Since we have been talking about ethics all semester and football was one of our topics, I thought that I would bring up the New England Patriots. I think that it is very wrong for the NFL to simply look the other way and forcibly slap a team on the wrist for breaking an official rule. Spying on other teams has never been legal and never will become legal! A fine to a football team is nothing...and the loss of one draft pick for the winningest team in the league isn't a big deal either.
Why did the NFL look the other way? What would have happened if it was another team, one that made less money in ticket sales?
I believe that if it was any other team, the punishment would have been a lot harsher. By simply placing a small fine on the offending team, you are telling other teams that the risk is not that large and that as long as you are raking in the dough the NFL doesn't really care what you do to win a game. Ever since this incident the NFL has become more and more shady. There is now talk of making all NFL games available only through the NFL network unless it is a local game. They don't care what fans they lose, they just figure if you are a big enough fan that you will pay the extra money to support your favorite team.
Since when did sports become such a shady business? What ever happened to it being fun to watch?
The NFL has a lot of things that they need to work out so that they don't become a joke to their fans.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Staples
Recently I have experienced something within my retail job at Staples which I consider unethical. I have worked for Staples for over five years. Just recently I found out that my apartment complex is raising rent, therefore I won't be able to afford living there so I have decided to move back to Allen with my parents. Therefore I need to transfer back to my old store.
For some reason it is a huge deal that I want/need to do this. I've told my manager, wrote my two weeks note, but he won't allow me to transfer and claims that it is not that easy. But it was easy the first time I did it when I transferred into his store. He claims that they will need to replace my position before I can go anywhere. He said that he will be picky in finding someone because he wants them to be just like me, wants me to train them and says it may take months. Therefore he is saying that I will need to spend about two or more hours a day driving to Lewisville on my crappy pay to be able to continue working at Staples.
I would quit, but that would screw him over big time, and well I would have no insurance then. What can I do other than call HR and hope that they agree with me and not management?
For some reason it is a huge deal that I want/need to do this. I've told my manager, wrote my two weeks note, but he won't allow me to transfer and claims that it is not that easy. But it was easy the first time I did it when I transferred into his store. He claims that they will need to replace my position before I can go anywhere. He said that he will be picky in finding someone because he wants them to be just like me, wants me to train them and says it may take months. Therefore he is saying that I will need to spend about two or more hours a day driving to Lewisville on my crappy pay to be able to continue working at Staples.
I would quit, but that would screw him over big time, and well I would have no insurance then. What can I do other than call HR and hope that they agree with me and not management?
Ethical lives
Why can't people be more ethical within their own lives? When it comes to business I think that more people think ethically than in their own personal lives. Personal relationships seem to be placed on the back burner to their professional relationships. Why don't people see that the personal relationships developed outside of their professional careers can help them in the future?
If I have learned anything over the years it is to not burn any bridges, you never know when you will need to call upon that person for help...or when you'll run into them again.
It is very unfortunate that some people feel that they don't need to be considerate to other people when they meet them out at the bar, at a coffee shop, a retail store or whatever. The people that you meet and treat like crap may be the people that you go to for a job someday.
If I have learned anything over the years it is to not burn any bridges, you never know when you will need to call upon that person for help...or when you'll run into them again.
It is very unfortunate that some people feel that they don't need to be considerate to other people when they meet them out at the bar, at a coffee shop, a retail store or whatever. The people that you meet and treat like crap may be the people that you go to for a job someday.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Enron
After watching the Enron movie last week in class, and piecing together all the things that happened made me wonder how something as large scale as this could keep going for so long.
The unethical decisions started from the beginning. The fact that employees were rated based on other employees made their place of work too competitive. When faced with competition and fear of job security any decision seems like a good one. Those people were put under so much pressure that they knew nothing more than to do the wrong thing.
What I would have liked to hear about in the movie was the people who left the company because of their own ethical beliefs. I'm sure not everyone in the company was carrying out the unethical tasks.
The worst part was the whole electric company buy out scheme. The phone conversations between Enron associates was horrifying. I can't believe that people could ever be so heartless and say "burn baby, burn" even jokingly while millions were dying from forest fires in California.
Why weren't these people caught? Was it because Ken Lay was friends with the President? Could that have had anything to do with why Enron was able to get away with so much?
This whole case simply boggles my mind. I can't believe that people would simply throw their own set of ethics out the window just so they could make their bosses happy. That's ridiculous.
The unethical decisions started from the beginning. The fact that employees were rated based on other employees made their place of work too competitive. When faced with competition and fear of job security any decision seems like a good one. Those people were put under so much pressure that they knew nothing more than to do the wrong thing.
What I would have liked to hear about in the movie was the people who left the company because of their own ethical beliefs. I'm sure not everyone in the company was carrying out the unethical tasks.
The worst part was the whole electric company buy out scheme. The phone conversations between Enron associates was horrifying. I can't believe that people could ever be so heartless and say "burn baby, burn" even jokingly while millions were dying from forest fires in California.
Why weren't these people caught? Was it because Ken Lay was friends with the President? Could that have had anything to do with why Enron was able to get away with so much?
This whole case simply boggles my mind. I can't believe that people would simply throw their own set of ethics out the window just so they could make their bosses happy. That's ridiculous.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Clear Channel Ethics
As an employee of Clear Channel. I'm appalled at the lack of information that is being passed down to employees.
I went into work the other day and about five people had been fired. No one knows why. The only thing everyone knows is that "this is just the beginning". Corporate hasn't cleared up anything with anyone. I did some research on the company and it turns out that there was an article in Fortune stating that Clear Channel was getting ready to sell. I asked a DJ that has worked at the station for several years if he knows what is going on and he told me he had heard it was budget cuts. He said they were cutting the budget by 1 million and in the process were cleaning house.
From a PR standpoint this kind of behavior is unethical and simply promotes a bad image for the company as a whole. The employees should be the first people to find out what is going on in a time like this, because if they only see people being fired every time they turn around they are most likely going to start looking for another job that is more secure. If it wasn't for the media, no one at Clear Channel would ever know what was going on. Also if someone from the media were to do some interviews about the buy out within the company, they would find some pretty negative comments/confusion from employees stating to investors and etc that Clear Channel is unstable.
I went into work the other day and about five people had been fired. No one knows why. The only thing everyone knows is that "this is just the beginning". Corporate hasn't cleared up anything with anyone. I did some research on the company and it turns out that there was an article in Fortune stating that Clear Channel was getting ready to sell. I asked a DJ that has worked at the station for several years if he knows what is going on and he told me he had heard it was budget cuts. He said they were cutting the budget by 1 million and in the process were cleaning house.
From a PR standpoint this kind of behavior is unethical and simply promotes a bad image for the company as a whole. The employees should be the first people to find out what is going on in a time like this, because if they only see people being fired every time they turn around they are most likely going to start looking for another job that is more secure. If it wasn't for the media, no one at Clear Channel would ever know what was going on. Also if someone from the media were to do some interviews about the buy out within the company, they would find some pretty negative comments/confusion from employees stating to investors and etc that Clear Channel is unstable.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Libel
I don't understand why slander would be a big deal. Whatever happened to free speech?
I guess we have free speech but to an extent. That's what I will assume. You can say something, but if it offends someone then you get in trouble. Whatever happened to opinions? I guess you can't have those anymore because it may be offensive to someone. I feel like the law has taken libel and slander a bit overboard. Instead of being free to say anything you want, the way this country was brought up to believe, you have to walk on egg shells and hope that no one is offended by what you say.
So what happens to those people who say something inappropriate? Their names go on record of saying the phrase that made someone upset and they have to go to court to settle something that may have been just a momentary thought written down on paper or spoken. Because they were able to say what they felt, they are now being slandered their reputation is in jeopardy. They will always be known as an offensive rude person. Is that fair?
I guess we have free speech but to an extent. That's what I will assume. You can say something, but if it offends someone then you get in trouble. Whatever happened to opinions? I guess you can't have those anymore because it may be offensive to someone. I feel like the law has taken libel and slander a bit overboard. Instead of being free to say anything you want, the way this country was brought up to believe, you have to walk on egg shells and hope that no one is offended by what you say.
So what happens to those people who say something inappropriate? Their names go on record of saying the phrase that made someone upset and they have to go to court to settle something that may have been just a momentary thought written down on paper or spoken. Because they were able to say what they felt, they are now being slandered their reputation is in jeopardy. They will always be known as an offensive rude person. Is that fair?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Mamet's Assertions About Ethics in Marketing
Within Mamet's Glengarry, Glen Ross assertions about ethics in marketing were made.
Most of us have formed a negative stereotype regarding sales people. We think of them as smooth-talking, blood-suckers who are out to support themselves in any way possible. Mamet plays on this stereotypical outlook and portrays his characters dealing with ethical situations.
The salespeople in Gelngarry, Glen Ross sell property. The property they sell does not exist. In the process of selling the fictitious land the men never take into play the situations of their customers, they simply are out for money and recognition as the top seller.
The unethical practices that the sales people within the play are known for are:
- Promising clients more than they can deliver, and lying to get the sale.
- Knowingly recommending products to the customer that they know is not in their best interest.
- Steering customers toward a higher-priced solution when a more reasonable option exists.
The unethical decisions that the characters within Mamet's play make are common ethical dilemmas which salespeople still deal with today. Although the ethical landscape is changing within corporate sales departments, these ethical problems still exist within the people employed. Greed and the fight to make commission get in the way of making the ethical decision within those employed, therefore further tarnishing the way sales careers are viewed.
Continually pushing company ethics and ridding sales departments of commission pay will help to deter people from making unethical decisions and encourage them to hold to company wide ethical standards.
Most of us have formed a negative stereotype regarding sales people. We think of them as smooth-talking, blood-suckers who are out to support themselves in any way possible. Mamet plays on this stereotypical outlook and portrays his characters dealing with ethical situations.
The salespeople in Gelngarry, Glen Ross sell property. The property they sell does not exist. In the process of selling the fictitious land the men never take into play the situations of their customers, they simply are out for money and recognition as the top seller.
The unethical practices that the sales people within the play are known for are:
- Promising clients more than they can deliver, and lying to get the sale.
- Knowingly recommending products to the customer that they know is not in their best interest.
- Steering customers toward a higher-priced solution when a more reasonable option exists.
The unethical decisions that the characters within Mamet's play make are common ethical dilemmas which salespeople still deal with today. Although the ethical landscape is changing within corporate sales departments, these ethical problems still exist within the people employed. Greed and the fight to make commission get in the way of making the ethical decision within those employed, therefore further tarnishing the way sales careers are viewed.
Continually pushing company ethics and ridding sales departments of commission pay will help to deter people from making unethical decisions and encourage them to hold to company wide ethical standards.
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