Temptations Abound

Black Friday has passed and now Cyber Monday is tomorrow. It has been projected that sales will far exceed Black Friday sales. Most cyber customers are not at home, but at work trying to capture great deals. These customers are using company resources for personnel benefit. Is this unethical? Not really, because my company allows limited use of the Internet for personal business. The problem arises when employees spend too much time on the computer taking away paid time from the employer.

Ethical behavior really has foundations early in our childhood whenour parents and caregivers teach us right from wrong.  As early as the age of two or three, we can teach our children the importance of being truthful.  Something as simple as telling a child not to eat cookies, yet when the parent leaves the room the child takes and eats a cookie anyway is a form of stealing.  The child broke the household rule.

While thrift store shopping this weekend, as my daughter and I were about to check out, a woman frantically rushed into the store. She had tried a watch on and forgot to pay for it. She realized her mistake as she was packing her car.  Although the watch was only $2.00, she displayed personal integrity, and I am glad my daughter was able to witness such honesty.

Ethical behavior should be established well before a person becomes employed. So when we get to the workplace, business ethics should be an extension of personal ethics.  Information technology nowadays allows employees access to all types of information while at work.  There is always a temptation to use computers for private business.

Each year our company requires the annual training, to insure employees are in line with company guidelines. Awareness training is important because it addresses issues of intellectual property rights, customer and employee privacy, security of company records and more.  Which reminds me: I need to complete my training for FY2011.

And the adage goes.....

“Failure to plan, means planning to fail.” The SWOT analysis, if done objectively can provide needed insight on element to improve the business or help the business meet their goals.  This week’s lesson reinforces my idea that research and thorough analysis should be useful to any major life decision.  Value planning is not only crucial in business, but can be applied to our personal decision.    The process of choosing a college is a major life decision. Last year, when my son in the process of trying to select a college there were many choices and options to consider.   It was an exciting, yet confusing time. At that time I had no idea of SWOT analysis or other business models for decision making.  Yet the same types of strategies were useful for the choosing a college: cost of attendance, academic reputation, crime rate, location, student-to-teacher ratio among other factors was items to consider and review.  He came to make for advice and I suggested he write down the pros and cons, which ultimately allow us to make decision that was best for the situation.

Where It's Made

For those of us parents, we know the joys and pains of potty training.  It is really a milestone for the child as she/he gains independence and the parent is released from the financial burden from buying disposable diapers.  Potty training takes patience, so when I was potty training my daughter, I devised a game while my trainee was waiting to “produce”. Bathrooms are filled with a multitude of products from soaps to bathroom scrum removers. The game went this way: I picked up a product, told my daughter what it was, and then where it was made. After many visits to the potty, my daughter insightful observed; not many products are made in the America.

This week’s topic on globalization and outsourcing does impact our individual lives. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with foreign produced products.  The problem arises when there are disapportionate amounts of products imported to this country. Further, when the quality of the products affects the health and safety of our citizens, then there is a cause for concern and accountability.

Many of the products indentified as toxic have originated from China. The products range from dollar store trinkets and toys, health and beauty aid, among others. Therefore, better quality assurance measures must be adhered to if the United States continues to import products from China or any nation for that matter. Perhaps, the next generation will not be so impetuous to save a dollar, but favor quality and toxin free products not matter where they are produced.