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Being a business theatre producer has allowed Brian the opportunity to meet and work with some very fascinating people from a variety of backgrounds which, in turn, has helped shape his knowledge and his opinions. His blog will not always be political, it will be about a lifetime of subjects, and nothing is off limits. “Few people have original thoughts, we are shaped by the people we know and meet” he says.



Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Business Ethics Gone Missing!

Looking for a job for many Michigan residents is a full time event these days with the unemployment rate ranging from 12 to 30% depending on different economists opinions.

People are applying for jobs they would never have even considered two years ago. If you made $50 an hour last year, you may be offered $10 an hour for the same work.

Some employers are taking advantage of the soft job market. Companies are coming to Michigan and salivating about hiring (taking advantage of) some of the most talented people in their field.

There is something missing with the current crop of human resources professionals and that is their total lack of professionalism.Their lack of common courtesy. Their lack of business ethics. Their lack of respect for human beings.

And it is not just small independent business that lack these qualities, it seems to be almost universal these days.

I am sure some companies treat people who apply for positions with respect but I have not seen it personally, nor have I heard about it from any of my friends or associates seeking employment.

It used to be a standard policy among most companies, when someone applied for a job to send acknowledgement and receipt of the application. No more.

If you were fortunate enough to receive a call back and attend a second interview, you would be notified about the outcome of that interview. No more!

When someone was hired for the position, you used to receive a polite and pleasant notice that the position went to another person. No more!

Either most companies lack proper business etiquette or our universities are failing to educate their human resources majors in the importance of business relationships and respect for human beings.

Companies like Lowe's and Home Depot, although they have computers in their stores for applicants to apply or offer "online" applications don't even send a response that acknowledges receipt of the application. An "auto response" would be simple but it never happens.

When you click "send" it goes into cyberspace and a job applicant is left in virtual limbo.

Smaller companies are also at fault. Yes, I know that for every job there are hundreds of applicants but an email or a form letter is not expensive to send.

Many Michigan residents are hurting and just need a little respect. A note to say "thank you" for your application can go a long way to building a company's reputation and turning a potential customer into a loyal customer.

Let's bring back solid business ethics and decency.

That is my stand, what is yours?

1 Comments:

Anonymous Maxwell Pinto said...

Ethics is concerned with morals, fairness, respect, caring, sharing, no false promises, no lying, cheating, stealing, or unreasonable demands on employees and others, etc. Ethics can be taught in a classroom, if the school/university, professor and the students adopt a practical approach in preference to a philosophical one. Can any ethics training program prevent Bernie Madoff, Vincent Lacroix, Conrad Black, etc. from being themselves? No, but a well-designed & implemented program can

(a) help good people to do the right thing consistently

(b) make it more difficult for wrong-doers to succeed &

(c) raise people’s ethical IQS



In business, the bottom line is often considered to be money. Many leaders follow the stockholder approach, rather than the stakeholder approach (which emphasizes the needs of stockholders and others, such as employees, customers, suppliers, the government, the community, and the environment).

Business decisions often concern complicated situations which are neither totally ethical nor totally unethical. Therefore, it is often difficult to do the right thing, contrary to what many case studies will have you believe! Moral values such as respect, honesty, fairness and responsibility are supposed to dictate our (ethical) behaviour, but are often ignored in times of stress
and confusion, when one must stand by one’s principles.


Business ethics is concerned with dealing with dilemmas that do not have a clear indication as to what is right or wrong. Leaders have to deal with potential conflicts of interest, wrongful use of resources, mismanagement of contracts, false promises and exaggerated demands on resources which include personnel. In a proposed sale, is it the seller’s duty to disclose all material facts regarding the product or service in question or is it the buyer’s responsibility to find out the pros and cons of what he or she is getting into? Should the seller answer each question exactly as it was asked, and ignore some pertinent information? Or should he address the spirit of the question? Is the buyer responsible for due diligence? This is a gray area.

Business ethics calls for an awareness of social responsibility and this includes addressing social problems such as poverty, crime, environmental protection, equal rights, public health and improving education. Hence the stakeholder theory and the emphasis on public relations, better HR management and other areas.


For free abridged books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, women in the workforce, sexual harassment and bullying, trade unions, etc. send an e-mail request to crespin79@primus.ca.


Maxwell Pinto, Business Consultant and Author: leadership, ethics, teamwork, women in the workforce, sexual harassment and bullying, trade unions, etc.

http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p34hB50lv-8

May 4, 2010 at 3:15 PM 

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