Ethics
Business Ethics: A Quiz with Many Right Answers
You can find various business ethics quizzes around thPick the one answer you think is wrong. This one is different. Each question has only one WRONG answer, doesn’t analyze your answers and tell you where you went wrong. Rather, it is simply intended to raise your ethical consciousness, maybe even stimulate [...]
Your Personal Code of Ethics: How Does it Work in Today’s World?
Each of us carries around within us a personal code of ethics. We may not be conscious of it; we may not deliberately consult it on a daily basis, we may not apply a decision tree against it to make a choice, but it exists. And, at times, it may falter, or we [...]
When In Business Remember Your Values And Your Principles
The pressures people face as entrepreneurs can at times become burdensome. You are the boss, the one person within your company that is ultimately responsible for everything that goes on. Sometimes you may feel all alone in the world that makes up your life. And sometimes the pressure can seem overwhelming. Being in business for [...]
Business Ethics: Why They Are Important For a Company and Its Success
Business ethics is an interesting branch of business theory, primarily because of the fact that they are inherently interesting in a market economy. People tend to be extremely distrustful of corporations in market economies and the bigger they are, the worse that problem of trust usually gets. Business ethics therefore are politically charged in many [...]
Employers Protection Against The Ridiculous
The UK is fast becoming the Health and Safety nightmare of the modern world. There are those who work in the care sector who are not allowed to come into physical contact with the people they care for fear of breaching some health and safety law, there are those in childcare who are not allowed [...]
The Dos And Don’ts Of Using Office Furniture
When it comes to the use of office furniture there are several etiquette rules that should be observed and these rules will differ from office to office. What is acceptable in one place will be your downfall in another. Suss out the rules of your new office early on and you will be welcomed with [...]
Avoiding a Hostile Workplace: Fairness in Employee Discipline
The environment of your workplace is vital to employee satisfaction, reduction of turnover, and productivity. It is also vital to the legal stability of your business.
A hostile work environment can be the basis for many types of employee complaints and causes of legal action. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lists as [...]
Retracting Sales Based On The Talmud
The Talmud cited the following incident: There was once a food shortage in Nehardea. All the people sold their mansions. Eventually, wheat arrived and Rav Nachman told them that the law is that the mansions must be returned to their original owners.
The Talmud notes that the reason why sales are void is because they were [...]
The Importance Of Ethics For Your Business Success
That question has already been answered to the extent of jail terms, lost pensions, personal disgrace and yet that is only the tip of the iceberg. We as human beings must build organizations in which freedom and personal initiative can cohabit with cooperation, caring and a highly integrated harmony or all is lost.
Hard times [...]
Should Mega Churches Run Their Business Like A Corporation?
Recently my son, who is a minister with a master in divinity from the South Western Baptist Theological Seminary, in Dallas, Texas was fired from his job. He had put years of service into the biggest First Southern Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas as their Video Production Engineer.
He was highly praised and [...]
Staying Focused with Your Home-Based Business Goals
As an owner of a home-based business, you will have to learn to stay focused on your goals/reasons why you originally chose this direction. It is so easy to become distracted when you are working from home; since there are always a hundred other things that need your attention. Think about all those days when [...]
IT Governance: Staying in Check after the Wake of Fraud Busts
If you are a reader of business news, a shareholder, or just keep up on daily news events, you may think fraud when the names Enron, Worldcom or HealthSouth is mentioned. Scandal coupled with the tech world crumbling after the turn of the 21st century had the U.S. government responding with some new standards for [...]
Proof That Cheap Doesn’t Always Pay
After leaving school, I was quite desperate to get myself into work and took this secretarial job as a fill in. Five years on and I’m still here. I’m still churning out letters from our antiquated printer that only works if you thump it six inches in from the back and for which Mr Parker [...]
Effective Credit Control for Your Business
Running a business on credit is one of the most professional things you can do, whilst also becoming one of the most risky. As soon as you offer credit to your customers you are opening yourself up for severely late payment, or worse still, no payment at all, which can be crippling for any [...]
Interview with Carmen Iezzi
In 2006, Carmen Iezzi, was named executive director of the Fair Trade Federation, which represents more than 250 fair trade businesses in North America.
An Alumni of American University, she knew she had an important and significant job to do. She envisioned her role as the youngest person there; to lead the group with fresh [...]
The Diamond Trade in 2007: How Much Blood Remains?
In March, 2007, I traveled to Turkey, where I attended the Istanbul Jewelry Show. There I met a diamond dealer, the president of a large firm with a large booth. He was the brother of a personal friend and had been in the diamond industry for many years. His primary business was the Russian market, [...]
Understanding the World of Tomorrow
Most people do not easily accept the new, mostly because of the unknown factor that people tend to call fear. It is not only as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky had put it that “taking a new step, uttering a new world is what people fear most.” Even in slight things the experience of the new is [...]
Equal Rights In The Workplace
Discrimination in the workplace takes many forms. It can be related to either race, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation. This was previously driven by moral or ethical grounds and public relations. In the past, many people who don’t fall into the common bracket have found it difficult to actually find jobs, then to [...]
Having an Affair at Work? 3 Ways Your Employer can Find Out
It used to be the stolen kisses in the cleaning closet and the joint business trips, but today’s tracking of illicit employee behavior has reached a new level of surveillance. Almost every communication and every message is tracked, recorded and cataloged by a company’s IT department. Here are three things to watch out for if [...]
An Interview on a Fair Trade Jewelry Model in South Africa
Laurens Mare is CEO of the South African Jewelry Counsel. The interview was conducted by Marc Choyt.
Through the nonprofit organization, Vukani-Ubuntu, you have created a wonderful model that trains economically disadvantaged people from townships into the jewelry trade. Let’s start with what year you were founded and how many people are involved in [...]
Puntuality In Business
You wanted to have that second cup of coffee from your favorite mug and you will only be a few minutes late. Whats the big deal. It is a big deal to be late by five minutes or an hour. When you are late for work, every minute counts. Each minute missed effects the flow [...]
Business Dress Code
Working in a stockroom can be a dirty job and someday you hope that your efforts will be noticed and you will get the chance to prove what you can with a promotion into a supervisors role. However, if supervisors watching the operation see everyone dressed for the part of throwing freight around the back [...]
Punctuality In Business
You wanted to have that second cup of coffee from your favorite mug and you will only be a few minutes late. Whats the big deal. It is a big deal to be late by five minutes or an hour. When you are late for work, every minute counts. Each minute missed effects the flow [...]
Interview with Steve D’Esposito on Fair Trade Jewelry
I conducted this interview with Steve D’Esposito:
MC: Given EARTHWORKS’ highly charged “Dirty Gold” campaign which many perceived as hostile to the jewelry industry, how it is now that you have now coalesced support to sponsor this jewelry summit? Can you outline, briefly, what led you to this position and the role of the Madison Dialogue? [...]
How To Keep Your Marketing Strictly Ethical And Honest
With all the fuss kicked up about SPAM and junk emails today, online marketing today has become a sensitive and important issue in establishing a client base for any business owner and marketing companies. Interestingly enough, while the days of mass mail-outs are still not over, there is really nothing different about the way [...]
Turning Led into Gold: Ethics in the Jewelry Industry
“The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” – Joseph Stalin
“We’ve dodged the bullet,” is the consensus opinion of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, according to Frank Dallahan. “A job well done,” though, as the title of the opinion piece suggests, “The Gun Is Still Pointed at Us” by [...]
Ask Not What The Jewelry Industry Can Do For You
I just returned from the Jewelers’ Circular Keystone (JCK) Show, the largest, most important jewelry trade event in the US.
Apart from those who sought me out because of my press release, not one jeweler who walked by my booth even raised the issue of my banner which screamed out: FAIR TRADE, ECO FRIENDLY JEWELRY NOW.
Typical, [...]
When The Boss Finds Mold In The Workplace
Mold is a serious problem, not only in homes, but also in the places where we work.
Employers and landlords should take special care to make sure their properties are not infested with mold and they should do this not only because the value of their property will decrease as the infestation spreads.
Also [...]
Money Can Corrupt A Good Person
A leprechaun frolicked from under the magnificent rainbow that caressed the once heavily laden rain soaked valley. A pot of gold lay beneath his feet and a smile paraded from his lips as a man tried with all of his might to catch the lively elf. His pursuit was quickly thwarted with the [...]
Ideas for Sending Business Thank You Gifts
I work with a flash game development company. Recently we have made a few business deals, and are now venturing into previously uncharted territory for us, thank you gifts/notes. What, If anything is customary? We also had a contact that helped arrange the deals in the first place. What would be appropriate for him? The [...]
Value Creation Creates Wealth
One of the greatest fallacies pervading in the middle and low classes is the assumption that wealthy people have done something illegal or immoral or both to get the wealth that they possess. On the contrary. In general, rich people have found a way to create so much value for other people [...]
Do It Right – International Business Ethics
Business ethics is not a novel idea. Its just that its one of those things that we conveniently forget when faced with tough choices. But since the Enron and WorldCom scandals of 2002, more and more people in the business world are paying attention to this oft-neglected aspect of business. Especially now with the global [...]
An Overview Of The Business Monitor International
A leading publisher in both print and online of trade specialist information, Business Monitor International (BMI) was established in 1984 with a global perspective. Its service is updated not just quarterly, monthly or weekly but even daily. They cover a wide range of issues such as political risk, financial status, macroeconomic performance, industry sectors and [...]
Is It Legal to Record or Eavesdrop Without Someone’s Consent
The California State Legislature has declared that advances in the science and technology have led to the development of new devices and techniques for the purpose of eavesdropping upon private communications and that the invasion of privacy resulting from the continual and increase use of such devices and techniques has created a serious threat to [...]
What Can BPM and BPI Do For You?
Ever wonder if the latest greatest technology can help you? Do you wonder what would happen if you step back and took a look at your business process workflow in an end to end manner? Would you learn how to be more efficient and more profitable? When you hear business process improvement (BPI) and business [...]
How To Avoid Dishonest Home Business Schemes
Should You Take The Bait?
Unfortunately, unscrupulous home business schemes are everywhere these days. If you surf the internet, it seems as though everywhere you turn, you are flooded with ads that tell you how to earn more money than you are now, often for doing something that is easy and almost skill free work. [...]
A Landlord’s Guide To The Eviction Process
This article is aimed at owners, who want that their tenants to move out of a property. For removing the tenants from the property, landlords must utilize the help of eviction process. With the help of this process, also known as Summary Proceedings, the lawful owner of the property takes possession very quickly.
Many Steps [...]
Is The Financial Services Industry Failing The Baby Boomer Generation?
Are advisers really compensated to act in their client’s best interest or are they in conflict with the best interest of the client’s? Do we really incent the behavior that we seek? If Boomers are seeking competent and trusted advisers that will act according to their best interest, are we giving them the proof that [...]
Encouraging Ethical Behavior
Most authorities agree that there is room for improvement in business ethics. One of the most problematic questions raised in relation to business ethics is whether or not businesses can become more ethical in the real world. The majority opinion on this issue suggests that government, trade associations, and individual firms can indeed establish acceptable [...]
The New Consumption Patterns
Contemporary economic models present the typical consumer as deliberative and highly forward-looking, not subject to impulsive behavior. Shopping for a product or a service is seen as an information-gathering exercise in which the buyers look for the best possible deal for products and/or services they have decided to purchase. Consumption choices represent optimizing within an [...]
