Tag: business

5 reasons why banks hate [and fear] Elizabeth Warren (via Eideard)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

5 reasons why banks hate [and fear] Elizabeth Warren I’m sorry, Congressman, you’re small-minded, too! Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission Elizabeth Warren, it’s not you they hate. It’s what you represent. You want to be an honest cop when so many before you in Washington have looked the other way and pretended that the banking industry could police itself. I can’t think of a better reason why this presidential adviser shouldn’t be the new chief of an unfettered Consumer Financial Protectio … Read More

via Eideard

I couldn’t agree more. An honest broker is the last thing the large banks can stand. They want the status quo of unaccountability to continue forever. We’re just sheep to be sheared under current law. Even knowing what shenanigans the industry is up to is very difficult.

Let’s get Elizabeth Warren confirmed.

James Pilant

The Biggest Offshoring Myth (via John Akerson’s Thoughts)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

I believe the key paragraph here is this one (from the article).

I think Offshoring fails because offshored processes, deliverables and costs are almost never measured objectively. I think Offshoring fails because offshoring projects define success as “the expansion of offshoring” rather than as the “delivery of improved services, products, projects, or results for the same or less cost.” I think offshoring fails because the jobs lost to offshoring result in incredible losses for our country, our future, our tax base, and for things that are much harder to quantify.

I couldn’t have said it better.                                     James Pilant

The Biggest Offshoring Myth Eweek has an interesting article – “Outsourcing Myths have no Grounds, Says Deloitte CIO” Deloitte’s CIO does his best to debunk various offshoring myths.  The first myth that he debunks is that “Offshoring… has not been successful.”  his response is: “That’s absolutely not true,” Quinlan said. “We’re seeing significant upticking in global offshoring activity.” With the maturation of the offshoring market, there has been an accompanying decreas … Read More

via John Akerson’s Thoughts

To Hell in a Handbasket (via professional civilian)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

In India, they are having a nation wide discussion, a debate over what can be done about corruption in that country. They have policemen who take bribes apparently as a regular part of their income. They have governmental scandals involving utterly incredible amounts of money.

Here we don’t have much of that kind of corruption. Because of this we think of ourselves as a less corrupt nation. In fact, we think highly of ourselves here in the United States.

But the kind of corruption we see here, it’s the really high quality kind. It’s legal. It’s incredibly profitable. And it conveys with complete accuracy the decay of our society and continuing decline in any level of trust for the government or business. More and more, they look more like a joint conspiracy than any attempt at the common welfare or simple profits.

Talking about business ethics is almost humorous. Almost.

James Pilant

To Hell in a Handbasket I am writing now on a dying medium. I am also using hyperbole but only just. Today Meredith Attwell Baker left her position at the FCC to take a job at NBC Universal. Her new job, strangely, is as the senior vice president of government affairs. Odd, because as one of the FCC’s four members out of five who voted in favor of the Comcast-NBC merger, I would have thought Baker already was a part of NBC’s government affairs board. Stranger still beca … Read More

via professional civilian

Offshoring and Business Ethics (via seonie23)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Many videos on off-shoring are simple news stories or long commentary. This is a cartoon that discusses the effects of off-shoring on American workers and the ethics of it. The plot goes like this: an astronaut returns to earth from a long journey into space and the first person he encounters is a man who has been laid off from his job due to off-shoring. The conversation gets interesting very quickly.

James Pilant

Moral Implications of the Workplace Part 2 (via Ethical Realism)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I found this an informative post. There were things in it I didn’t know. It touches on many ethical issues, many of the critical ones in the lives of employees. Take this for an example –

Companies often pressure employees to get involved in civic activities, such as “running for the local school board or heading up a commission in the arts,” but such pressure must not constitute coercion (ibid.). Employees must not be disciplined or dismissed for a lack of participation, and even public embarrassment could be considered to be a form of coercion. For example, “[m]embers of the Army Band… won a suit claiming that the posting of names of soldiers who had not contributed to the United Way constituted coercion” (245).

Now that coercion is going to become far more intense. The supreme court’s Citizens United decision allows limitless spending on influencing employees.

And how about this?

Some businesses pressure employees to undergo “personal growth” to help people “realize their potential for perceiving, thinking, feeling, creating, and experiencing” (ibid.). There are many different kinds of intensive groups and companies often use “team-building groups to facilitate the attainment of production and related goals as well as to provide opportunities for improved human relations and personal growth” (ibid.). Again, intensive group experience can improve productivity, so it is relevant to job performance. However, employees should not be punished for refusing to participate.

This is one I find particularly loathsome. Chasing around as forced comrades in some strange locale for some strange idea of development inevitably tied in to some bizarre theory like “emotional intelligence,” is pretty close to forcing me to live in a version of a horror movie without hope of escape.

So, please give this writing your attention.

James Pilant

My thanks to Ethical Realism.

I have already discussed various moral implications of the workplace in part 1 of “Moral Implications of the Workplace,” and I will continue the discussion here by considering (a) privacy, (b) work conditions, and (c) job satisfaction. This discussion is based on chapter seven of Business Ethics (Third Edition, 1999) by William Shaw. Privacy We have a right to privacy, and a lack of privacy can endanger our livelyhood. We don’t want people to see … Read More

via Ethical Realism

#Sustainability of Values alone would esnure profits. My reply (via Jayaribcm’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is a post from one of web buddies. I am pleased to have the opportunity to put up his blog posts.

James Pilant

What’s “New” About Creating Shared Value?  05 Apr 2011 – by Michael Sadowski: This is an interesting post http://bit.ly/h5z2YL on Sustainability I give below my reply to the nice article from Michael that raises a number of basic issues. Michael, very valid points raised. Thanks. I would like to take you back to the days before ISO 9000 was introduced. In arriving at the harmonization of standards the Cecchini Committee had deliberated in detail … Read More

via Jayaribcm’s Blog

Corporate Social Responsiblity – Is it real? (via Kilnen’s Thought)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I appreciated this article. I among many who have serious doubts about CSR. There are some authors who believe the term is so undefinable to be useless.

It may be used to green the company’s issue when there is no real justification. That’s where my suspicion lies. The company takes something it is already doing it, gives it an environmental angle and then explains to the world in best corporate flack manner, how they “give back.”

It’s just taking under a PR screen.

James Pilant

Thanks! to Kilnen’s Thought!

Corporate Social Responsiblity - Is it real? So what is CSR? It basically means giving back to society, through environment or social projects. I have been research CSR recently and have surprise by the amount of businesses that claim to carry out this process. From KLM producing fuel-efficient winglets to co-operative fair trade. Everyone and their dog seems to be interested. However, it always appears to benefit the company first and society second. I mean, what a surprise that KLM’s wing … Read More

via Kilnen’s Thought

Why Business Books Are Helplessly Helpless (via ringingtruenovel)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I enjoyed this essay. I have never been impressed by most business books. The ones I generally read are stories of business collapse, business crimes and business biographies.

I teach business law and I find most of the “how to get ahead in business books” to be mainly nonsense.

The author doesn’t like business book much either and writes about it well.

I recommend you read it.

James Pilant

Why Business Books Are Helplessly Helpless I’ve had a few real jobs that required me to read extensively in the genre of business books. Correction: I’ve had a few real jobs that required me to skim business books. It’s impossible to actually read a business book, because there’s so little there there. When I have to read one, I skip to the end of a chapter and pray that th … Read More

via ringingtruenovel

Should Photographing Chickens Be a Felony? (via A Philosopher’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

You have got to read this!

Apparently chicken farming will soon cease to exist if people photograph the conditions on the farms. That sound more to me like a reason to think something must be very, very wrong. If the big guns are out to stop the photographic truth of chicken farming, what are we not seeing that they are afraid of?

I don’t like this.

I want to express great appreciation to “A Philosopher’s Blog” for calling my attention to this!

James Pilant

Should Photographing Chickens Be a Felony? I stumbled across SB 1246 by chance rather than design, but I did find it a rather interesting bit of legislation. Trespassing onto a farm will result in a felony charge. Taking pictures at a farm without permission will also result in a felony charge. Lest you think I am making this up, I have pasted in the full text: Florida Senate – 2011 SB 1246    By Senato … Read More

via A Philosopher’s Blog

Surf’s Up, Condensed: Top Creativity Links for March 9, 2011 (via Creative Liberty)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

I’m a big fan of the arts. I think Americans should pay a lot more attention to creativity. This blog talks about the arts and creativity. And it provides a good number of links with original information about these.

I read through them. It’s well written. If you are a patron of arts or creativity, go here.

James Pilant

Surf’s Up, Condensed: Top Creativity Links for March 9, 2011 Photo courtesy of SXC. The Dark Side of Creativity: Original Thinkers Can Be More Dishonest This is a PDF link to a rather disturbing working paper disseminated by Harvard Business School. Co-authored by Francesca Gino, an associate professor in the Negotiations, Organizations, and Markets Unit at Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, the paper lists four studies conducted by the authors that w … Read More

via Creative Liberty