Ethics in Business and Society

We intend to do our share in this regard.   If any company or individual is interested in doing business with any of our various products and projects, we will include two special provisions in each such business contractual document.

1. We will look into past examples of business practices, for examples of intentional deception, distortion, or excessive exaggeration.   Also, for examples where customers, vendors, employees, sub-contractors, or even competitors were treated in unprofessional manners.   Occasional examples of such things occur in any business, but regular patterns of such behavior would greatly discourage us from being in a business arrangement with such an individual or business.  
2. We will insist that any future behavior of such business partners or other business associates, whether individuals or companies, is clearly ethical and moral, demonstrating solid personal principles.   The person or business does not have to be driven by religious inspiration, but strong morals, ethics and principles will be mandatory.

Current examples of such bad behavior is everywhere.   We will use a few representative examples to indicate our thoughts. Far worse examples abound in modern business.

Innumerable products nowadays are presented in advertising with ridiculous "prizes" available.   In a few cases, the company behind the offer is large enough to realistically back up such prizes.   But even then, they only indicate in unbelievably small print that your chances of willing are 67 million to one against you.   It seems to me that someone should mention that your chance of being hit by lightning in any given year is about 200 times higher than that.   The same observation is true of all Lotteries, including State run Lotteries.   Maybe fewer poor people would spend a lot of their money on lottery tickets if they are told that their chance of winning is only 1/200 of their chance of being hit and seriously injured or killed by lightning.

Even worse, are smaller companies that advertise such enormous prizes.   Buy an ice cream cone from our store and win a million dollars!   How easy do you think they would make it that you could actually win?   Or, looking at it from the other side, if someone would actually somehow win, how could a small business pay out a million dollars without going bankrupt?   They probably couldn't, and if someone actually won their prize, there is little doubt that they would find some way of claiming disqualification.

In the early 1990s, some company that was trying to get publicity offered a million dollars to anyone who could make a basket at a Chicago Bulls game from the opposite free throw line.   The company certainly got loads of publicity in anticipating the first try.   The very first guy to try it actually made the basket.   Even the Chicago Bulls players were jumping up and down in excitement.   A couple days later, the guy was on the news again because the company (or their insurance company) claimed some loophole had disqualified him.   Unbelievable!   The company then got lots more media exposure, but now because they were trying to cheat the guy out of what he rightly won.

• Some of the things that trouble us are not as obviously deceptive as that.   Beginning late in 2000, a car manufacturer started running TV ads that brag about their car's engine has its own suspension, its passenger compartment has its own cushioning suspension and even its CD changer has its own suspension.   They are clearly implying that these are magical things.   Actually, every automobile made since before 1930 has its engine cushion mounted on engine mounts.   Every car made since about 1950 has its passenger compartment cushioned on little cushioning mounts.   And all car CDs ever made have built in cushioning for the mechanism.   If you think about it, if that's all the company can think of to brag about, their products are probably not worth buying!

• There is some company now that is running TV commercials that advertise "official" new five dollar coins with presidents' pictures on them.   If you listen carefully, the coins were authorized by the government of Liberia in Africa.   No matter how you look at it, there is substantial deception involved here.   That particular commercial has so many aspects of deception that it is nearly humorous.   Except that there are a lot of people who actually send them money.

We happen to believe that consumers would welcome a refreshing honesty. We suspect that Saturn automobiles achieved significant and rapid success because they claimed, and backed up, a number of ethical motivations. Consumers like to do business with a company that treats them respectfully, fairly and honestly, and not like just a momentary dalliance that represents monetary income. We intend to not only proceed along this path ourselves, but to absolutely insist that any company or individual that wishes to join our efforts must similarly have such attitudes and motivations.

We believe that the common attitude in modern business, of squeezing every possible nickel out of every customer, is wrong. If what is best for a particular customer happens to be a less expensive product, or a product that a salesperson gets a lower commission on, proper business ethics requires that the customer be assisted in getting the best possible value for their dollar, for his particular circumstances. It is the salesperson's responsibility to ask the right questions and present the right (honest and accurate) information to help the customer in this regard.

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C Johnson, Theoretical Physicist, Physics Degree from Univ of Chicago