Business Ethics: The Law of Corporate Karma

According to the shamanic traditions, the great mystery of being is that all things are alive and have a level of intelligence. This is because all things are a part of the Great Spirit. However, all things also function individually, in thought and action. It is in these individual actions that karma is born. Karmic laws also state that all karma, both good and bad, must also return home...return to sender!Most of us don't have a good grasp of group karma. Simply stated, if you agree to be a member of a group situation, you are also agreeing to it's collective karmic pattern of return. So sooner or later problems at work, in your business or corporate structure will show up at your front door. It's like you caught the flu from the group...but now your personally ill.As humanity grows in it's awareness...it also grows in karmic responsibility. So years ago many industries caused environmental problems, but were not aware of that fact.... Read More

Ethics in Business...A Lost Art

While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Whatever happened to going into business to provide a needed service, being loyal to employees, and keeping promises. It seems like no one today is concerned about doing good business or being ethical in the process. Our forefathers would be ashamed at what this society has come to. I know I am. Chuck and I teach our students how to run a good business, by being ethical, and making sure that everyone is happy. We run our business using the adage, "The customer is always right". We know, however, from looking at others in business both on and offline, that we are in the minority. For most it is all about making money. They don't care who they have to step on, how... Read More

Ethics in Business - Please Have Some

Is your business ethical?What I mean is "Does your business do the right thing when faced with that decision?" It's a simple question, which many businesses struggle with. I just don't understand the struggle part?I have worked for companies that believed they were ethical, and really have no clue. Meaning the decisions they make everyday towards their customers and employees does not advocate ethics.So, what is it? When someone in business gives you their word and then reneges, that is unethical. Your word is your promise. Even if it is your business making the statement.Doing good business and being a good employer is more than your product or people, it is the guidelines in which you do that good business. I'm disappointed in how many unethical businesses exist today. I have worked for some of them and they just don't get it... they 'talk tough' but when the decisions are made I can't fathom what motivated them come to their decision? It was... Read More

Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics

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... Read More

How To Build A Business Ethics Program

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 BusinessMost 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 statureLooking at the OptionsBut 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 manualAnd most of these companies learn a few lessons - sometimes the hard way.Making a Strong Company PolicyDeveloping a program from scratch can be very time... Read More

Ethics In The Workplace

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 ABOUTEthics 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... Read More

Do Organizations Serve Us Or Do We Serve Organizations

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... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Shifting Culture and Climate in Todays Corporate World

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... Read More

Business Ethics: An Oxymoron

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.In other words business is... Read More

Laws and Ethics?. Who?s Kidding Who?

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... Read More

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Six Reasons to Give

If you run a business, you undoubtedly feel many pressures on your time and money. Why would you want to add "giving to the community" to your "to do" list? Here are six... Read More

The Three Schools of Business Ethics

G. Richard Shell, author of Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, identifies three primary schools of ethics in negotiation. To me, they are equally valuable in examining ethics in the context... Read More

The Armaments Industry and Holy (?) Roman Emperors

"The time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It... Read More

What is a Ponzi Scheme?

This is for those who don't believe me when I talk about the dangers of "mystery money" schemes.The terms "pyramid scheme" and "Ponzi scheme" are used almost interchangeably. However, the scheme for which... Read More

The Deception Perception: Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

The Deception PerceptionWithout a doubt, people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust. Credibility is critical. This is especially true conducting business on the internet where people never actually... Read More

Minding Your Global Manners

To say that today's business environment is becoming increasingly more global is to state the obvious. Meetings, phone calls and conferences are held all over the world and attendees can come from any... Read More

Is Your Management Style Lead By Intimidation?

So many women make the mistake of thinking that they have to be these big mean diva bosses, to get respect and cooperation from their staff and colleagues. They walk around the office... Read More

MacDonalidisation: Braverman, Taylor & Mayo

Background: George Ritzer defined McDonaldization as "...the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurants are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of... Read More

Are You Selling Out Your Integrity?

Integrity in business is a quality that is highly under-rated by executives these days. Many executives are so "pushed and pulled" by a not so hidden force called the "profit motive" that they... Read More

The Views of Karl Marx VS Max Weber

Compare and contrast the views of Karl Marx and Max Weber with regards as to what motivates people to work.Karl Marx: [1] Exploitation[2] Proletariat have to sell their labour-power[3] The machines of the... Read More

Enron?s Ultimate Victim: Ethics

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... Read More

Business Ethics: How The Sales Function Can Transmit Company Values

I recently got a "thank-you" call from a man who read my new e-book Buying Facilitation."Boy," he said, "this method sure helps me close more deals and make more money. Thanks!""Glad I could... Read More

Ethics in Business...A Lost Art

While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that... Read More

Mind Your Own Damn Business Sexcess

You have certainly heard the expression "mind your own damn business" used in a multitude of contexts. The most typical being the don't kiss and tell type statements, often uttered by responsibly private... Read More

How To Detect Liars In Your Business & Personal Life

We live in a world full of lies and deception. Most of us (or all of us?) lied or were forced to do so, in a small or larger scale, because of some... Read More

Work Ethics ? A Paradigm Shift

Work ethics is a hot topic in today's business and educational worlds. Yet, how do we define this hybrid phrase with the word work meaning more than a specific outcome and the word... Read More

Ethics In The Workplace

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... Read More

Private Carrier Pepsi Embraces Diversity Amongst Employees

Many companies claim to be committed to diversity, but private carrier Pepsico has proven their desire for a diverse employee base. With the progression of globalization in the world, Pepsi continues to embrace... Read More

Ethics? How To Take the Measure Business

When asked to write a small piece pertaining to ethics and integrity in the business world, my first inclination was to draw on personal experience.Everyone has bad experiences to relate. We deal with... Read More

Top 10 Principles for Positive Business Ethics

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... Read More

Dont Hate Them Because Theyre Beautiful

Tonight I'm going out with two extremely impressive ladies who I am introducing to one another. They are both GORGEOUS, in their mid 20s and both incredibly intelligent. One is divorced with kids... Read More

Selling Truth as a Differentiator

The last few years have been a period of heightened scrutiny and scandal for the financial services industry. Most recently, the SEC issued a report on pension consultants regarding conflicts of interest and... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Work Ethics and the Customer

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... Read More

Business Ethics: The Law of Corporate Karma

According to the shamanic traditions, the great mystery of being is that all things are alive and have a level of intelligence. This is because all things are a part of the Great... Read More

The Collapse of Enron: Managerial Aspects

Executive summaryIts revenues made up US $139($184) billion, assets equaled $62($82) billion, and the number of employees reached more than 30,000 people in 20 countries around the world.While Enron Corporation was so highly... Read More

Business Ethics: An Oxymoron?

Why do I believe good PR and business ethics are inextricably linked? It comes down to definitions. Ethics is learning what is right and what is wrong and then doing the "right thing."... Read More

The Everyday Business Ethics Crisis Or Im Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore

Breaking news may feature the Enron debacle, WorldCom activities, or accounting problems but we live our everyday business life making ethical choices that affect our employment and businesses. Consider the ethical choices made... Read More

Is Good Neighborliness Good Business?

[Note: This story is not a criticism of Buddhism. It is a story of neighborly love.]Introduction He was the least likely of neighbors to do this thing, a Buddhist turned Roman Catholic, patriarch... Read More

Financial Projections in Business Plans

One of the most difficult sections to write in a business plan is the proforma and financial sections. After all it is most difficult to what exact costs you will incur or what... Read More