when you only gave her a $10 bill do you correct her? The sad thing is that most people are willing to cheat on a golf score and would not correct the cashier. With that being said if people are willing to cheat on their golf score than why would they not be willing to cheat on their taxes or not follow through with a business deal? People don't think of not correcting the cashier as stealing but it really is! If someone is willing to steal from the grocery store where they shop, than what would stop them from stealing from your companies expense account? There in lies the problem. Now you have to understand I don't come to you with this all figured out nor am I up on a high horse looking down on anybody but I do believe we all need to work a lot harder on making honest and ethical decisions in our lives and having a zero tolerance policy for those we associate with . We need some true leader to stand up and say no more. It starts as just a few people and then it becomes infectious and will continue to spread. What we are striving for is to restore ourselves as men and women, to rewind to a time when you could seal a deal with a handshake and your good word after all, a mans word is his worth (this applies to women too). It is up to you and me to demand of those we deal with on a daily basis to have high moral standards and a strong code of ethics!

What steps will you take to ensure your future in business and in life? I know for me it is a daily battle to do as I say to be on time to tell the complete truth and point out unethical things to those who are doing them and help rectify the situation. Let us stand together as one united nation and demand that our government, businesses and families stand on a foundation of strong principles and values. Only we can make the difference! Here's to a brighter future and a stronger nation, god bless!

To Your Success

Chad DeMay

change management

Beware of Fake Consumer Protection Websites

2008-05-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

You've found a product. You think it's good. But you're just not sure. What will tip you over the edge to make that purchase decision?

For many people it's reviews on consumer protection websites. These are sites that warn you to stay away from certain products while reviewing and recommending others.

The problem is that many of these consumer protection websites are set up by the owners of the products themselves. In fact some consumer protection companies in the past have gone so far as to set themselves up as a 501(3)(C) organization with nonprofit status in order to lend even more credibility to their recommendations.

And don't be bamboozled by website names. Just because a site has "authority" or "official" or even "government" in it's name doesn't mean it's a credible site. Anybody can buy a domain name with these words in it. You'll probably recognize this as a offshoot of the old direct mail trick of sending mailings in official looking envelopes. Anyone who's ever opened up one of those mailings and become instantly annoyed will know what I mean.

The worst part is that fake consumer protection sites are probably found most often by people searching for work at home jobs or work at home businesses. And often these people are desperate to find work and make quick decisions without regard to logic.

Legitimate consumer protection sites can be broken down into several categories. The following are just a few of these categories.

The first consumer protection sites are ones run by the government. Any site ending with ".gov" is a legitimate U.S. government site. Many sites ending with .us are state or local U.S. government sites. But don't always count on it because it is possible for individuals and companies to register .us domains. However, it's usually pretty easy to figure out if a .us site is a legitimate government site or not.

Then there are well know consumer protection sites such as BBB.org, Fraud.org, of course ConsumerReports.org are sites that have proven themselves to be reliable over time. However you still need to use these sites in conjunction with other resources. For example, just because the BBB lists multiple complaints against a company doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad company. You still need to know the volume of business the company does since obviously 100 complaints against a company that does 500 transactions per year is much different than 100 complaints against a company that does 500,000 transactions per year.

One other thing you should know about well known, legitimate consumer protection sites is that sometimes websites will hijack their logo and place it on their website to make their own site look more credible. In other words, they are using an unapproved logo on their website. There are two extra steps you should take when you see a consumer protection organization's logo on a website. One, you should click on the logo as most legitimate consumer protection logos are clickable and will take you to the members directory. If the logo isn't clickable you should see if there's a members directory on the consumer protection website and try to locate the website in the members directory.

A trickier area is affiliate review sites which generate their profits by generating commissions from products sold via their reviews. The paradox is that some of the best reviews of products are found at affiliate review sites that have a loyal following because many affiliate review websites have built up a loyal following and they aren't willing to make a bad recommendation to make a buck and lose their audience. To evaluate the reliability of an affiliate review site don't just look at the products they do and don't recommend. You should also look at what negative comments they make about the products that they do recommend and whether they identify for whom the product may be a good fit and for whom it may not be a suitable fit. Certainly there is no perfect product and there is also no perfect product for everyone, so if a reviewer claims to have found a perfect product, be very wary of the recommendation.

There are certainly other categories of consumer protection websites and other tricks that the bad guys play to make you believe that their legitimate. But hopefully this information will help you navigate the often tricky waters of product reviews and consumer protection websites.

customer services

Keep Your Business From Doing Risky Business

2008-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things that a business has to think of to avoid "risky business". One of them is facing & dealing with the EEOC (EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION). Many companies do not want to face an EEOC complaint. So company managers & owners should treat everyone fairly in order to reduce the chance of having a complaint filed against you and your company. You are not immune to having complaints filed against you but you can lessen the chance. If specific measurements are not in place and applied equally, a company is open to potential exposure and a "risky business" situation.

How do you minimize some of your exposure to charges of "unfair treatment"? Begin by objectively positioning each and every job, using a comprehensive position description.

A solid, up-to-date description is essential for all positions. It is critical that each and every job description be clearly and objectively written so that all parties understand. Also, so no one can justify major differences of opinion or make accusations that you have treated people differently. You will be measuring specific items, and everyone will be measured the same way.

The major elements of any position description should include these items:

reports toprimary duties and responsibilities success behaviors and attitudes soft-skill competencies performance measurementsexperience, education and special considerations

Each of these factors measure success in the job. Make sure that all employees are measured against these expectations--irrespective of race, gender, etc....

Managers should began to outline the primary duties and responsibilities for their areas of responsibility, that's the easy part.Then a manager could have a rough outline of "what" each job entails. An example: "Sell to existing clients. Develop new relationships."

A sometimes a difficult part of the process can be in outlining specific behaviors, attitudes and soft-skill competencies for each position. Each participant should be asked to complete an objective questionnaire that measures these critical factors. Once everyone sees the results of the input, it can be easy to add the "how" factors to the job descriptions, along with the underlying, measurable attitudes/ values that would enhance success. Managers will be able to prioritize and add several soft-skill competencies to the descriptions.

Through this process, managers may discover their relief, that they could objectively measure success in every job. They will now have methods for measuring each one of the identified success factors against the same standard.

Performance measurements may be equally difficult to develop. Some may have never considered adding this element to a position description. Management may end up in agreement on several specific, measurable performance objectives. Here is one example: "Achieves or exceeds all daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual sales objectives within an assigned sales territory."

With the toughest part of the work done, the next step is to define the specific types of experiences and education each position requires. Managers may discovered that if they have some general requirements for experience and education, they would actually broaden the base of possible candidates and could begin to think about including a wider variety of candidates for the job.

Make the final element "Special Considerations." For some jobs, this can be simple: "Ability to travel as needed." Sometimes managers hire salespeople who can not or will not travel.

To avoid this,give each person in a sales position a clear understanding of the jobs requirements. Better-qualified employees can be hired; performance ratings are up; employee discipline is down. Everyone is being measured against the same standard.

Risky business? Some managers may not think so. By doing this, a manager can minimized the risk to their business. Then they will be measuring all aspects of a persons performance fairly and consistently against specific, measurable expectations.

Business online blog

Business Ethics Is All About Your Character

2008-05-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine walking up to a restaurant for an early morning breakfast and before going in, you make a decision to buy a newspaper from one of the various vending machines. However, before you can deposit your coinage, you observed the following:

Two small business owners or possibly businessmen walked up to another newspaper vending machine. One deposited the proper coins and opens the door to take his paid for newspaper. Then he asks his companion if he would like one as well? A second newspaper is removed without payment. The companion then jokes about receiving 2 newspapers for the price of one.

I personally witnessed this scenario. What I did was to take the necessary coins from my own pocketbook and deposit them into the machine. I opened the door and then closed the door without taking a newspaper. The two small business owners or executives now stared at me in disbelief.

As I approached the restaurant door, one of the businessmen opened the door, but he could not look me in the eyes. He knew he did wrong, but he thought that no one else would see. And he probably else thought that everyone else does it so why not?

Business ethics is all about character. And character is all about doing the right thing when no one else is looking.

I call this self leadership because if you cannot lead yourself well by demonstrating character when no one else is looking how can you lead others?

One of the most consistent complaints that I hear from small business owners is about the lack of work ethics such as employees who do not give an hour of work for an hour of pay. Yet, how many of their executives, supervisors and managers are doing the same thing?

Possibly, these two small business owners thought that rank had its privileges or that they had already paid their fair share? Earning a certain position does merit some additional benefits, but rank does not give permission to steal, to be disrespectful, to be unethical.

Given that our actions are open to everyone to see and hear, we in the business world must be consistently executing the right actions through our work ethics demonstrated by our self leadership skills. For failure to do so, will only cause us harm sometime down the road or the path to the restaurant door when we fail to notice who is observing our business ethics.

Transparency Motivates Understanding

2008-05-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Life is too short for all the hostility that lies beneath the surface of our society caused by misunderstandings, disagreements and lies. Is talk so cheap that words have lost their value? What can you do to guarantee that what you say professionally and personally holds value, motivates understanding and achieves effectiveness?

Assumptions let mistakes accumulate while dishonesty continues to multiply. When you hear contradictions, do you go beyond the surface and find the missing pieces? How many times do issues surface later, when you realize that you didn't understand what the person was asking for or explaining to you?

The ability to see through the spin associated with what you hear takes familiarity or research to substantiate the information. Your decisions are only as good as the facts and data you base them on. How reliable is the person you're taking with?

When in doubt, ask yourself these two questions.

Does it make sense?

Does this feel right?

If the answer to either question is no, the direction you're going in needs clarification. When you hear excuses or contradictions, the story is changing - beware. You can prevent deception by being actively conscious. Check out the specifics and when you find inconsistencies deal directly with that individual. You verify who's trustworthy or not.

Always clarify so you know for sure.

Patience and common sense represents qualities that enable you to listen to all sides without jumping to conclusions. The more you understand why people do the things they do, there's less stress to contend with. When you acknowledge and accept the reality of the situation, that honest interpretation adds value to your evaluation.

Understanding requires a higher level of interpretation than simply knowing.

We're all totally distinctive, yet exceptional. There's a part of you inside of everyone. Finding out what you have in common with someone instead of what you don't like, adds positive energy. If you're only looking for the person's weakness, your insecurities are out weighting your potential.

When words resonate attitudes with derogatory or condescending that approach is critical and defensive, not advantageous. But when words are complimentary and enlightening, the energy of the conversation is encouraging and optimistic.

Transparency holds the truth-value of your logic and actions combined.

Doing the right thing for the right reasons strengthens your sensibilities. When you're not falling backwards-correcting mistakes, the value of your time increases. Your decisions are comprehensive and you're providing solutions not excuses, moving forward being more productive.

Eliminate the nonsense of lies, that will always come back to haunt you. This incredible consciousness grows stronger with your desire for the truth.

Ethics share all these positive qualities when done consistently. Your business becomes less chaotic when you accept responsibility for your actions and accountability for the outcome. Credibility comes with understanding your associates and inspiring better standards. When you walk the talk and show by example, these illustrate the added value of your effectiveness.

The Secret Of How Not To Interact With A Qualified Network Marketing Sales Lead

2008-05-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

You hear it everywhere around the net..."the business is in the leads," without leads you have no business. You can find e-books and information about how to build up leads. But there is very few information about how to treat leads. And this is a very important matter because if you don't care about your leads you'll lose them as fast as you get them.

Network marketers are only looking for leads. The fact is that are thousands or millions of leads around but even so it is difficult to find a qualified lead. It takes time to extract this qualified lead out from the mass of other leads for your business and integrate it into your marketing network. When you have this lead integrated into your marketing network you than can make it shine for your purpose. But in order to make it shine there are some tricks and tips to observe on how to accomplish. There is an endless amount of information on a daily basis but all of them revolve about how to persuade any individual to buy from your company or to get him into your company and then you can offer him every time your product and this way pull out money like a money printer.

But is that really the case? Do most internet marketers, because of their need to pull money, forget that not everybody likes to be bombarded with all the information every day? It is good to be aggressive in the internet marketing but should there be also considered that not everybody likes to have all that crab in their daily mail? As a marketer you also have to consider the human side of your prospect and customer. All this composed information tells you how to persuade your customer you pull out his purse and how to attack him to pay you. But there is little being said about how not to interact with a qualified network marketing sales lead.

Sure, some training material will go so far as to advise you to know or to learn your material and not try to pull on over on the prospective lead; but even this is valuable advise it doesn't tell you or give you a list of items to avoid. The list of how not to interact with a prospect in the network marketing sales is relatively short.

1. Stay away from race, color, creed, nationality, and gender. It really does not matter if you personally believe that women make better salespeople than men, or that religious folks are more honest in their business dealings than those who do not profess any belief; even so it is not always the truth. These type of believes are sometimes very offensive and even your most qualified prospect will certainly not want to be caught up doing business with someone she or he perceives to be some kind of a fanatic.

2. The failure to present the company's information from a different angle than the one used in the marketing brochures. This false or incorrect interpretation of your marketing brochures will give your prospect the impression that you are not a serious marketer or that you don't know the printed facts and therefore lead to an insult of the lead's intelligence.

3. Don't answer your cell phone as you are spending time with your prospect; even if it might be a potential customer calling. Let always your prospect feel that he or she is the most important person in your universe. Your prospect needs this feeling of trust in order to integrate in your down line. He needs to feel that you care for him or her. Every prospect without this trust is difficult to convince to stay in your business.

4. Do not flaunt your wealth. Dress nice and do not show off with a Cartier watch of Armani suit. Just be normal and show your prospect discreetly what your business can do for a dedicated person without actually calling any overt attention to it.

5. But do not meet with your prospect as though you are unsuccessful. That means that you show up with cut off jeans, sneakers with holes, unwashed hair, and a free ball point pen from a hotel. This exposure of you will not inspire confidence to a person who is thinking of signing on as your network marketing sales lead. You as an entrepreneur, business person or sales agent, need to dress your part. Clothes make the man or woman.

accounting payroll news

Be Ethical In Your Dealings

2008-05-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Customers are what business is all about. Yet they are too often taken for granted by those who provide services and goods. How the consumer views the marketer is critical to successfully promoting their products.

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

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

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

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

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

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

change management

Ethics & Rolfing

2008-05-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ethics is defined as being a set of principles of right conduct, and as a Rolfer the therapeutic relationship necessitates this structure as much as it is defined by it. Les Kertay, Advanced Rolfer, defines ethics as the principles of a therapeutic relationship. In this brief review I will discuss insight into how and why problems arise in the therapeutic relationship spoken to at the 2002 Rolf Institute Annual Meeting, and give general principles/guidelines into begging the question "What is Rolfing?"

The basic assumption with Rolfing is that complaints stem from a failure of the therapeutic relationship or ethics. "What to do about what is", is the Rolfers ontological resource that should be used when engaging a past, current, or future client. It appears to be as much a philosophy as it is a psychology, a complete lifestyle, which in and of itself begs the question "What is Rolfing?" All health care relations are therapeutic relations and the phenomena known, as Transference/Counter transference that exists between a Rolfer and his clients is palpable, in all meetings. The nature of the work will magnetize expectations of fix-it sessions and or desires to process emotions through the sessions, this is where it can start to get sticky. The Rolfer is always responsible for the framework of the relationship that always includes Transference/Counter transference so the boundaries and framework should begin with an Informed Consent form. This will always serve as a resource when dealing with unrecognized/unexpressed expectations of a client, a misunderstanding. NEVER HAVE SEX WITH A CLIENT. Do not make exceptions; if you do you have just changed the context of the relationship! Do not do anything with a client that you cannot discuss openly and comfortably. Remember that clients may be seeking boundaries by testing them.

Problem clients can include those involved with workman's compensation or car accidents, which means an attorney is involved or soon will be so keep no secrets and give no guarantees. It is always best to be yourself in dealing with clients because you never know when you could be ordered to testify under oath or end the relationship. Make rules, don't break them. Never say, Rolfing can "do" anything, especially about pain, do not create expectations. It is also wise to separate the intake interview and the first session to give both parties time to gauge the potential or lack thereof. Some clients will jump around from every Rolfer in town so as to navigate control of the therapeutic relations. Don't get caught in the Victim Triangle.

"What is Rolfing?" Rolfing is an inquiry to the optimal functioning of the human being, so learn to tolerate ambiguity. It is a science, an art, a philosophy and psychology. It is action and non-action. It requires the practitioner to immerse him or herself in it completely, to merge with it. Honor the process by being completely unattached to expectations. Rolfing is the optimal functioning of the therapeutic relationship; so don't offer what the client doesn't want. Don't get caught in the trap of "trying" to legitimize Rolfing as if it needed recognition. This does not need recognition, it facilitates resource and points to a potential of higher order that does, and this is the manifestation of health in the context of the therapeutic relationship. Rolfing is always changing and adapting to the way of the human being. This, applied appropriately, is ethics at it's best.

In 2002 Les Kertay spoke at the annual meeting about ethics and therapeutic relationships and it was my intent to communicate the content within the context of Rolfing as he did. Ethics are the principles of the therapeutic relationship and Rolfing is our gift as somatic therapist to engage life fully.

The Certified Rolfing Ten Series has the potential to reduce pain and release tension in the connective and myofascial tissue of the body associated with TMJ, CTS, RLS, Fibromyalgia, Sciatica, Fascitis, Bunions, Scoliosis, and Cerebral Palsy. Fascial asymmetries can cause foot, leg, knee, hip, back, shoulder, neck, arm, hand, and head pain; integration therapy is necessary. Orthopedic, Chiropractic, Physical, and Massage Therapist recognize Rolfing and Rolf Movement as premium pain management utilizing Structural, Functional, and Postural Integration. John Barton, Certified Rolfer and Rolfing-Fort Worth-Dallas-Austin-Denton-Arlington.

advertising blog news

Handling The Problem Employee

2008-05-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine owns one of the largest independent web agencies on the East Coast. He is sharp, takes no prisoners and runs his company like a well-oiled machine. Business is great these days. Over the past five years he's had his ups and downs, but after reviewing the bigger picture, he is taking very cautious expansion steps. When last we spoke, he was focused on a larger space, getting investors and attracting top talent in full-time positions. Our phone conversation went something like this:

"We hired a full-time writer with great credentials and a killer resume."
"And the problem is?" I like to tease him for maximum effect...I knew where he was headed.
"Well, it turns out he can't write worth spit!"
"So rescind your offer and look for someone else."
"You don't understand...He starts full-time employment in two weeks."
"You signed an employment contract?"
"Yes."
"How did you not find this out sooner?"
"His references checked out and his writing samples were perfect...what should I do?"
"Did you talk to your lawyer?"
"Yes."

I come from the old school of management, so I suggested he fire the guy and let the chips fall where they may. But times are different. Firing someone when they are about to transition from one job to the other can leave even a small company in a precarious situation. 94% of all lawsuits in the world take place in the United States. Suing companies is big business here.

It turns out, my friend had done his due diligence. He saw no reason not to sign the employment contract. Mr. Incompetent put in his two weeks notice and was just about to start. Over a two-week period they had him get his feet wet by freelancing on some projects. It became apparent that this guy had grossly misrepresented himself. After sending me some samples, I realized this future employee was writing below a 6th grade level. At $85,000 a year, this had the potential to be a major lawsuit.

It seemed so cut and dry - employee can't do the job so fire him. But why can't he be fired before he starts?

I spoke with another colleague and friend Bruce Fuller, head of Human Resources at Newmark Night Frank of New York City. His response comes from 20 years as a human resource professional...

"To do this justice we have to crank back the video tape and ask a question: How in the world could an offer go out to a corporate writer at that salary and you didn't know he couldn't write? The manager who hired this person should be handed their hat. I would bet you a weeks pay his old company is laughing all the way to the bar because they were able to unload this lox on you. At this point the only cheap long shot way out is hoping for an unacceptable background report (If you do them. If you don't...double shame).

Alternatively, you can hire a good labor attorney who might be able to get you out of this deal, but it isn't going to be cheap. That's pretty much it. You're stuck and have to wait for an opportunity to rightfully terminate his employment. Hopefully you didn't add insult to injury by finding this person through an outside recruiter and paying a fee on top."

Ouch. But it happens all the time - The resume is perfect; the references check out, the writing samples were lightning strikes of brilliant Kafka-esque poetry that flowed like champagne. The advertising world would bow knowing the agency had pulled a major coup. One could almost see the CASIE awards lined up in the trophy case.

The problem is, this person misrepresented himself. Discovering that a potential or current employee has pulled the wool over your eyes can feel like betrayal of the highest degree. I personally have enough war stories on this subject to write a book.

The amount of duplicity that goes into creating such a ruse is astounding. The writing samples, the stable of friends and colleagues who are willing to lie, and the total lack of self-analysis begs to wonder if this person is best suited for life as a CIA agent instead of a writing career. Most of us know when it is time to step up to the next salary level. It's intuitive. (But then again, most of us have ethics and morals.) Others just want to go for the glory and the money without really taking a review of their capabilities. There's ambition and there's stupidity.

Thirty years ago this guy would have been fired. No questions asked. Incompetence was not tolerated. But today, employment law is big money, and incompetence seems to be rewarded with promotions. Driven by fear we seem to be living in a topsy-turvy world which is even worse at the executive levels. I've personally had bad managers pawned off on me only to find that they were the laughing stock of the industry. Lawyers have made it impossible to tell the truth about a former employee, and as a result, most new hires are becoming the rotten egg that gets passed from one place to another.

Over eight years ago the New York Times Magazine did a study and found that many high school students didn't know the difference between right and wrong. One of the most glaring results of the study was when teenagers were asked what defines a thief? One who steals or one who is caught stealing? More than 70% of the students answered the latter. So stealing is okay as long as you don't get caught? This is why so many bad employment stories like these are becoming the norm. It also explains why many corporations are putting into place background dossiers, blood tests, and a quick double check at the local police department, (just in case). Lying has become the norm.

Case in point: Many years ago one of my business partners hired a seasoned creative director. He did this by not going through HR, but instead, railroaded this guy down our throats. His mistaken belief was that this individual would make us competitive against the bigger agencies.

With a traditional background, this guy had just enough Internet experience on his resume to make him a shoo-in for the job. Despite having experience at the largest ad agencies in the world and a couple of years at a web agency in Chicago, something was fishy. The weird part is that we had very capable individuals already on staff with the same background; they just weren't seasoned enough for my business partner.

At five-foot-one-inch, this new creative director was a dead ringer for Davy Jones from the Monkees. From day one he treated the staff like dirt. Machiavellian in his approach to management, he couldn't understand why our staff went behind his back to complain. He vacillated from furious at those who questioned his authority, to trying to be your best buddy. Word spread quickly that Davy Jones was manic.

The next three months turned into hell. No one could control this guy. And as things got increasingly bad, employees began to quit. Worse yet, we couldn't fire him because we had signed an ironclad three-year contract. (In New York State, the contract is king). My business partners and I tried to find reasons to fire him. The only solution we had was to track every serious problem to build our case. After many discussions, he would tone down his act for a few weeks, then return to his unique, bristling style of management. His performance was great, but he was causing larger morale issues. No one wanted to work with him.

I predicted to my partners that this would end with him exploding or worse yet attacking one of our staff. Yes, his temper was that bad. I was sent away with no solutions. I am not a psychologist, but I know bipolar behavior when I see it.

Eventually, Davy Jones' anger got him in trouble. During a late night deadline, one of our art directors decided to use a different typeface for a national ad. Davy Jones decided to argue with him and eventually decided the best way to handle this situation was to strangle the living daylights out of the art director. (Imagine a five foot one inch man in high heeled cowboy boots attempting to strangle a six-foot two inch body builder with a European-American background. You get the picture of how silly this was.) That evening, our problem employee was escorted from the building in handcuffs.

If I had it to do all over again, Davy Jones would have been let go at the first sign of a problem. We lost five employees due to our inability to act. What kept us from doing so was the respect we had for our business partners' emotionally based arguments. Don't make the mistakes I did. Get rid of the problem fast. We were very lucky the employee who had been strangled didn't sue us for creating a hostile work environment.

Word on the street evidently spread, because soon afterwards, I began getting phone calls from Davy Jones' former employers telling me he was fired from his last five positions because of his violent reactions when challenged. I was told of one incident of Davy Jones' hitting the owner of the largest ad agency in Chicago. Why didn't his references tell me this earlier? Too little, too late.

So how does one handle a problem like this? Bruce Fuller gives us 3 steps to handling problem employees and the mock scenarios to justify your actions:

"This is very easy Brad. Document, document, document.

You must clearly state the problem in your documentation outlining the problem, the resolution, and the time period when the situation will be reviewed. Most importantly it must have the signature of the manager and the offending employee. If the employee is unwilling to sign the document, read it to him/her in front of a witness and have the witness sign confirming it was read to the offender.

I find that generally there are three documents needed as follows:

#1 First Offense Documentation

It has been brought to our attention that Little Johnny has been eating other people's lunches, which has been confirmed by our security camera in the fridge. Little Johnny has been told that this is a no-no and that if he continues to eat other people's ham and cheese he faces disciplinary action up to and including termination. We will review his lunch habits in one week.

#2 Second Offense Documentation

(appears that letter #1 was ineffective in changing the behavior) It has been two days since letter #1 and Little Johnny continues to eat other people's lunches. While we value Lil' J as an employee, this annoying habit must stop immediately or he will face disciplinary action up to and including termination. There will be no more warnings.

#3 Final Documentation and Termination Notice

This is a notice of termination of Little Johnny effective immediately. Despite two previous warnings he continues to eat people's lunches out of the fridge.

Don't forget that a bad employee attitude can be addressed in the same manner. No need to tolerate someone who poisons the work atmosphere.

The biggest problem is that managers delay starting the documentation process. The sooner the better."

Bruno Bettelheim in his book The Uses of Enchantment points out that when fairy tales have the moral lesson removed, we learn nothing about cause and effect. Taking responsibility for our choices is what adulthood is about. We now have an entire generation that thinks Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid and Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame both have happy endings. Haven't you noticed? No one does anything wrong these days, it's just shades of misunderstanding. You still get a trophy for showing up and CEO's get millions despite driving a company into the ground. This seems to be the result of removing the lessons of responsibility that makes a civilization last.

These stories are not generational either. I have many a story about older, wiser and seasoned individuals with no moral compass. The coming years are going to get sticky. Word on the street is that the economy is getting bumpy and unemployment is going to jump. Many of the larger firms are adding more counsel in anticipation of the glut of lawsuits coming down the road. After all, it is easier to sue than get another job. If America is to be competitive globally, we're all going to have to grow up.

Most employees believe that if their work is exemplary their behavior will be tolerated. "Why are you concerned with my lateness, I met my sales quota?" or "What's the big deal, I stay late every night?" and my favorite, "You have no idea what it takes to do this job." These and many more have been thrown in my face. I guess they're right - I just don't get it. But at the end of my life, we'll compare resumes. I don't reward mediocrity in myself or in others, and neither should you.

When employees are coddled along and treated to soft management, they learn nothing. It's not personal, it's business. When someone is repositioned and told why, they're given the chance to improve. Increase performance, or change professions. One employee whom I fired ran into me years later. He thanked me for firing him; it was the push he needed to wake up. After that, he took his jobs seriously, eventually winding up at MTV. "I wouldn't have found my way if you hadn't fired me. Thank you."

Over the years I have developed my own system for figuring out who is a bad apple. My system would be frowned upon by most HR professionals and employment lawyers. I don't care. It is my company, not yours and when shareholders want maximum return, it is even more important that I do my own due diligence - my way.

Always remember, people exaggerate the truth on their resumes. Look for someone who seems to have built a career slowly and strategically. Job-hopping may be trendy, but it still smells of "Can't get along with others." Double check the references, and be creative when asking questions, after all, this person is an investment in the success of your company. We don't buy things, we buy experiences.

When confronted with a bad seed, document every mistake. Act fast, and keep your company lean. Do not act from fear, act from a strategic position. You'll be happy and so will your staff. Winners like to work with winners.

Thanks for reading,

Brad Szollose

May I suggest:

advertising blog news

Cultural Values and Personal Ethics

2008-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Picture back to when you were in elementary school. It is a warm summer day, everyone is outside playing on the playground. Some children are playing on the swings, some on the monkey bars, while others decide they want to play kickball. After choosing captains, they start to pick who is going to be on their winning team. The captains quickly pick their friends, which goes by quick and then there are the few geeks or nerds left to pick from. Being not so popular growing up, I was one of the last few kids to be picked. It wasn't that I didn't know how to play kickball but I wasn't an outgoing person in my childhood.

But how does personal, organizational, and cultural values come into play with my position as a manager and recruiter for a banking call center? How can past experiences help or hinder future events?

Personal Values

As the years went by I started to open up and began making friends in high school. I tried to be with the "in crowd" at the same time trying to be nice to the other not so popular students. Often times I felt a "gut" feeling about doing the right thing, other times I went with the popular decision; right or wrong. But as I was growing up, I started to realize that the right decision was always the best for me. It helped me become ethical not only in my personal life, but also in my professional life. It started to define my personal values and has guided me through tough decisions, popular or not, for which I haven't regretted.

Personal values are something I believe is learned. It goes back to the continual debate over nature versus nurture. I believe my values came from both. I grew up in a two-parent home with an older sibling. Both of my parents worked for a living and I learned most of my values from them. They brought me up to be respectful, hard working, and honest and most of all treat everyone the way you want to be treated. I learned not to take money for granted because we didn't have much. I wore hand-me-down clothing from friends and relatives. It taught me that money isn't what makes you happy but you need to like yourself for who you are and not what you own. Now as a hiring manager for Compass Bank, I look for similar values in the potential employees. I ask them questions about their childhood, past experiences that changed their values and what are they looking for in their career. I also like to share my values of who I am and how I advanced my career. Finally I ask them what are some of the values they are looking for in an organization?

Organizational Values

Every organization, big or small has a set of organizational values. Some of these values are in line with our own values and clearly defined, other are vague.

In the paper Finding Talent: A Study of Contacts and Careers (Hines, 2003) shows four different methods used on hiring employees from entry-level to executive positions. Each of the individuals interviewed stated they don't follow their organizational values when interviewing and hiring employees. For entry-level positions, 80% use job postings in the newspaper or the Internet, career fairs and employee referrals. For middle to upper management, more then 50% say the hire based on word of mouth and not so much of past experience. And even others stated they try to hire previous employees they worked with before at other corporations. Are these personal values of these individuals? Does the organization stand behind these types of values? Or does cultural values come into play?

Cultural Values

Cultural values are a part of what makes up the world. The United States is called the "melting pot" since it became independent from the British in the 1700's. Many individuals came to America looking for a new beginning at the same time they brought their cultures or traditions with them. As we become more of a multi-cultural society some of the traditions that were predominate during the early periods of American history are not so clear today. In early years, Italians only married other Italians, Germans only married other Germans, so on and so forth. Now, cultural or traditions are not a factor.

I view cultural values as a great way to understand someone's values. It brings into light some of their personal values and the potential employees up bringing. I was raised in two different parts of the country. I was born in Western Pennsylvania and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. Both parts of the country have different cultural values. In Pennsylvania, cultural values were placed on tradition. My grandfather on my dad's side of the family was a skilled craftsman. He was very handy in his trade for which he used to provide for his family. He built his own homes. He worked very hard everyday in manual labor. On the other hand, being raised in Florida, the cultural values were different in the respect of not keeping traditions. They wanted to be different and on the leading edge of new things. These were not the same values I was use to being exposed to in Pennsylvania.

As an adult, I enjoy learning about different cultures and the values they place on individuals. It gives me an insight to what type of person they were in the past and hopefully what type of employee they will be in the future. But is cultural values a good tool to use when hiring? Based on reading of The Role of Literacy in Individuals and Nations (Berryman, 1994), some cultures view experience and education in different ways. Emphasis on continuing education or continual heritage depends on your cultural. It could also depend on whom you know in the company that could help you get hired or promoted. For example, in the former USSR, only gifted students were given the opportunity to continue their education passed the eighth grade. Those whom didn't display exceptional intelligence either went into the military academy or continued a trade or skill needed in the economy. This is opposite of our own culture and the opportunities provided to everyone.

Ethical Dilemmas

As I stated in the beginning of the paper, I still have a difficult time trying to hire candidates for open positions at Compass Bank. We try to hold regular job fairs each month with the Maricopa Department of Economic Security. During these job fairs, I have the opportunity to speak to individuals from all walks of life. Most of them are middle to late age workers who lost their job because they couldn't keep up with changing technology. I spend about fifteen minutes with these individuals to see if their personal values and past work experience will be a fit for our organization. It is a very difficult ethical dilemma trying to look past maybe the way they are dressed or how many jobs they had in the past. But my personal values help guide me in those decisions. I usually will get a gut feeling that someone isn't telling me the truth or they won't fit into our organizational culture. It is hard to see these individuals sitting in front of me knowing they need a job to support their families. It tugs on my emotions but knowing I had the opportunity to let them know not to give up and share the same experiences I had when I was out of work helps them to continue their pursuit to work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our personal, organizational and cultural values play a big part in our everyday lives. By trying to align your personal values with your organization values and not so much the cultural values, it provides a road map to help guide you with ethical decisions. Until someone writes a book that is 100% accurate on hiring the right person for the job, we will have to depend on our values.

branding news

Business Ethics Training - Why Important?

2008-05-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Many people wonder if business ethics is just a buzzword that has been tossed around lately, due to some of the aggressive tactics we have seen them as we enter the 21st century. I assure you, it is here to stay. What needs to be done is for more people to brush up on their ethics, as they relate to business, to make sure they always operate with a high standard of moral conduct. In this article, I will discuss with you why this is important to help you with your business.

Business ethics training comes in two forms -- one for the employer and one for the employee. For the employer, a good sense of what type of ethics are required as a business owner is needed, because the owner is the one who makes all the final decisions. They need to be a good leader and a representative of somebody who has strong moral and ethical ideology, if they are going to expect the same from their employees.

For the employee, business ethics training is even more important. Especially for somebody who is new on the job. If you start early, and instill a good sense of ethical conduct within your employees, or as an employee cultivate these ethics within yourself, then you can be assured of working in a company that will not fall prey to deceptive practices and fraudulent processes.

It is important that you take the time to develop your own sound business ideology, as it relates to ethics. You must consider what is acceptable, and what is not, as far as practices are concerned. On your own, you can only do so much. But, if you consult with professionals to help you design your own code of ethics, you will be that much better off.

Consider the facts -- every day there are certain ethical codes in business that are being violated, even by people who otherwise have been upright and outstanding citizens. How does this happen? How can a three to seemingly honest person one day do something stupid, and jeopardize the company, or even worse -- get thrown in jail?

It was because they did not have a well developed ethical business code, which you can receive with the proper training. So consider this type of training a valuable resource, if you want to build a strong solid foundation and business environment.

change management

Code of Conduct - Ethics Crisis in Business is on the Rise

2008-05-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

Business Ethics - blah, blah, blah. There's no such thing. There are only ethics. They stem from your values, attitudes and beliefs. Since people make up corporations and organizations, it's their values, attitudes and beliefs that get brought into these environments. How they match up is a measure of performance.

The 2007 National Business Ethics Survey was released last month and guess what? They're Baaaaaack! Problems are back and at pre-Enron levels. The study reports that only 9% of companies in the U.S. have strong ethical cultures. Is yours one of them? Over 50% of employees surveyed said they saw ethical misconduct of some type and were afraid to report it for fear of retaliation or that reporting would not result in any organizational changes.

What has failed in the past?

Hotlines - they don't work. If employees want to report violations, they prefer to do it to someone they know and feel comfortable around. The challenge? What if the person they are comfortable with is involved in the infraction?

Having or conducting business practices that are not congruent with your organization's values creates conflicts and involves ethical decision making on the part of employees. Do what's right or do what will generate revenue and profits?

Heavy handed ethics penalties. The "off with your head" mentality doesn't foster individuals wanting to do the right thing. It fosters fear.

Creating values, posting them in the break room or on your web site and calling your organization an ethical or values-based business.

Creating a culture that is ethical or Values based should not be treated as a single event. This will involve engaging a consultant to come in and conduct an initial assessment to determine the culture climate. This will also involve a series of training conducted as workshops, seminars, teleconferences and other means for leadership, staff and employees. Clearly established objectives, measures and values will be set forth with responsibilities for both the consultant and the company in order to achieve the desired outcome.

What will work?

Establish clear values and your organizational code of conduct.

Interpret those values for your employees.

The Values you reward are the behaviors you can expect.

Hire, promote and develop a succession plan that is congruent with your organization's values.

Show employees that reporting makes a difference and provide multiple safe havens for reporting.

Now is the time to begin establishing your organization's true competitive advantage in the marketplace. How much is this costing your business in terms of lost employees, lost sales, slowed production, employee conflicts, reduced communication and a myriad of other areas with financial implications?

branding news

Noose Watch?

2008-05-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

It has has come to my attention that one of the premier Diversity magazines in the country, Diversity Inc. has a deplorable category entitled "Noose Watch" displayed prominently on their web site which lists all reported noose incidents across the country unfounded or not. Although there may be well intentioned thoughts here, it is offensive with a truly divisive message given to the general public. The editor must know that the implied meaning is clear to most peoples' thinking of all races in that it just has to be a white person who actually did this despicable act based upon the history of the noose between White and Black Americans.

Unfortunately for Diversity Inc and the rest of their readers, as we have seen in the Baltimore incident(and others), that is not always the case. Where is their balance in their message that Federal investigators found in the Baltimore incident that the noose was placed by an African American? No matter who did this, they should be fired as I have written before. Anyone who uses messages or symbols of hate should reap the consequences of their actions and those who promote the message, even if unwritten but implied, should report the facts when they are brought out.

Reporting incidents without the actual facts of validity of the any facts casts doubt upon the credibility of any publication and makes the work of diversity and equal employment opportunity that much harder for professionals like myself who are engaged in deep issues such as racism and sexism every day. Imagine if the Washington Post, USA Today, etc., were to report stories without any basis of fact other than that something happened. It is unethical to depict this type of hate unless you have all of the facts just as it was with other institutions like Duke University with the Lacrosse incident. More harmful damage to others will be done through this type of activity than whatever good intentions were originally thought would occur. We have a myriad of diversity and cultural competency issues to deal with without having a "Noose Watch" map!

Equity, equal employment opportunity, and fairness applies to everyone in this country. We cannot allow others to project messages that can only inflame and hurt others without any recourse. The Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute calls that "dump and run" which is dumping an inflammatory issue on the table and running away from it and not taking any responsibility for the reactions that you have just caused.

continuity disaster recovery

Current Mortgage Cycle's Two Year Anniversary

2008-05-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Based upon our calculations, this month marks the two year anniversary since this current residential real estate mortgage lending industry correction cycle began and the 'easy money' one ended (it had started August 1998). You'll remember that last one, that was the one where even a monkey would earn a six figure annual income, because lenders recklessly 'gave money away' to borrowers (of course it wasn't their $$$) and everyone got a piece of it (from the securitization sources). Today however, during this punishment phase of this new cycle we're all in right now, those secutritizers, many of their investors, several of their insurers, lots of wall street big-shots, most (middle-man) lenders, and a great many borrowers are all having to pay it back one way or another!

The sorta good news now, is that you more than likely are not being compelled to do that same thing, and if this cycle is as short as the last one - only seven years in length vs. more typically 10 years like the two before that, then all we gotta do is hold out 5 more years as this current group of industry employed people get a taste of what the business really is like ... hard work ... not an easy money tree to simply shake! Whoppie.

Far as more good news, for all of the friends of Secret! University, (no matter what your industry job is) we offer up two central areas for you to focus on as you move through this difficult period, and want to have a long multi-year career afterwards:

1). Ethics: More than anything else - this issue is critical for you to be able to stay in business over time. Your behavior needs to be bulletproof and above reproach; remember what it means ... Ethical behavior is what you do when nobody is watching
careersemp loyment

The Serious Side of Put-Down Humor

2008-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

You're standing in a group, talking, and one of the members starts shooting verbal "zingers" at you. Everybody gets a hearty laugh at your expense. Everybody but you.

Light (and not-so-light) insult humor has become almost a national pastime. When you're the butt of the jokes, you may try to shrug it off as harmless, but it stings. And if you're the one getting laughs at others' expense, you may not realize what you're revealing about yourself.

Let's shed some light and insight to this common family and workplace experience.

Verbal Abuse is Not Funny

For the past number of weeks, I've been engaged in coaching work, formally and informally, with groups and teams. Each of these groups had been intact for months; some, for years. Participants represented the spectrum of "types" that might be included in the myriad descriptions of the MBTI or DiSC-type assessments or profiles. So, nothing unusual in the participant makeup.

However, across teams and groups, I was struck by one behavior that stood out above all others, namely, the propensity for many of the members to consistently engage in making destructive, cutting, sarcastic remarks to and about others in their group or on their team.

Destructive comments personal or professional are those which are hurtful, demeaning, sarcastic and verbally abusive.

What You Say Matters

The comments I experienced were directed at folks' physical characteristics (hair, clothes), perspectives or ideas, life choices (others' choices of restaurants, movies, sports teams), folks' current performance, and even where others had worked or attended school. These were not simply run-of-the-mill light comments. There was an underlying anger, resentment and destructive element wrapped inside.

On more than one occasion, I had to do a "double-take", and ask myself, "Did I really hear that?" "Did he really say that?" "Did she really throw that zinger at him?"

What continually came to me was "Why? What is this all about?"

In Western culture today, the biting, sarcastic, demeaning put-down has become an art form, everywhere TV, movies, talk radio, sports events, journals and magazines. It's part of the fabric of everyday conversation. And more, many folks today see such behavior as "business as usual", as "no big deal." In fact, when I asked some of these folks if they were aware of what they said, most responded, "No." or "So, what?" Like I had three heads or came from another planet. For many of these folks, their behavior is a true "blind spot."

There's Always A Reason

So, let's return to the question, "Why?". In my experience in the realm of psychology and psychodynamics, we understand most folks engage in put-downs, sarcasm and barbs as a way to look smart, witty and cool. That's the upside for them. The downside is that the person for whom the comment is directed is often harmed, hurt, demeaned, or otherwise made the point of ridicule.

When I ask other group participants, "bystanders", why they often react with laughter, or "atta boy" comments, they generally say they don't know, they just do. "It was funny." Basically, a knee-jerk reaction. The truth is many react this way, in the "go along to get along" fashion as they don't want to stand out as different, serious, politically correct, etc. They want and need to be "one of the boys" so speaking out, or pushing back against such comments and behavior will only serve to get them ostracized. So, they laugh or jump into the banter.

The deal is, no matter how sharp one is, how educated, how senior in the hierarchy one is, how wealthy one is... no one has the right to strive to look witty, sharp or cool at the expense of another human being, at the expense of being disrespectful to another human being. And, for those who have a need to do so, the underlying question is, "Why? What does it get you? Does it make any difference that you might be hurting someone else?"

So, some questions for self-reflection are:

Can you think of a time today, this week, this month when you made a sarcastic or demeaning remark to a teammate, colleague or co-worker "for the fun it?"

Can you remember a time today, this week or this month when you were the recipient of another's sarcastic or demeaning comment "for the fun of it?"

If you have a reputation for being witty or sharp because you are a master of sarcasm, how does that make you feel?

If you have a reputation for being witty or sharp because you are a master of sarcasm, would you ever ask the objects of your sarcasm or witticism how they feel? How they really, really feel to be the target or brunt of your jabs?

What does sarcasm get you, personally?

Do you think others really respect you, or just go along to get along, when they respond in a laughing sense to you behavior?

Are you demeaning and sarcastic to your husband, wife, partner, children? How do they like that behavior? Do you ever ask them? Would you? If not, why not? Did you ever think about asking them?

Did you ever have to apologize, or think about apologizing, for a cutting remark you made? What was that like for you?

Did you ever tell a colleague or friend to stop using you as a target for their destructive words? Did you ever want to but not speak up? Why?

Who would you be if sarcasm were not part of your personality? Would you lose some or much of your identity? If so, what would that be like for you?

careersemp loyment

A Guide to Office Gift Giving

2008-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Whether it's the holidays, a birthday, an anniversary, or a retirement, there is often a reason to bring the tradition of gift giving into the office. With these special occasions also comes a slew of concerns. Employees or employers may find that they ask themselves questions concerning the nature of the gift, the message it may send, or what is a reasonable amount to send. While every office is different, asking your self these questions before purchasing a gift will help to ensure your gift is appropriate. Does your office have a gift giving policy? - Many offices have established a policy informing employees how they should handle gift giving. Reading up on your employee handbook or speaking to the Human Resources department in your office is a good way to find out if gift giving is accepted and if it is, what guidelines the company follows. Rules can be as strict as outlawing gift giving all together or they can simply set precautionary rules about what and how gifts can be given.

Is your gift appropriate for the office? - It's not unusual to form bonds with your co workers, but when giving gifts, you will want to steer clear ones that may be to personal and inappropriate. For example, while you and a coworker may feel a particular gag gift is very amusing, you run the risk of insulting the recipient or making other individuals in the office uncomfortable. If you find that your gift prompts you to ask "Is this out of line," consider searching for something a little less taboo.

Will your gift violate any dietary, spiritual, or personal rules the recipient must follow? - While everyone enjoys a basket full of gourmet goodies, not everyone can indulge in the gift. If your boss is on a special diet, the last thing you want to do is give a gift that they can't enjoy. The same is true when giving wine or spirits. Unless you're positive your co-worker is a die-hard red wine lover, steer clear of alcoholic gifts. Therefore when giving gifts that consist of food or beverages make it a point to take any diet, heath, religious, or personal restrictions into consideration

Can your gift be construed as a bribe or attempt to further your position with the company? - When giving gifts to senior staff members it's important to keep in mind that it is possible your gift can be seen as a bribe. It is suggested that if you are close to a promotion or if there is a possibility of advancement in your near future, that you steer clear of giving elaborate or unnecessary gifts. Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions you run the risk appearing as though you are "buying your way to the top."

How much should I spend? - Unfortunately, it's not always easy to set a price limit for gifts. This is particularly true for gift giving reasons other than holidays (Offices that practice gift giving during the holidays often set price limits). As a general rule, individual gifts should rarely exceed thirty-five to forty dollars. If you are interested in purchasing a gift that is more than fifty dollars, consider asking co-workers if they are interested in giving a gift as a group. This will save you money and it can limit any questions about your intentions when giving an expensive gift.

accounting blog news

Ethics - The Conscious for Decision Making

2008-05-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

With the continuously surfacing scandals in Corporate America, the idea that any form of ethics exists in business is suspect. We are also seeing similar situations within the ranks of government and religious leaders. And, the lack of ethics is not confined to America. It's global!

By definition, ethics reflect the type of morally permissible standards of conduct a group places upon themselves. It is basically a contract with the society an entity serves. Greed, the desire for power, and blind ambition are some of the factors that have all but eliminated ethical standards. We have lost our conscience. It seems that anything one can get away with to reach their defined pinnacle of success is becoming more and more acceptable.

But the truth of the matter is that a society without rules is a society that is on the brink of chaos and self destruction. Likewise, a society with the wrong kind of rules will ultimately suffer the same fate. Now I'm not sounding the doomsday bell. We still have much residual ethics left in the world to overcome the current trend. But, like a natural resource, our supply is getting lower and we must reverse this downward spiral otherwise a valuable fabric of human society will disappear.

What about you? Do you have your own personal code of ethics that form the core of your decision making process? Allowing a small slip today, without a checks and balance system, can ultimately lead to a major spill. Bad habits start small and can quickly grow into an unethical monster. Without conscience serving as a standard of measurement, ethics disappear.

Once we could say that a strong religious orientation was a good standard to govern our ethical conduct. But today, when religious zealots kill in the name of their god, they taint the idea that religious beliefs always produce ethical behavior. Patriotism was once considered a driver of ethical behavior. In my lifetime, I have witnessed a sharp decline in the loyalty to the American ideals of yesteryear. We now have leaders in America speaking out against these ideals almost to the point of being treasonous. These are scary times.

Call me a sentimentalist or a fool but I believe that eventually good triumphs over evil. The lackluster presence of any kind of ethical standards simply means that the effort to turn the direction of our global society must be increased. There has always been unethical behavior in the world. Apathy and acceptance of behavior blatantly unethical must be replaced with a commitment to return to sound principles of conduct. As a starting point, let me suggest that if we simply all began to follow the mandates of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, we'd be very much on the path of corrective action.

Start with yourself. Hold "you" to high standards and morally sound ethical principals centered on the eleven rules just mentioned. By your example, others will begin to see the soundness of your actions. Your life can affect the life of friends and family. Don't underestimate the power of one. Make a difference by teaching the world to return conscience to decision making.

The next time you face a particularly difficult decision, try answering these questions:

* Can I share my decision with everyone?
* Is it legal?
* How does the decision make me feel about myself?
* Who does this decision negatively impact?
* Why am I making this particular decision?
* Have I clearly defined the problem requiring a decision to be sure I'm addressing the correct issue?
* Does this decision serve the company or me personally?
* Is the decision based upon facts consistent with fair play?
* Is the decision consistent with organizational values and culture or my own personal system of ethics?
* Is the decision fair and balanced to those it impacts?

The answers to the above list of questions will clearly identify the ethics of a decision relative to your own personal standards. By being very clear on our five to ten core values, we establish the ground rules for running our life. We know when we act contrary or incongruent to our values. Ignoring this feeling usually gets us in trouble. Most understand the difference between right and wrong. They just choose to follow wrong!

Some Final Thoughts on Ethics

Everyone has moral autonomy. We have the power to make individual choices, important to us, as we move through life. Choices are based upon the personal set of values we've established as rules for how we will live our life. Most understand that all choices are not necessarily ethical. But most know when such choices are made.

Whatever ethical standards we've established for ourselves are with us twenty-four hours a day. There is no different set of business ethics. Our personal ethics come to work with us.

We need to be more keenly aware when we have ethical lapses and continuously strive to make them less frequent. Life is not perfect and we are not perfect. Placing a high moral standard to govern our actions is the right thing to do. The question to answer is, "Do we have the moral courage to do so?"

entrep

Last Night While In Bed With My Wife

2008-05-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I did not get there right away! There was no fumbling with bra straps and underwear on the first date, I did not just "go-for-it" right away!

I played it cool!

Just as in business, I knew I had to earn the privilege to share this space with this incredible person, not to show disrespect with a "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, one night stand attitude."

I had to demonstrate that I was dedicated, I was here for the long term, before going to the next step.

I believe that if you give people a chance to get to know and respect you, before committing to any relationship, business or otherwise, it is the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

In the long run, you want to give them a reason to give it up for you, (money that is) because you are a professional (not that kind of professional) in what you do and moving forward with you is a wise and profitable decision for them and you.

It has to be win-win!

That is what we are going to discuss here...

Earning the right to having a long term, win-win business relationship.

How do you do it?

Well, first you go on a few "dates", get to know each other; ensure there is some synergy between both parties, ensure there will be a mutual benefit in moving forward.

This could be sharing some of your knowledge, seeing if there is some common ground, ensure that you can in fact communicate on the same level. Show this person that you are someone who can trust who you are and understand your "intentions"; you are not just here for a quickie!

Maybe you have something they want?

Give them a reason to go on more than one "date" with you.

Make an offer they can't refuse, be willing to expose yourself without the expectation of anything in return, let them see some of "the goods."

If they accept your offer and reciprocate, then you are in business!

The next step is to keep their trust!

This is crucial; make sure you call the next day, stay in touch, get past the initial awkwardness of taking their money from them in exchange for what you have given them, let them know that you are not going anywhere; there is more where that came from and it only gets better over time, as get to know each other better and advance in your relationship.

Finally, always be faithful!

Do not screw around on this person, not even once because if you do the relationship will be over and your name will be out there as the person who cannot be trusted. This way you not only lose the relationship you worked so hard to establish, but you have eliminated a great number of other prospects for the future.

Always remember that the truth, your own judgment of who you are being, is painted on your face, comes through between the words that you speak and in the words that you write and just like the scent of a woman, your partner will always pick up if you have not been true to the relationship and that it could soon be over for you.

I sincerely hope that you have been entertained by what I had to say, but more importantly that you get the message that you want to always be a person that can walk with their head held high because your level of integrity can truly only be judged by you.

So, how about a date? A business date! Come see what I have to offer, maybe it is just what you have been looking for!

fundraising

F for Fake

2008-05-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

It is time once again to recap the fakery, hoaxes, and all-around trickery online over the past year. It seems like we have had an exceptionally busy one. Thanks to social networking sites, user-generated content, and increasing use of online by everyone over eight years old, we have plenty to write about this time around.

To start the creative juices flowing, I caught "The Hoax," the Richard Gere movie about Clifford Irving, one of the all-time great fakers (he faked a biography of Howard Hughes and sold it for millions of dollars, eventually winding up in jail). I couldn't help thinking as I was watching this movie (which of course plays very loosely with real events) how much easier Irving would have had it in the online era of today. Back in the 1970s, he had to get on planes and mail forged handwritten letters with real postmarks and such to disguise the fact that he never actually talked to Hughes. Today he could do the same thing in about ten minutes with a blog.

So the biggest news the past couple of weeks has been the Myspace teen suicide backlash taking place about 40 miles away here in Missouri. The suburban community passed a law making it a misdemeanor to harass someone online. Almost immediately we have a fake blog that purports to be the writings of the Drew family gathering hundreds of comments and fueling the vigilante fires even further. The story, for those of you that have been not online, is about a teenage girl named Megan Meier who killed herself last year over a series of fake Myspace postings from a boy that were actually written by Lori Drew and her older teenaged employee. Drew was a neighbor of Meier, and ironically the harassment law that was recently passed to punish her Myspace postings could be used to benefit her and punish her own blogging impostor. (You might need to re-read the above graf, I know it is a bit confusing.)

While this was happening, a friend of mine was telling me about how he was posing online as a woman, trying to ensnare a former employee of his who faked some reports and was never caught. Luckily, he doesn't live in any community that has any online harassment laws. Sadly, he thinks this is all le mot juste and his own version of online justice.

Back to the blogosphere, earlier this year we have Dan Lyons (with whom I once worked when we were both at PC Week back in the 1980s) outed for being the author of the "Fake Steve Jobs" blog and ensuing book tour. I hope some day I can aspire to be the author of a fake blog that will boost the sales of one of my books. (We assume that the royalty payments go to Lyons and not Jobs, but I haven't checked.) In the meantime, I will have to settle for being the real author of real blogs.

Lyons isn't alone, here is a list of several others:

http://www.thoughtbeans.com/blog/fake-ceo-blogs/99/

Meanwhile, Steve Colbert's fake presidential bid is dead in the water as a result of his show being in reruns because of the writer's strike. The main point of contention of the strikers is how writers are paid for online works, which are supposed to be over real bylnes. Are you still with me?

And let's now forget earlier this summer with John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, who posted to Yahoo's financial Web sites using an alias. Mackey was outed in an FTC document, and it turns out he was writing these posts over eight years. Eight years! No mea culpa, either.

Here's hoping that you all have a really great holiday season, surrounded by the actual people that you know and love and care about, and that you can step away from the computer for a few minutes too.

N.B. For those of you too young to remember Irving contemporaneously, he also wrote a book about Elmyr de Hory, a noted art forger. Orson Wells did the movie version, which is where we get the title of today's post. Irving continues to sell copies of the "autobiography" from his Web site.

careersemp loyment

Business And Ethics Are NOT Oil and Water

2008-04-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

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.

change management

Ethics in Advertising

2008-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

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.

entrep

What Are Business Ethics?

2008-04-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

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.

entrep

Ethics Sometimes Pays Off In Ways You May Not Expect

2008-04-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

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.

careersemp loyment

Corruption Can Be Cured

2008-04-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

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

branding news

Global Business and Ethics

2008-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

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.

continuity disaster recovery

Bullet Proof Your Automotive Dealership

2008-04-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

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.

branding news

Is Wanting To Have Money A Good Thing?

2008-04-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

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.

change management

What Happened To Trust In Terms Of Home Based Businesses?

2008-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

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.

advertising blog news

The Jungled Workplace

2008-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

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
entrep

Fail Frequently

2008-04-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

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
customer services

Be Professional Even When Your Boss Isn't

2008-04-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

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
accounting blog news

Lack Of Business Ethics In Online Marketing

2008-04-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

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.

continuity disaster recovery

Corporate Social Responsibility

2008-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

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

fundraising

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

2008-04-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

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.

continuity disaster recovery

Punishing Those Who Commit Fraud

2008-04-12T00:33:00.000-07:00

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.

careersemp loyment

Is There Hope for Ethics in Business?

2008-04-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

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

advertising blog news

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

2008-04-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

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.

branding news

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

2008-04-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

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

fundraising

Business Ethics Is Not A Wink and A Nod

2008-04-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

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.

accounting payroll news

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

2008-04-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

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.

branding news

Agreements, Integrity and Trust at Work

2008-04-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

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?

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Agreements,-Integrity-and-Trust-at-Work&id=1087455
continuity disaster recovery

Business Growth - Ethical Best Practices, Part Two

2008-04-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

"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
Franchising

Business Growth - Ethical Best Practices, Part One

2008-04-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

"If you build that foundation, both the moral and the ethical foundation, as well as the business foundation, and the experience foundation, then the building won't crumble." Henry Kravis

In light of the devastating impact of Enron and Tyco, the disappointing baseball steroid scandal, NE Patriots' Spygate as well as a plethora of political missteps, we are exposed to many negative models of ethical behavior. Is it doing whatever you need to without breaking the law? Is it about getting away with what you can? If everyone else does it, does that make it right for you? Do businesses generally strive to be ethical? Is ethical behavior so gray today that it has become difficult to define and implement?

Often, greed takes precedence over best practices. In the long run, a business or individual is exposed, as in the examples previously mentioned. Business owners need to articulate the standards they want to adhere to in running their companies.

In part one of this discussion, let's explore why a business should want to develop ethical standards:

Ethics results in trustworthiness. All relationships, business and personal, are built on trust. The more honest and upfront you are, the higher the level of trust.

Owners must demonstrate honesty. Don't expect ethical employees if you don't serve as a model yourself. Create policies that require specific behavior from employees, vendors and partners. Include consequences for violators: then enforce them. Make sure you keep an even higher standard for yourself.

Referrals come from satisfied customers. Make sure problems are resolved quickly and without too much effort for the customer. It is important that you keep promises and fix problems to the customer's satisfaction, even if there is a cost to you. That will ensure they will say positive things about your business to others.

Reputation is an important contributor to a business's longevity. A great reputation comes from providing consistently positive experiences over time. Treating customers, vendors and employees well and with respect will result in added loyalty. Loyalty is scarce, do what you can to preserve it.

Socially conscious businesses are in vogue. Walk the talk by being involved in socially important issues. Conserve energy, use recyclable products and help preserve the earth for the next generation. Donate time and money to causes important to you. Such behavior will speak volumes about your personal and business values.

Instead of complaining about how hard it is to trust individuals and businesses, make your business one that can be trusted. One by one we can start to shift the culture of greed and one-upmanship to one of ethical standards and meaningful relationships. In the next issue, I discuss best practices.

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10 New Year's Resolutions For a More Ethical, Ecological, Profitable, and Successful Business

2008-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

In this age of business scandals, it's crucial to remember that businesses based on ethics and quality actually work better. With that in mind, here are ten easy resolutions to inspire your business to achieve a very profitable 2008.

1) I will base every aspect of my business on honesty, integrity, and quality.

2) I will make sure every employee, from janitor to CEO, is trained to view every interaction with a customer as a key step in the marketing process, and to always give the customer respect and attention.

3) I will train and empower every employee to let the customer go away feeling good about the entire interaction.

4) I will stand behind my products and services. It is better to refund the money and create a positive buzz.

5) Understanding that it costs an average of five times more to bring in a new customer as to keep an existing one, I will see that the entire organization exceeds customer expectations.

6) Recognizing that my competitors can be my strongest allies, I will initiate at least one joint venture (after all, if FedEx and the Postal Service, Apple and IBM, and General Motors and Toyota can cooperate, surely I can too).

7) If my company is not the best answer to prospect's needs, I will refer that prospect to the company that can best serve.

8) I will devote business resources to make the world a better place.

9) I will volunteer on a community project, and set up incentives for my employees to volunteer on the projects of their choice.

10) I will base decisions on the Abundance Principle that there is enough to go around, and not on market share.

11) I will reduce my firm's use of water and energy, and reduce my family's use at home, and inform others of the easy changes I've made. (See sidebar for suggestions)

12) I will grow by marketing the advantages of doing business with a socially and environmentally conscious, ethical company.

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Putting Ethics Before Business

2008-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Some people believe that ethics is of little concern to business people. Ethics is ethics and business is business. When faced with an ethical dilemma today, many upwardly managers tend to take the position that they must wear two hats and cloak themselves with two separate, conflicting codes of ethics. One is applying to the professional or technical aspects of their work and the other is for their business behavior.

This leads to the development of a schizophrenic professional personality, with the manager striving for professional excellence and high ethical standards for his own self, but resorting to unethical practices to achieve business success for his organization at all costs. Indeed this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde approach is at the heart of many ethical dilemmas in managerial decision-making.

Ethics is the discipline that examines one's moral standards or the moral standards of a society. It asks how these standards apply to our lives and whether these standards are reasonable or unreasonable that is whether they are supported by good reasons or poor ones.

Business ethics is a specialized study of moral right and wrong. It concentrates on moral standards as they apply to business policies, institutions and behavior through which modern societies produce and distribute goods and services, and to the people who work within these organizations. Business ethics in other words is a form of applied ethics. It includes not only the analysis of moral norms and moral values, but also attempts to apply the conclusions of this analysis to that assortment of institutions, technologies, transactions, activities, and pursuits that is called business.

Business is a cooperative activity whose very existence requires ethical behavior. First, any individual business will collapse if all of its managers, employees and customers come to think that it is morally permissible o steal from, lie to or break their agreements with the company. Because no business can exist entirely without ethics, the pursuit of business requires at least a minimal adherence to ethics. Second, all businesses require a stable society in which to carry on their business dealings. Yet the stability of any society requires that its members adhere to some minimal standards of ethics.

Business cannot strive without ethics; it is in the best interest of business to promote ethical behavior both among its own members as well as within its larger society. There are many difficulties involved in trying to study whether ethical companies are more profitable than unethical ones. The results have been mixed. Although, several studies have found a positive relationship between socially responsible behavior and profitability, some have found no such relationship. Other studies have looked at how socially responsible firms perform on the stock market and have concluded that ethical companies provide higher returns than other companies. Together, all these studies suggest that, by and large, ethics does not detract from profit and seems to contribute to profits. When employees believe an organization is just, they are more willing to follow the organization's managers, do what managers say and see managers' leadership as legitimate. In short ethics is the key component for any business.

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To Drink or Not to Drink, While on the Job!

2008-03-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

I have noticed DJ's falling into to the situation, that they are unsure whether or not they should drink alcohol while DJ'ing.

You may be DJ'ing at many events were the hosts ask you if you would like to drink. You want to be very careful on how you answer this question.

To Drink or Not to Drink?

There have been many times I have been offered drinks at an event and I have just said "No Thank You."

There have been also times when the owner of a corporation or an important person has asked/ requested that I have a drink with them. You do not want to offend them by saying you don't like to drink on the job.

The best answer I have come up with is, "I have a lot to do now, but I will accept the offer later." Many times they will forget to ask you again later, but if they don't forget, it will be the end of the night and there will be a lesser opportunity for you to be offered more drinks.

You don't want to offend the client by not drinking, but you also do not want to have a bad performance or make it appear that you came to drink.

Performing Unprofessional

When people see you drinking behind the DJ booth, they see you as very unprofessional. This can reduce your chances of getting more jobs or just make the audience not happy with you.

They may ensure you that it is "OK" to drink, but I highly recommend not drinking.

Remember you are the coordinator

One of the most important things you need to be professional is the way you approach CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Your business is all about the customers, and if you want to drink wait till the next night you are not working and go out and have a few drinks.

As a DJ you are a coordinator and you need to make sure you can function at your best during an event. You do everything from planning the music to coordinating when certain parts of the events happen.

You do not want to be intoxicated because you may forget to do certain parts of the event, and when the night over the people will be upset with you and not recommend you again.

You really need to ask yourself: "ARE YOU THE GUEST...OR THE WORKER?" Remember, you are the one getting paid to perform.

Drinking on the job will never get you good referrals, and it may cost you some future jobs.

-Brian-

http://yourDJinfo.com

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Ethics - The Conscience of Every Business

2008-03-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

The thing with ethics is that entrepreneurs, and even the patrons themselves, must stay abreast of all applicably codes of conduct, written and implied, as well as the needs and preferences of their respective societies.

As far as marketing goes, fair and equitable prices go a long way. Although quite a few entrepreneurs insist that higher prices bring greater profit, shoppers will gravitate to other markets where the merchandise they want can be obtained at a far cheaper cost. People like to save, and even though many might be desperate at times, they are drawn to low prices and bargains. Comparing prices between competitors, not to mention doing research on what people are typically willing and able to spend on certain products, ensures that business representatives provide satisfactory service for the public. In the end, operations win favorable appraise and profits grow considerably.

Being truthful, sincere, straightforward and genuine with others, and offering quality merchandise and service is always the best way to go. Deception eventually comes to light, and businesses (and shoppers) who deal in such practices are subject to legal penalties and irreparably scrupulous reputations.

Being up on what these rules are is crucial for creating an atmosphere that is acceptable and pleasing. Terms like trust, honesty, positive image and mutual respect are involved for a reason; they are not only plastic words for describing an ideal world they denote a social and economic way of life.

This information above will be the key in creating a honest home based business. No doubt you have heard of many home based business scams. People call these website/programs "scams" because the information these sites provide never fulfill there promise of wealth or success. Do not let this form or style of business ethics be your avenue to income growth, because it will not work for long. And your business will fail!

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Poor Work Ethics Reveal Poor Business Leadership Skills

2008-03-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Talk to any business owner to C-Level executive and somewhere in the conversation there will be either a direct or indirect reference to work ethics. For the result of poor business work ethics is continually affecting the business from productivity to customer loyalty to profitability.

Yet, when I ask the following question:

Do you believe that your employees come to work to directly mess up your day, tick off your customers or negatively affect your business?

I always receive the same answer from business owners to C-Level executives to department managers, No! So, my simple little brain begins to think then what is the real problem here? Is it poor work ethics or poor leadership. This thought process has allowed me to look at poor work ethics from an entirely different lens.

The other day I listened to a CEO of a mid size company share with me in great detail about an employee who for over one year failed to turn in his expense report. This performance failure affected everybody down stream specifically the financial department who could not accurately report all costs and where necessary bill those expense costs to the clients.

Bottom line this refusal to comply was creating affecting customer loyalty both externally and internally. External customers were not getting billed and loyal internal customers knew that this person was not being held accountable because the behavior continued for over a year.

Then I was asked what did I think about this situation? My response was "To whom did this individual report? This is a leadership and management problem first." Upon seeing the look in the CEO's face, I realized the non-complying individual directly reported to this CEO. Unfortunately, the CEO believed the problem to be one of poor ethics on part of the employee and truly did not want to take ownership of the problem.

This story was not the first time that I have heard or observed poor work ethics as a symptom of poor leadership within management. When employees are not held accountable for the results of their actions even though they do not directly intend to mess things up, the overall performance of the organization dramatically suffers.

When management fails to take action, they begin to establish a habit of thought, an attitude and more important an underlying belief that this behavior is acceptable. Years ago I wrote an article about work ethics really being attitude of performance. Today this is even more true than ever before.

If management truly wants a high performance culture, where consistent positive work ethics are demonstrated each and every day, then these individuals must become leaders first and managers second by the following:

Communicating the statement of core values clearly Explaining completely as to what the core values mean in daily behaviors Securing agreement to adhering at all levels to those core values Accepting the responsibility to address the failure to adhere to those core values (accountability)

By taking such action, then management can truly look at work ethics from an individual perspective because organizationally there is alignment between the core foundational statement and the desired results.

The Protestant Work Ethic - Just Another "Urban Legend?"

2008-03-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

"Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work we go!" Like the words in the Disney cartoon melody, every day people merrily trek to a job they apparently enjoy. Are these people misguided social dwarfs out of synch with the rest of the workforce? Well, these people are for real - another "Urban Legend" bites the dust! Even though we often give lip-service to the "work ethic," it really does exist and it is stronger than one might expect. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous 20th Century architect, stated, "I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen."

The "work ethic" is personified by those who have found work that provides both a service to society and personal satisfaction. It is their passion - their life "calling." One's calling can follow any career path - writer, accountant, missionary, teacher, auto mechanic, carpenter, cook, social worker, attorney, or brain surgeon. It takes commitment and hard work, but you enjoy it and it feels like the right fit for you. You may actually become so intensively involved and committed that your "calling" becomes "one" with the company or organization's mission.

Encompassing centuries, this commitment and dedication to hard work has been exemplified in such societies as the Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites and the Shakers. The Shaker phrase attributed to Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the Shaker sect: "Put you hands to work, and your hearts to God," encourages a simple life of hard work and spirituality. We might also identify with Ben Franklin as another example who espoused his philosophy of avarice and strong work ethic.

How could this concept of a work ethic develop and endure in a society where the concept of "entitlement" now seems to be so prevalent? The roots begin with Max Weber (Vber), one of the leading founders of modern sociology, and his renowned work on modern social science, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In the 1930s, after the book was translated into English, the U.S. workforce began its on-going love affair with the "Work Ethic" - a social trait that would become the backbone of American enterprise and world leadership.

The arduous work of capitalism, according to Weber, is closely associated with intrinsic Protestant religious beliefs and behavior. Only in the West has rationalization in science, law, and culture developed to the extent where political, technical, and economic conditions depend on highly trained government officials. He further states, "However, all the peculiarities of Western capitalism have derived their significance in the last analysis only from their association with the capitalistic organization of labor."

Historically, certain Protestant denominations had a strong influence on the members' development of business acumen and the ethic of hard work. These Protestants developed a sense of economic rationalism that emphasized diligent and dedicated work. Each and every Sunday, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers extolled the virtues of the "Work Ethic" to their congregations through lengthy and tedious sermons.

According to Weber, the following traits characterize a strong work ethic:

ª FOCUS ON WORK - We know how precious our time is and that it is limited. We must have a passion and strive for excellence in our work. Work time should be used efficiently and wisely with a desire to make money as a fruit of our labor and not spend it irresponsibly.

ª UNPRETENTIOUS AND MODEST - We should act and dress appropriately - dress should not be flashy to attract attention or cause distraction to others.

ª HONEST AND ETHICAL: One should possess and exhibit strong ethical beliefs, and a moral code of behavior, i.e. The Ten Commandments. To do the "right thing" when no one is watching.

The power of a free labor force has made capitalism a very powerful force in our society. Riding high on the wave of post WWII patriotism and intense business competition, we became rightfully proud of our fast-growing economy and the image of hard working Americans. We take pride in who we were and what we produce as a nation. The greatest and most successful nation on earth! Although the original religious aspects eventually faded, the "Work Ethic" is firmly entrenched as a powerful and valued American social trait.

Unquestionably, we do not desire a workforce dominated by mindless "robots" even with a good work ethic. We need innovative thinkers and committed leaders that can guide us through the 21st Century and beyond. It is essential that we continue to build a strong labor force committed to an indomitable "Work Ethic" - workers that are honest, ethical, and rational.

We also need leaders that will not be afraid to work and who will take the responsibly to guide new projects and develop employee potentials to exceed projected goals. We need people passionate about a mission. A good "Work Ethic" is essential to a strong economy, and a strong vibrant society.

Ethical Business Or Just A 'Green Wash'?

2008-03-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Coming off the sea at the end of Brighton Pier, and blasting its way through the air conditioning system of the Horatio Bar, a gale was blowing down the back of my neck.

Despite this, sitting wrapped in my coat as if about to leave, I listened with great interest to the 'ethical' businesses who bravely gave their websites up for scrutiny at the 'Striding Out - Ethical marketing and branding event' held in Brighton, UK, at the end of February. It was a great event, but I do have a general gripe about these kind of sessions.

As an entrepreneur, I am frustrated by the lack of goody bags at these kind of events. Yes, we get the information and inspiration, but what exactly am I supposed to DO now? What can I take away that allows me to put this newfound knowledge straight into action

I believe one thing is to create an ethical sustainability policy for my business, but what I really want is to walk away from these kind of events with a template for creating my own, with links to appropriate help if I need it (even if that means paying for that help).

I was inspired by Sam Wilson of EcoEvents who has done so much homework in creating ways for events to be more ethically run, but also (and just as importantly) defined systems and mechanisms for measuring the successes and failures, and making the organizers of the events accountable.

And if businesses want to not just be part of the 'Green Wash', they should be accountable, at least to themselves.

What is the point of me creating a sustainability policy if my vision is not balanced by my commitment to achieving deadlines? And buffeted by the realities of every day life, will I not need to make constant revisions for my ethical goals to still be attainable?

I spoke recently with Vania Phitidis, an elected member of the Green Party, who is working with Wealden District Council on awards for 'green' businesses. Vania is keen to give advice and encouragement. Businesses should not be shy to make use of their local green MPs to get feedback and advice.

I shall be asking for plenty of help to not only get my first ethical sustainability policy for my business into good shape, but I then want to encourage other businesses to do the same, hopefully providing a basic 'template' that they can use as a starting point. Maybe I need to begin a section on the blog part of the site called "Starter Packs" - self help guides for SMEs who want to make the first steps themselves into creating ethical policies for their businesses? Perhaps even have a 'an ethical PR starter pack' - or 'Create your own branding workshop' (which would incorporate your ethical values into how you present your business)?

Getting expert guidance would be even better, but that costs money, and sometimes I think it is good to make the first steps on your own, since it is your own passion and commitment that will lie at the heart of any 'policy', and that may need some uninhibited development first.

One of the companies at the Brighton event were Green Rocket (who also trade as Blue Rocket, but their principles don't change with the colour). Their genuine ethical agenda is refreshing to see in the marketing industry. They have created a succession of articles on how to be an ethical business , and try to set an example for the values they hold dear.

Kim Stoddart, Managing Director and Founder of Hove based ethical media relations consultancy and social enterprise, Green Rocket, was concerned about the environmental impact of her business from day one. As a community interest company with an authentic environmental purpose(75% of the company's profits are reinvested in green initiatives), Kim felt that the company really had to be green to the core and that meant the first place to start had to be the office.

Prior to launch, an environmental charter was put in place which was designed to reduce the environmental impact of the business' everyday operations. This looked at every area of the business and just some of the broad range of initiatives put in place included: recycling everything recyclable, including paper, cardboard and plastic waste as well as old computer equipment, mobile phones and furniture.

Choosing suppliers for their green and ethical credentials; such as Good Energy for electricity, Magpie for recycling, the Co-Op for banking and Green Your Office for office supplies and office cleaning. Offices were chosen in a central location, to make it easier for staff to walk, or get public transport to work and to travel to client meetings.

Being an 'ethical' business is about more than leaving a reduced carbon footprint. Green Rocket is a social enterprise, but what exactly IS a social enterprise, and how can my business take on some of the same values and practices?

I asked this question of Martin Murphy, who along with Tom Howat runs Network 2012, a website dedicated to promoting the values of social enterprises.

Martin's explanation was as follows:

"When thinking about this question I suppose the natural place to start is my own motivation. Late in 2006 Tom Howat, my now business partner came to me with an idea he wanted me to get involved with. That idea became Network 2012 an online business and social networking website and events company and we have been up and running now for just over 8 months with nearly 400 members signed up.

"Our aim is to charge a small monthly or annual membership fee, which will contribute towards providing bursaries for those individuals, or groups who wish to start their own social enterprise but would otherwise struggle for start up finance.

"In a small way we are working towards a more inclusive society and a fairer distribution of wealth and that is the driving force behind Network 2012. Working towards a social goal as well as a business goal is in my view what makes a social enterprise. In essence we want a fairer world and see business as the method of providing that fairer world. In our case an online networking business.

"Though in business people see things differently and there are many different methods of working. For example some want to maximize profits and use those profits for a good cause while others wish to provide supported employment for those who would struggle to gain employment through the normal channels, and are not necessarily profit focused. Break even focused, sustainability focused maybe but not necessarily profit focused.

"But then what does profit mean anyway? We live in a world today where I would argue for the most part profit is almost seen as another word for greed. We hear of "fat cat bonuses", we see utility companies making what some might call obscene profit while the average person struggles to pay their bills and get by.

"The world I want to see would entail those same utility companies run as social enterprises and the profits reinvested in the community instead of going who knows where! What if the profit were used to ensure that no one dies of exposure in winter instead of high bills being a reason people wont turn their heating on and do die of exposure? One day this is how it will be and I'm convinced that when that day comes we will look back at the way we generally do business now and see it as almost barbaric!

"At the moment we have people who we describe as social entrepreneurs out there running social enterprises and working towards a better world. They are not people who take the attitude that we'll never make a fairer world it's too big a job they are people with a can do attitude who believe we have to start somewhere. They are heroes who work not just for their own benefit but also for the benefit of others. They do this often by working all the hour's god sends with very few resources and the usual struggle for start up funding and most would say they love it!

"I admire every single one of them. They are tired of living in an unfair and out of balance world where we see daily worldwide inequality, extreme poverty alongside fantastic wealth and children dying for lack of food, clean water or medicine and are doing something about it.

"It is the doing something about it through business that makes a social enterprise and if current trends are anything to go by in the future we will be much more of a force to be reckoned with. By all accounts the social economy is growing 10 times faster than the normal economy. Being aware of this fact could be the make or break of any business! "

I agreed wholeheartedly with Martin, but had to admit:

"Martin, I want to develop a more 'ethical' business, but don't know what I can do to 'make a difference' right now, whilst struggling to run my small business. I know that with making good 'profits' will come the opportunity to reinvest it and do good, but what can I do now while my business is still growing?"

"I take your point completely. I appreciate that starting and running a small business is difficult I think there are definitely things small businesses can do.

"Check out their suppliers for example. Can they use a business that is a social enterprise/fair trade? Hopefully one that is competitive. Can they employ someone with disabilities, a single parent or long term unemployed?

"The overall advantage and this is something that shouldn't be lost is that in the long run this kind of thinking may give that company a competitive edge.

"I attended a round table discussion last week with some representatives from large corporations all talking about Corporate Social Responsibility and whereas before the job of leading CSR was one given to someone an employer didn't really know what to do with now they all have experience in the marketing arms of their respective companies.

"A lot of it is about brand recognition and appealing to a consumer who is becoming more conscious about what products they buy. I also think that in future perhaps the rate of corporation tax may be lower for companies that do something for their communities.

"As I've said earlier though Suzy I do think it may be hard to convince someone struggling to get their business off the ground that they can do anything but I'm sure with a bit of thought that they can."

Seven Reasons Why Ethics Helps Your Business Succeed-And Five Easy Action Steps

2008-03-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

7. You're much more likely to build a lasting business, and build it more easily

6. When your customers trust you, they come back again and again

5. It's much easier to build joint-venture relationships that can exponentially grow your business

4. When your customers fall in love with the way you do business, they start recruiting other people to do business with you--they actually become your unpaid sales force

3. Your business will be worth far more when it's time to sell it

2. If you tell only the truth, you don't worry about being caught in an embarrassing and profit-killing lie

And the number one reason...

You never have to worry about seeing your picture on the front page, in handcuffs

Action Steps:

1. Measure the impact of any action on all stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, neighbors

2. Always tell the truth

3. Sell only products that you can fully stand behind

4. Buy a copy of the award-winning book Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, which tells you in 160 pages exactly how to translate your high ethical standards into bottom-line dollars. This book has been endorsed by some of the top names in marketing, including Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup series, won an Apex Award, and has been re-published in India and Mexico. http://www.principledprofit.com

5. Show your commitment to ethics by signing the Business Ethics Pledge, with signers in 30 countries, and take advantage of the resources available to you as a signer (signing also earns you a discount on the book, as a way of saying :"thank you").

Self Importance Reveals Your Own Business Ethics and Unimportance

2008-03-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

How many times have you attended a business networking event and observed the following:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Importance-Reveals-Your-Own-Business-Ethics-and-Unimportance&id=1060471

Why Study Personal Ethics in Organizations?

2008-03-23T04:55:00.001-07:00

Ethics is very personal. In so many ways ethics is the very "how?" and "why?" of relationships. Your integrity, values and fortitude are expressed in your ethical behavior and position in all your relationships. Among your relationships, those at work and/or your membership in organizations must be attended to with a special kind of care, similar to but different from those of a domestic nature. Why?

Earning Your Living. It is very likely that your work is how you support and sustain your household in financial terms (including any benefits that might come along with your job). Most people "need" their jobs. Your ethical behavior at work is how you ethically earn your income. We presume here that your job is fundamentally an ethical undertaking. In this essay, robbery, theft, fraud and other similar enterprises which damage persons or property are excluded from our discussion. The extent to which you earn "an honest living" has much to do with how ethically honest you are. Thus, to be ethical, you must do honest work. Ethical work in an ethical work place helps you keep your job, too.

Your Influence on an Organization. Membership, both at work and by way of belonging to groups, is where you impact and influence how your industry's or organization's reputation is formed, for good or ill. Truthfulness, honesty, fairness, dependability, quality, helpfulness, etc., all help form public opinion of your group and industry. Note how people tend to group other people together by types and then render a universal statement about them all based on an experience or report about one or a few of them. Politicians, the media, lawyers, bankers, bureaucrats, and the like all bear the impact of a negative label. You as an individual who is thoughtful and responsible have the opportunity to leave others with positive memories of their dealings with you. Frankly, many positive memories fade away, but negative ones often outlive their usefulness. All the more reason for you to give serious consideration to how you relate to others. We certainly seem to need many more positive memories than the negative ones.

Growing an Ethical Organization or Business. Presuming you have an ethical leadership group in your business or organization, your personal ethical behavior will be both attractive to them and supportive of them. Thus, how the many behave together ethically actually increases the ethical qualities and intensity at that group and industry. Your ethical behavior makes it easier for them to be ethical, and they in turn make it easier for you to be ethical. There is a mutual benefit to all concerned when we each and all commit to being our best.

Good Example. Others watch how we do our business. They consider and talk about us and our business. One never knows fully just how much of a positive influence might come about from our ordinary ethical behavior, i.e., from our ethical second nature. If it is true that "what goes around, comes around," then the positive impact of our ordinary goodness may be great. You might be an unsung hero already!

Personal Peace. Ethical people sleep well. Those who have embraced a deliberately healthy ethical way of life simply don't have to worry excessively about stories they've told, mistakes they've made or weaknesses they have. They have already engaged reality from a healthy perspective and committed themselves to being their best. They can be proud of and comfortable in what they have done and how they have done it. They can tell their families and friends what they are up to and will likely be respected for their genuine selves.

Ultimately, all these reasons become even more important the greater one's personal ethical awareness becomes. Those who study the ethics of being in an organization are those who take themselves and their memberships seriously, and want the world to be a good and healthy place for all. One doesn't become a very ethical person by accident. It takes effort, help, some degree of learning and a desire to be good.

So, if you enjoy (a) earning an honest living, (b) having a positive moral organizational influence, (c) building your organization or industry's positive reputation, (d) giving a good personal example to others, and (e) the genuine peace and well-being that comes from an ethical life, then you will enjoy what you learn from the deliberate study of organization ethics. Your "ethical awareness" can always increase by a systematic and understandable presentation of how personal ethics works in organizations. Your ethical presence can be a powerful force in the lives of those around you!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Study-Personal-Ethics-in-Organizations?&id=1058725

Business Ethics - Not All Money is Good Money

2008-03-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Business ethics are sometimes hard to define. Have you ever been offered money to do something that didn't pass the "smell test"? You didn't know why, but you just had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. My advice...don't ignore that feeling. What you do in your business potentially effects more than just you; it effects your staff, your customers and your family.

It Can Happen to Anyone

The cases of Enron and Martha Stewart are extreme cases that we don't see everyday, but consider this story about a medical doctor, Daniel Carlat. Dr. Carlat is a psychiatrist who marketed pharmaceutical products for companies. At one point, he earned one-fifth of his salary by being on the speaking circuit, "educating" his colleagues about these products. Nothing about what Dr. Carlat was doing was illegal, but in the end Carlat's conscience wouldn't let him continue and he ultimately quit. He came to the realization that not all money is good money. He made a choice that allowed him to live with himself.

Ethics Checklist

Maintaining your ethical standards isn't always as simple as a gut check, but that certainly can be starting point. Use that feeling to pause and investigate further. Create an ethics checklist to go through when you need it. Here's an example of questions you can ask yourself:

Does this assignment violate any laws?

Does this assignment violate any rules of ethics within my profession?

Does this assignment violate any company policies?

Does this assignment violate my personal moral or ethical standards?

Franchising

You Cannot Be Serious - The Decline of Decency In Business

2008-03-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I'm amazed that anything ever gets done in this world.

When I started out in business fifteen years ago, it seemed that people were a bit more concerned about honoring their word. But as time has progressed, business etiquette has slowly taken a back seat. In fact, decency seems to be evaporating by the minute.

Now I'm not pretending that I'm innocent in this matter. I honestly started out as a team player. I tried my best to be good and decent, but I allowed other people to influence me. With the passing of time, I eventually found myself slowly slipping into the same slimy inconsiderate hole.

Tell me, what's so difficult about returning a phone call? Did a truckload of people have major tongue surgery, preventing them from forming the sentence, "No, I'm not interested?" What's the deal with my emails going unanswered? They're not SPAM or emails that don't deserve an answer. And why would a person schedule a "next day" meeting forty-five miles from my office and not show up...or even call to apologize for missing it? It seems some people are fine with making promises they don't keep and inconveniencing others. After a while I stopped calling to inquire, "Hey there so and so. We had an appointment. Why didn't you show up." It's a question that's not worth asking.

At this point you may be thinking, "Maybe you just need to deal with people who are a little more professional." Now tell me, who should be more professional than doctors, lawyers, preachers or a high-powered marketing executive with the new AT&T? Can I get some "Amens" anybody?

If you're one of these people I'm writing about, practice picking up the phone...or have a representative from your office call...to just say "NO." It's really easy to do and it will save a lot of unnecessary frustration for others who are trying to hold on to their last bit of decency.

My other pet peeve: businesses that love to play the waiting game. They know they consistently "over schedule" appointments and leave people waiting for hours. Is it their ego? Do they believe their time is more important than mine?

My husband used to visit a dentist where he never had to wait more than five minutes to be seated in the examination chair. Unfortunately, this dentist retired and my husband had to start playing the waiting game. As John Stossel of 20/20 says, "ENOUGH!"

Ok, everyone...all together now...say it loud and clear ... "ENOUGH! I'm not taking it any more!" One more time...

Be honest for a minute. Didn't you feel a bit liberated from all the foolishness? And ladies...just out of curiosity ... when are you going to liberate yourselves from your hair salon?

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Fake Doctor Excuse - Sin Or Savior?

2008-03-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

The ethics of buying a fake doctors excuse is a hot topic of debate these days. Although opinion varies, the fact is that thousands of people each day buy fake doctors notes to miss work or delay a test at school. This is not surprising when you think that most of us have told a "little white lie" at one time in our lives. Many would say that small lies are so common from politicians to used car salesmen that we often take them for granted. Clearly, we all have our own set of ethics we follow and the buying of doctor's excuses is an individual choice that is not for me to judge.

What about the ethics of those who sell fake doctors notes? Considering the hundreds of companies that sell doctors excuses on the Internet the demand for them must be high. However, this should not be surprising. For hundreds of years the main focus of business was to provide products and services that others wanted. On most of these sites it is obvious the doctors excuse is not real; they often provide disclaimers attesting to that. These companies are not interested in judging consumers, just providing what they want. What is my advice to consumers? - If you are going to by a doctor's note, make sure is a good one.

One of the areas that may be effecting the purchase of fake doctors notes may be health care. You have only to read a newspaper or watch TV to see that the Health Insurance problem in the U.S. is a crisis. Perhaps that is part of the reason thousands of workers and students buy a doctors excuse online everyday. With millions uninsured and the cost of health care rising access to doctors for a visit is growing more difficult. As more and more products and services move online it may not be long before many things done in a traditional doctors office are done on line. At least for now, this seems to include fake doctors notes.

Some have asked about the legality of fake doctors excuses. As far as I know they are perfectly legal in most cases to by and sell. Many see them as more of an ethical issue than a legal one. If you think you can "put one over" on your boss or professor with a fake doctor's excuse you buy, more power to you.

accounting payroll news

Environmental Responsibility Vs Shareholder Value - The Tale of Two Masters

2008-03-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." To whom do we owe our affection? Do we bless the shareholders without thought of anything more, or do we consider ethical and environmental obligations? Is there a balance that can be struck between the two?

The Wall Street Journal reported Rick Wagoner, General Motor's chairman and chief executive, announced on Sunday, January 13, 2008 that the company was purchasing an equity stake in Coskata. Coskata, a start-up company in Warrenville, Illinois, plans to make ethanol without the use of corn. G.M. would not disclose how much it paid, nor the amount of stake they took in the company. This is the first time that a car company has gone on record to invest in alternative fuel sources. Was this an act of environmental obligation? "I really don't see the logic of it," Christopher Flavin is quoted as saying. Flavin is the president of Worldwatch Institute, a Washington environmental group. He believes that G.M. should concentrate on maximizing the fuel economy of their current line. Lee Schipper, from the University of California, Berkeley, has given a stamp of approval for the project. "Ethanol made from waste materials could result in substantially less carbon per mile." He goes on to say later in the article, "Why wait for someone else to invest?"

In a similar movement, Wal-Mart recently "helped reduce the package of a popular toy. As a result, they were able to ship the product using 230 fewer containers, saving 356 barrels of oil, and 1300 trees." Constance E. Bagley writes in his book Managers and the Legal Environment, "Issues of social responsibility arise in the areas of product safety, sweatshops, and underpaid foreign workers, advertising, campaigns, antitrust violations, client conflicts of interest, managed earnings, and Internet companies." Most companies find a large gray area in the social responsibility angle. In the early 1990's, for example, Wal-Mart had made claims that products were made in America. In truth however, 12 year- old children were making the product in a Bangladesh sweat shop. Now, Wal-Mart clearly labels their products of origin, and has gone to the "Save Money, Live Better" slogan. They ease the conscience of the consumer with the promise of living better by spending less money. In recent years they have adopted social and environmental standards. In further efforts to clean-up their social policies, Wal-Mart has also begun to support local companies, such as Nectar of Life Coffee Company. Nectar of Life Coffee Company is a 100% organic and Fair Trade certified coffee roaster with roots in Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Wal-Marts pushed to improve their image this decade, and it is paying off. They have increased the amount of organic products (crops produced without harmful pesticides and herbicides) offered nationwide.

Wal-Mart has also begun to build "green" stores to meet their energy needs. You can view more information on how Wal-Mart is attempting to, "provide cost effective merchandise while reducing their environmental footprint" on their web site. With G.M. now on the environmental cleansing bandwagon, you can expect more companies to find ways to compete to provide alternatives to fossil fuel, energy, and other resources. Countries around the world are shifting their focus to filling the need for alternative fuel.

Published in the New York Times on the same day, was an article by James Kanter, Europe is considering banning the imports of certain biofuel crops that lack sustainability. In countries such as Malaysia, and Indonesia mass deforestation is occurring in an effort to plant palm trees for the palm oil export. Palm oil is currently one of many crops that are being produced for use as alternatives to fossil fuel. Although Europe's current ethanol consumption is only at 1% as of 2005, they are thinking ahead to the impact of using food for fuel. "Farmers growing corn for ethanol could also be affected, because the European rules contain provisions on preserving grasslands, said Mr. Drinkwater." Matt Drinkwater is biofuels analyst at New Energy Finance in London.

With all the efforts of reducing a global impact are we really making any headway? "A flurry of studies has discredited some of the claims made by biofuel producers that the fuels help reduce greenhouse gasses by reducing fossil fuel and growing carbon-dioxide-consuming plants. Growing the crops and turning them into fuel can result in considerable environmental harm." (New York Times, January 15, 2008). So turning food into fuel is not a good idea after all.

The shareholders of General Motors may not have all agreed on the financial choice of Mr. Wagoner, but perhaps his announcement will help boost stocks as perceptions of the company's standards "change." The goal of improving stocks could be as simple as showing their care about the earth. While steering away from biofuel, Mr. Wagoner and G.M. stepped into the unknown world of ethanol made from waste. G.M.'s equity stake purchase will most likely be viewed as a very intelligent maneuver. There is a growing surge toward consumers demanding companies show their financial, and environmental responsibility. They are touted on commercials from companies such as Subaru that have 0% waste plants. McDonalds that purchased $3 Billion in materials made from recycled products. Ford Motor Company has even created a new "guilt-free" luxury vehicle, made from recycled materials, and "chrome-free" leather. It would seem only logical for companies to hedge their pocketbooks where America is buying. Clearly, America wants good to work.

Cash Gifting - Ponzi Scheme or Pyramid Scheme?

2008-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Cash gifting has likely been around since the invention of currency and, in the past 7 years, has exploded as an activity that is bettering the lives of those involved in the program both financially and in their quality of life. Some however, have formed the opinion that the cash gifting activity to be a ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme and that such a program preys on the na? and the poor and that in order to make money someone has to lose.

It is possible that there have been individuals or groups in the past that have created a cash gifting scheme or two and quite possibly have been shut down, but not what we have in place today. Our 1-up cash gifting pay plan is far from a ponzi or pyramid scheme in that everyone has the same chance at success as everyone else, where the ponzi or pyramid scheme only caters to the person at the top which is also illegal.

There is also tracking software that makes everything cheat proof and that also allows tracking of each of your team member's activity. This, of course, is quite the opposite of what Charles Ponzi, the scheme's namesake, was doing back in the 1920's. He promised a high return from an investment which turned out to be bogus and got about 40,000 people to invest $15 million altogether and only paid out to 1/3 of them. Nobody at that time had the ability to monitor the activity that was taking place until the government stepped in and ran their own investigations. But by then, it was too late. The damage was done.

For those that call cash gifting illegal or refer to it as a ponzi or pyramid scheme may be referring to an MLM and pyramid gifting. Yes that is illegal and always will be caught in due time. A simple phone call to your local attorney general will confirm this. However, the 1-up cash gifting pay plan allows everyone involved equal opportunity to for success and does not support the "fat cat at the top" type design.

By simply doing a little research you will see people who are applying themselves and reaping the rewards of this system which is not what you will find with anything ponzi or resembling something you will find in Giza.

Caller ID - The Identification We've Lost

2008-03-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

With the great Caller ID technology has come a whirlwind of good as well as evil.

This technology probably started out as a great way to track down people who had nothing better to do than to terrorize other folks over the phone, oftentimes leaving a multitude of obscene messages. But like anything else, all the good it could bring has been outweighed by an ominous cloud which has rained down another lethal dose of degradation to civility.

If you're honest, you'll admit that you've lost a piece of your own soul in the midst of this Caller ID era. How many times have you checked your Caller ID and decided that the person on the other end wasn't important enough to answer? And even if you were too busy at that moment, you never returned their call...PERIOD. Or what's even worse, you answered the phone but rudely pretended you had a bad connection.

Don't get me wrong I love technology and the advancements it has brought us. However, I'm afraid it will also bring our whole civilization to a moral end. People have chosen gadgets over good relationships. We'd rather talk into a headset or look at a photo in "real time" rather than hop into a car and look into someone's eyes.

That's why I still love small towns and if I'm lucky, I'll retire and spend my last days in some quaint little town like Pine Mountain, Georgia, or a little village tucked away in the mountains of Clayton, Georgia, where my husband and I go every year on our sabbatical. Technology does not have as much of a stranglehold on those communities...yet.

branding news

A New Paradigm in Business Ethics is Needed

2008-03-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

References:

Seeger, M., (n.d.). Ethics and communication in organizational contexts: Moving from the fringe to the center. Retrieved July 6, 2007 from http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol5/iss1/special/seeger.htm

On line Ethics Center.
(http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/workplace/workcases/it-ethics/ethics_workplace.aspx). Retrieved July 10, 2007

Business online blog

Confucius, Li and Decency at Work

2008-03-10T00:25:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

Li, what is it?

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

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

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

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

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

Li in the workplace

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

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

Cultivating Li

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, some questions for self-reflection are:

·Do resentment or greed drive your interactions with others?
·How might you experience fear in your workplace? How do you act when you feel fearful?
·Do you ever lie or stretch the truth?
·Do you feel white lies are OK? Do you ever lie, cheat, or steal simply because its convenient...because you can?
·Are there others you admire because of their integrity, sincerity and authenticity?
·Does you organization have a code of ethical conduct. Do you follow it? Do others?
·What one or two things can you do to cultivate and practice Li at work?
·Do you keep agreements?
·Do you admit when you are wrong? Do you apologize for mis-deeds?
·Do you have a personal code of conduct? Do you follow it?
·Do you recognize the dignity in all others?
·Would folks at work (and at home and play) characterize you as a decent human being? Would you characterize yourself as a decent human being?
·Do you ever react to others in a way that communicates to them they are "irrelevant" or "irritants"?

careersemp loyment

The Ethical Dilemmas of Providing or Not Providing References

2008-03-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

A very common dilemma, which most managers experience at one time or another in their career, occurs when they get a call from someone representing another company's HR department, or perhaps a hiring manager, who is calling to ask for a reference about one of our old employees or work colleagues. It is very likely that our company policy states that we can only confirm to the caller the name of the past employee, their former title and their dates of employment, and nothing more, or refer the caller to the HR department so that they can confirm the same information (Trevino and Nelson, 2005, p. 75).

After complying with the company policy by only providing this information, it isn't uncommon for the caller to ask if we couldn't pleas provide a little bit more information about the individual which would help them make their decision on whether or not to hire the individual. This may seem harmless, especially if we happen to know the worker was excellent and indeed you feel you could provide a good reference. Or, we may be tempted to raise the "red flag" and warn them to avoid the mistake and the headache that you dealt with! However, it is important to remember that "whenever you identify yourself as an employee of your company, people can infer that you are speaking on behalf of it, which is why.." (p.75) you must remember that whatever you tell the individual you are actually not speaking for yourself, but the company. "Most companies prohibit their personnel from officially supplying this type of information because of lawsuits that have resulted from employer-supplied recommendations (p. 75).

The same is true when the ex-employee asks you personally if you can provide a recommendation. If you use corporate letterhead or refer to your position in the company, then you are also representing the company and it can be interpreted that you are speaking on behalf of the company. While you may want to provide the favor, you should decline, unless you have permission from your employer. If you provide a reference as an individual and not as a representative of the company, then you must not use your title, company letterhead, your business card, or anything else that would refer to your working relationship within the company (p. 75).

Another dilemma we may face as managers is whether or not to blow the whistle on an individual within our organizations. This becomes an ethical dilemma since we must decide whether or not we are ethically bound to report information which have regarding unethical behavior of others within the company or do nothing, which may seem safer from our personal perspective. However, it is important to remember that as managers, once we have received any information regarding any unethical behavior within the organization; it is our ethical and corporate responsibility to make an effort to notify others within the corporation who may be able to take appropriate action (p. 79). If we do not, then we become partly responsible for any damages since we had information but did not act.

Several years ago, while leading a sales team, I was notified by one of our sales representatives that another of our representatives had on several occasions drank excessively dinners we sponsored for our clients. He stated that he did not want to cause problems for the individual; he felt that he had to let me know that while drinking the other representative said and did things that were not appropriate and reflected poorly on the company. Once I received the call, I found myself in a dilemma. I in fact had witnessed the other representative become loud when he drank at our business meetings. While I personally did not feel he was drinking more than others in the team, I know that if I did not do something, that I may be risking relationships with our customers, the good faith of our company, or even worse, the safety of one of my employees and or others who may be at danger because of excessive drinking. I notified our local HR representative and notified her of the situation and asked her for advice. With her support and the support of our employee assistance program we were able to address the situation in a way that was confidential to the individual concerned and in a way that protected the company and the individual.

References:

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

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The Leadership Storm - The Tsunami of Ethical Dilemmas

2008-03-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's not just for business anymore. Our next Enron or WorldCom could come from within government. The fact government sets many of the ethical standards for business means they must have a high standard themselves. It appears those standards are slipping.

The Ethics Resource Center's National Government Ethics Survey (NGES) shows that nearly two thirds (63%) of local government employees said they observed at least one type of misconduct during the reported year. Local government also had the highest rate of workers who witnessed misconduct but did not report it. The combined rate of state and federal workers who stated they had witnessed ethics violations was 57%. The 2007 study did not show improvement over the previous study. This should sound alarms for both government and business. Visit the web site of the Ethics Resource Center to download the the entire survey.

The greatest issues were at the local level, so here's some grassroots, common sense knowledge for you that today's society seems to be overlooking at great expense. Our society is losing its grasp on good old-fashioned values. And like society, business follows suit. Gone are the days where a man's handshake was his promise, his word his commitment. But not gone forever. If you want to learn some methods to pump values back into your organization, and gain confidence back from your customers, you'll want to stress these conditions during all training. Reinforce and remind them on a regular basis:

The flow of information from top management

Top management's ability to keep promises and commitments

The flow of information from supervisors to employees

A supervisor's ability to keep promises and commitments

Increase confidence that coworkers will keep promises and commitments

Use transparent means to reward employees, nothing unquestionable

There is an upward trend of pressure to compromise standards, where situations invite wrongdoing and/or employees' personal values conflict with the values espoused at work. This increasing pressure builds like the wave of a tsunami until it reaches critical mass. Self interest, lying, abusive behavior and internet abuse top the list for misconduct in the workplace within government.

Businesses run the risk of loosing customer and employee trust that is essential for businesses to maintain. Government agencies strongly risk loosing the confidence and trust of the public. In both sectors, eroded trust hinders organizational effectiveness.

Business online blog

From Bangor To Bangalore - How Going Global Means Growing Nobel

2008-03-08T00:51:00.000-08:00

What does Bangor, Maine have to do with Bangalore, India? Maybe nothing. Maybe a lot.

Recently, while in my Bangor, ME office I asked a fellow business person why they didn't include a fairly common Internet solution offered by almost everyone in the current business environment. The answer was striking. He said, "Because that's the way we do things in Maine." As if to say, Maine business held a special exemption, due to its regional uniqueness, from providing customers with basic services that most other businesses offer as a matter of course.

As someone born and raised in the state of Maine, I was frankly shocked. The Internet, CNN, fiber optic cable and international cell phone coverage, to name just a few technologies, flattens not only our experience of the world, but the experience of our customers. When people talk about a "flattened" world what is meant is a world that is now much more transparent. Anyone or anything can be Googled. Any process or technology is available on line for all to see whether in Bangor or Bangalore. In short, everything is visible to everyone.

Since transparency is the rule of the day, business is impacted in new ways. Not only is process visible, but most processes become commoditized. In other words, few will find any particular edge in the platform or process itself. In my business of pensions and 401K plans, as just one example, there is almost no difference in platform from one 401K provider to the next. The only difference now is me. Globalization creates a transparency and commoditization that creates very little differentiation in basic products and services.

This means business needs to rethink its approach. The approach that matters in this new environment is refocusing on "how" we do business. In other words, if everyone now sees what everyone else is doing and can offer what everyone else offers, then the distinguishing feature of our business is the "how" of our particular approach. Character is going to count again. Honesty, integrity and placing the customers needs above our own is what will rule this new global day.

There is no longer the "Bangor way of doing things" or the "Bangalore way of doing things." Now, there is one very transparent way of doing things that the whole world can see. What does Bangor have to do with Bangalore? A lot! The new standard of business is a global standard. No one is safe in their small, parochial world. Business cannot be accomplished well if uninformed, much less if delivered in a sloppy or unprofessional way, all in the name of "regional style." Further, business people will no longer be their own arbiter and judge as to whether or not they are uninformed or unprofessional. The standard will be the definition adopted by their customers as those customers become shaped by the global standards that are delivered to each customer as they sit looking at their laptop. Bangor and Bangalore are very close indeed.

Franchising

Top Ten Reasons to Live a Life of Integrity

2008-03-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

You might think that it's a no-brainer why one should live an honest life. But it's apparent to me that a life of integrity is the exception rather than the rule. How many people do you know who are honest all the time?

We could make a case about the morality and the "rightness" of living honestly. Religious leaders have been advocating this for thousands of years. It's doubtful that even they could provide a true model of integrity.

I believe in the moral and ethical value of integrity but I also think there are very practical and worthwhile reasons for living an impeccable life. Here are ten:

1. Trust. In order to be successful in business or hold a responsible job, a person must have a reputation of honesty. Resources are not entrusted to people who have proven themselves as untrustworthy.

2. Good Health. I have no research to support this, but I'd be willing to bet that people who tell the truth are healthier. They have less concern, less stress and feel better about themselves. This has to translate into better health.

3. Pride. I've yet to meet a liar who has any real pride in themselves. Any good leadership training will stress the importance and value of having pride in what you do and who you are. If your reputation is grounded in deception, your opinion of yourself is poor indeed. Being honest just plain feels good.

4. Peace of Mind. If you cheat on your income taxes, you may get away with it, but you'll probably always worry that you'll get audited and face fines, extra charges and even jail as a result. Your reputation would also be tarnished. When you deal honestly, you have peace of mind. It's impossible to worry and be happy at the same time.

5. Remembering. It's been said that no one has a good enough memory to be a good liar. When you don't tell the truth, you have to INVENT it. When you do, you'll often be asked to recall your rendition of the truth, and you may not be able to do so because you forgot what you said. You KNOW the truth, but you can't remember your version of it. Very embarrassing. Besides, it's hard work to continually come up with false stories.

6. Good Sleep. If you lie-unless you have no conscience at all-you'll often lose sleep because of your fears of being found out. Your worry and your guilt will keep you awake. A good night's sleep is one of life's many pleasures and honest people sleep better.

7. Confidence. Many people have excellent "bull" detectors. They know-at least at some level-when you're being fake. If telling lies is your modus operandi, you know that these people will often see though your fa?e. There's no way to have real confidence in oneself when you're walking on "bull".

8. Good Relationships. Relationships are the jewels of our lives. Some would argue that relationships ARE our lives. And breeches in trust are the death knell of relationships. When trust is gone, there is no foundation upon which to build. Relationships lacking in trust seem hollow and shallow. They lack joy.

9. Legal Problems. We don't have to look very far to see the legal trouble people get themselves into from dishonesty. Lying in a court of law or to an officer of the law is literally AGAINST the law. Conversely, if you have no secrets, you can rest easy and its hard for anyone to blackmail you.

10. It Doesn't Work. All too often our deceptions and duplicity are discovered. In the information age in which we live, it's even more likely that lies will sooner or later be seen for what they are. Dishonesty is just plain inefficient.

The right thing to do is seldom the easy thing to do. But it's worth it.

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At a Crossroads with Management - A Discussion of Ethics

2008-03-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of information pertaining to discussion of ethics around us, and ethics are a part and parcel of our day to day life.

While it may be a truism to say that most of us would like to either be independently wealthy, work for ourselves or building our own brand of business, the reality of the situation is that few of us, statistically speaking, will ever achieve that dream.

This leaves us with the necessity of playing the office politics game, getting on the good side of management, and trying not to rock the boat too much. Of course, there may come a time when you are presented with an ethical dilemma when it comes to your relationship with your boss. There may come a time when your boss asks you to do something that is slightly off the path, ethically and morally speaking. And at that time, you will have to make a choice: go with the flow and do as they say, breaking your own code of ethics in the process, or go against the grain, stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and risk losing favor with management, or even risk losing your job.

Of course, much of the decision making power will have to do with the specific situation involved. If you boss asks you to do something clearly illegal, which could cost you much more than your job, the choice will be a lot easier than something on a smaller, subtler scale. Say for instance your boss wants you to begin a surveillance program, keeping track of everyone¡¯s internet activity in the office. You may feel this is an invasion of privacy, even if you are not breaking any laws. Your friends and coworkers in the office would lose respect for you if they found out about your surveillance, and it may even be a case where if you won¡¯t do it, someone else will. This is where you will have to decide where and what you want to stand for. If you agree to the task, you might be breaking your personal code of ethics; if you deny it, you may risk losing your job or, more likely, be passed over for that next promotion.

Situations like the one described above are never easy. There are many considerations to take under advisement, and it would behoove anyone in such a situation to consult with their family and the people they trust for counsel before proceeding. In the end, of course, you must make the decision that feels right to you. If you feel, for instance, like perusing the internet activity of that girl in accounting is a light transgression, it may be easy to decide to go with the flow in this instance. On the other hand, if you feel strongly that management has no right to invade their employees privacy in this way, it may be a situation where it is worth the penalty to stand up for your beliefs.

With many ethical considerations, there are no clear cut answers. There is only your personal set of beliefs, staged against another¡¯s. These situations can be the most difficult to conquer, as they may come down to nothing more than personal disagreements. Neither of you may have an objective stance of right or wrong, but both of you may feel just as strongly about your opinion.

With the ending of this article on discussion of Ethics, how much do you stand to gain with this article? It will fall to you to make the decision you can live with.

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