Business Ethics
December 7, 2007
There is much talk today about ethics in business - as there should be, but there should be more than talk; there should be a high moral code for all executives who are responsible to both their customers and their shareholders.
I have been the president and CEO of one publicly owned company and also was president of another that was responsible to customers who traded equities. This carries a high responsibility to all concerned. You have to be more than worried if you do something wrong because you will go to jail. You must have the desire to try to always do your best for everyone who works for you as well as all the customers or investors that deal with your company.
Ethics is supposed to be either black or white, right or wrong, but today it is many shades of grey. If any company does shady business you can be sure it starts at the top and filters down because the president is the one who sets the example for the actions of the entire company. This is as true for actions of our elected officials as it is for corporations or individuals. We have had some pretty sorry examples of that in Washington.
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Work Ethics and the Customer
November 19, 2007
This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency, commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how employees and customers consider ethical behavior and sound values an integral part of your organization. This competency covers a variety of topics like customer treatment, employee professionalism, and expected/acceptable organizational behaviors. At a high level, this competency will investigate the standards by which your employees treat your customers, co-workers, and the organization itself.
This short story, Work Ethics and the Customer, is part of AlphaMeasure’s compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It provides a view from the customer’s side of the counter that might inspire you to rethink the old phrase “the customer is king”.
Anonymous Submission
I work in a back office environment. The front lines of customer service are far away, so I don’t think much about the ethical matters involved in providing good service.
All of that changed recently, when I found myself on the customer side of that check out terminal (formerly known as a cash register), and in dire need of help.
Enron?s Ultimate Victim: Ethics
November 2, 2007
FROM the ‘MORAL HIGH GROUND’, where we imagine ourselves, the Enron fiasco should have come as no surprise. Enron is simply a quintessential example of the degradation of principles such as trust, loyalty and ethical standards.
Why it happened,however,is what really needs to be understood if business is to restore its ethical foundation and survive tumultuous times.
Few will argue that business today is more challenging and competitive; most everyone accepts that the marketplace is more cutthroat than ever. We live in a dog-eat-dog world where for most, corporate survival is focused on just trying to not get eaten.
Not long ago, things were not so ruthless, or so we’d like to think. Companies had a tacit understanding with their employees: the company will always be there for you. The expression, "I’m a company man," once represented the unquestioned relationship between employees and employer. The company was our family, and families looked out for one another. Anything less was considered disloyal and unacceptable.
Laws and Ethics?. Who?s Kidding Who?
October 15, 2007
Years ago I read an article by a renowned psychologist wherein he wrote his studies found one percent of all human beings would never lie, cheat or steal. One percent would always lie, cheat or steal and given the right set of circumstances, the rest of us would likely lie, cheat and/or steal.
I mention this to highlight the fact that, if we can buyoff on this one principle ? sobering though it may be ? we have then, a benchmark from which to begin to at least try to understand the denigration of ethics that lead to outcomes like Enron and WorldCom.
Most believe morality walks hand-in-hand with unquestioned ethics. A quick look-up in a dictionary for Morality reveals words like, ethical, good, right, honest, decent, proper, honorable, just, principled and so on. All good words, no doubt. Words too that describe what most of us ? including Enron Exec’s - see in ourselves, Morally Upstanding.
Nevertheless, there is no shortage of those who climb high upon their perch in an attempt to [dare I say] distance themselves from the great unwashed by proclaiming their undaunted commitment to honesty and ethics all the while engaging in activities to the contrary. Foyer walls of most companies utterly ooze words of benevolence and righteousness ? there only for others to see, but in practice, never to be followed.
Business Ethics: An Oxymoron
September 27, 2007
An oxymoron: the juxtaposition of contradictory words or concepts. That is what we have with the term “Business Ethics”. The very contradiction that is inherent in this latter phrase is an indication of the challenge that individuals who work for organizations face as we all approach the resource limits of this planet.
The global concept of business is fundamentally based on the principle of competition for limited resources. That is the practice of maximizing one’s gains at the expense of others. This ultimately has the effect of creating a hierarchy of those who have and those who have not. This is really paramount to “eliminating the enemy” i.e other human beings.
The concept of ethics is based fundamentally on moral principles. That is, principles of right and wrong as dictated by the core human values that we as human beings hold dear in our hearts. These are core values of fairness, love, compassion, integrity, respect, peace, joy, fulfillment, harmony, beauty, etc.
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Shifting Culture and Climate in Todays Corporate World
September 9, 2007
This articles relates to the AlphaMeasure core competency Culture and Climate. AlphaMeasure defines climate as the effect an organization has on the employees, while culture refers more to the acceptable behaviors, attitudes, and habits of the organization as a whole. Knowing and understanding workplace culture and climate leads to a better understanding of what factors are influencing employees. In relation, the level of service your customers receive is almost always influenced by the culture and climate of your organization. This competency can be especially insightful if your organization is experiencing customer service related issues or problems working together internally.
A Tale from the Corporate Frontlines: An Employee’s Perpective on Culture and Climate. This short story is part of AlphaMeasure’s Tales from the Corporate Frontlines.
When large, multinational corporations acquire medium-sized, locally-oriented businesses, huge shifts in the culture and climate of the workplace can occur.
I experienced such a shift while working for a prosperous company with a rich local history and plenty of prestige in the community. When I started there, years ago, the culture was very friendly and laid back. This may have been due to the fact that although an eastern company, it was owned and directed by a larger west coast entity.
Do Organizations Serve Us Or Do We Serve Organizations
August 23, 2007
We have seen an erosion in the confidence that society has in organizational leadership and its integrity recently with the numerous accounting scandals that have become public.Clearly this has led to the demise of several large organizations. In performance terms it is obvious that erosion of leadership integrity is not good for business.
The integrity that exists within an organization either lives or dies with the mission statement and underlying values around which an organization functions. Often the mission and values focus on such things as organizational performance, customer service, quality products, profit goals etc. These are then used as guiding posts and navigational aids to lead and inform leaders and employees at all levels within the organization.
Effectively, individuals then have to “integrate” themselves within the organizational directive in order to survive there. The organizational mission becomes an overarching theme in the lives of these individuals whether or not it is truly aligned with their own values and purpose in life. Of course most individuals are not in the habit of considering their values or purpose in life so they are only too happy to adopt someone else’s in order to stem the inner feelings of insecurity that arise from not having their own.
Ethics In The Workplace
August 6, 2007
Workplace Ethics is a subject that we have all heard of. In fact, the subject of Ethics in general is something that most people are familiar with. And, what is commonly understood about ethics is there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. What most people don’t realize, however, is that there is no such thing as workplace ethics; ethics are the same, (or, should be) whether in the workplace or in personal life.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you but are the "right" choices to make. They are the choices that are examples of "model citizens" and examples of the golden rules. We’ve all heard the golden rules: Don’t hurt, don’t steal, don’t lie, or one of the most famous: "Do unto others as you would have done to you." These are not just catchy phrases; these are words of wisdom that any productive member of society should strive to live by.
How To Build A Business Ethics Program
July 19, 2007
Recent corporate financial scandals have highlighted the importance of business ethics and legal compliance. Yet a recent National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) survey of 280 corporate CEOs and directors found that “only one of three directors felt that they were highly effective in ensuring legal compliance”.
Ethics in Business
Most companies realize that they need to develop and implement a business ethics and compliance program.
An effective program can:
? Establish a code of conduct that reduces risk of criminal behavior
? Detect wrongdoing, foster quick investigations, minimize consequences
? Demonstrate company’s ethical/legal philosophy during an investigation
? Reduce fines if company is found guilty of wrongdoing
? Enhance company reputation and stature
Looking at the Options
But how do you build an effective program? Companies find themselves with three options to build the program:
? Develop in-house from scratch
? Hire an external consultant
? Use a pre-written manual
And most of these companies learn a few lessons - sometimes the hard way.
Making a Strong Company Policy
Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics
June 30, 2007
This morning, I read about a company using on-line auctions to defraud customers. Last week, I consulted on an ethics complaint where a business coach betrayed a client’s confidentiality. And, recently a Physician was convicted of insider trading based on information from a patient, a violation of both business ethics and her professional ethics.
Business ethics are the key to profits. If clients and customers don’t trust you, and your business ethics, they will not do business with you. Would you buy from a company you didn’t trust? Of course not!
Business ethics have become a hot-button topic. There are often ethical conflicts between making money, and doing what is right. There can be dilemmas about doing what is best for your employer, what’s best for your own career, and what’s best for the customer. Business ethics is about negotiating these mine-fields. Here are my Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics:
1. Business Ethics are built on Personal Ethics. There is no real separation between doing what is right in business, and playing fair, telling the truth and being ethical in your personal life.
