I spent this weekend at a rodeo watching a friend and a world champion compete in barrel racing. The day before the event her winning horse was stolen and her back up was an inexperienced horse who has never been in the competitive circuit. Needless to say she didn't win but her horse gained the experience he needed.
What struck me about the terrible incident was the fact that bad ethics and seedy behavior occurs in the horse business as much as the business world. Business ethics has become a hot topic given the large scale fraud with the financial meltdown. The New York Times recently report of almost 20 percent of the Harvard Business School’s graduating class have signed “The M.B.A. Oath" to serve the greater good.
Good business ethics starts with practicing it at all levels especially the top of an organization. For small business, this means you set the tone for good ethics in your business from how you handle deals to hiring the right people. Poor business ethics can impact even the smallest of businesses.
Hi Darrell, Interesting story about the horses. I didn’t know horse thievery was still a problem, but you are right, ethical issues are everywhere.
One small note – now more than 50% of the Harvard class has signed the oath!
Ethics is important in business if your are a professional.
Bottom line if your unethical it just means you don’t care or your too desperate.
The problem is the question of “what is ethical”. The answer depends on where you are in life and how you feel about the world you live in.
@Scopulus
The problem is the question of “what is ethical”. The answer depends on where you are in life and how you feel about the world you live in.
Yes, I agree with you, every person has their own answer, and it will be different. It defends on their culture.
But I’m sure, doing fraudelent on business is very unethical in every culture.