Ethics - Bad for business?? 2

[guestgulkan]

There has been in the past decade or so - a greater push for businesses to subscribe to some sort of ethical code of practice.
We have banks that subscribe to the 'Ethical' banking code here in the UK. For example - These banks would not lend to business that might want to build a dam - which might affect wildlife, or the local eco-syatem.

Also we have have supermarkets who only buy from 'Ethically approved' sources.

My question is - Is this all a gimmick pandering to the latest fashion??

How would any of you feel if your CEO turned down a multi-million $$$ IT (hardware or software) contract because he felt it wasn't Ethical to build that dam I mentioned earlier??

 

[petermeachem]

Crikey, I suppose it had to happen sometime. This

http://www.poleshiftprepare.com

is wonderful. I think he is serious too.

http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk

http://www.robotwisdom.com/

 

[petermeachem]

I thought you ought to know that this pole shift is supposed to happen today, 15th May. Pleased there are people dafter than me. Apparently the authorities are hushing the whole thing up in case you wonder why it isn't on the news.

http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk

http://www.robotwisdom.com/

 

[manarth]

"The pole shift will set off worldwide cataclysms - massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricane force winds."

I'm bored. when does the spectacle start?

( wouldn't I be so embarrased if it turned out to be true?! )

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[CajunCenturion]

authorities are hushing the whole thing up --> Do you really think that the authorities are actively hushing this thing up?

For the authorities to hush it up, they would first and foremost, be giving it credence, by paying attention to it. They would be giving investigative reporters something to dig into. The massive &quot;Cover Up&quot;. As the story leaks it would lead to possibly widespread panic, looting, total anarchy.

No I don't agree with any hushup, I think it's not in the news because the authorities, and most, if not all, reputable news agencies are simply ignoring it. They've got some real issues to deal with.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[petermeachem]

Cajun, remember irony?
I sent the guy an email, he is 'deadly serious'.

http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk

http://www.robotwisdom.com/

 

[greyted]

Hello peter,
Read with interest the ethical stance of a certain bank.
How many of their customers are aware of the enormous debt one of our political parties has with this bank.
Indeed that debt is way above the maximum set by the banks own rules.
Is this ethical when you read of students being threatened when only a few pounds overdrawn?

It will be most interesting to visit that site on the 1st June and see his comments.





Ted

&quot;Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy.&quot;
Peter Ustinov.

 

[GreenTeeth]

greyted, I have to agree wholeheartedly on that count I am affraid, from a personal view. I bank with them, and for the sake of being overdrawn by 1 penny, I was charged 67.50 in accumulated chages, before I was told. that was just over a week. This bank is not the one to bank with if you are not on top of your finances. They hit you hard.

It is a shame if that is the case, as you can tell, it is news to me, but I can believe it.

 

[greyted]

Hello GreenTeeth,
Very sorry to see you were charged that amount for being one penny overdrawn. They have rules I know but it isn't customer friendly is it?
If we are treated like that as customers imagine what they do to people or businesses who they dislike.

Rather like the oil companies keeping U.K. petrol prices high when crude oil prices fell dramatically weeks ago.
These people have no ethics other than that of pounds or dollars.

guestgulkan,
You say, &quot;My question is - Is this all a gimmick pandering to the latest fashion??&quot;
That is a valid statement, makes me feel rather cynical though.
A good example of the gimmick is in the organic food industry. It has been in the U.K. press on quite a few occasions where a premium price is charged for a product that was subsequently proven to be non organic.
It is sad that we see cases reported in the press where companies have been fined for using food-stuffs that are not fit for animal let alone human consumption.

Was there not a tyre company in the U.S. who had a problem with one of their products and behaved rather unethically?

Ethics does not seem to be an issue until they are caught.







Ted

&quot;Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy.&quot;
Peter Ustinov.

 

[petermeachem]

'sake of being overdrawn by 1 penny, I was charged 67.50 '

I don't bank with the co-op, but this seems a little odd by any reckoning. I expect there is more here than meets the eye.

'premium price for organic' We get organic veg from a local nursery. Reasonably priced and yummy. Not a fad at all, just well grown and fresh. Similarly, we get eggs from a local farm. As fresh as can be. You can't condemn all organic food because the Daily Mail is having a strop about something.

I have a brother in law who works for an oil company. I can assure you that the oil supply pipeline is rather long and complex and just because the guy on the end drops his price doesn't mean that pump prices go down by the same amount.

The point, I think, is that some businesses behave in a way that you approve of, so support them in preference to the ones that don't.

http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk

http://www.robotwisdom.com/

 

[Tarwn]

Just a note on the process of refining fuel:
There's a refining process.
In other words while crude may be more easily obtainable for cheaper amounts of money, that still doesn't automatically mean there is more available at the pump. That fuel still has to be refined and reserves are probably getting a percentage so that the next time there is a shortage they will be back up to level.

Not that I see how this has anything to do with IT ethics, but thought I would throw it in

-Tarwn

 

[greyted]

Hello petermeachem,
Actually I have a brother who got exactly the same treatment as GreenTeeth so your assumption that there is more here than meets the eye is way off the mark.
Some bank managers will accept that people can make errors and waive the charge but unfortunately others can be jobsworths.
I did not condemn any organic producers; I actually said that premium prices have been charged for non-organic produce. You are assuming that all producers sell directly to the public, they do not. That is a fact and people have been prosecuted for that offence. As you say you get yours from a local nursery, that is good, shopping locally to help the local economy and businesses.
My reply was in answer to the original question by guestgulkan and I am afraid to say that some stores, shops and even some supermarkets have been caught selling non-organic fruit and veg as organic, that is not ethical and does a disservice to people like your local producer who are genuine and take extreme care to produce good quality organic foods.

What on earth has the Daily Mail got do with it???

With regard to the oil price I was quoting from an article that was in the F.T. and the Times explaining how oil prices had fallen dramatically when it was realised that the Iraq war from a business point of view would not be damaging. It reported that the U.S. prices at the pumps decreased four weeks before we saw a decrease.
They reported the amount the oil companies were making per second by keeping the price higher.
A friend of mine has a son who is a geologist for an oil company so I have quite a good idea of how they operate. Also I have a cousin who works for a British oil company so we both know about long oil pipes.

You missed the point I was making, any number of businesses could at one time or other be unethical. You just don't hear about it unless they are caught or you are involved.

I do support businesses that I approve of but what that comment has to do with this thread I fail to see. My reply was an honest answer on points I thought were unethical and bad for business.


Ted

&quot;Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy.&quot;
Peter Ustinov.

 

[GreenTeeth]

Petermeachem,

No there is not really more to it, it is just how banks work, they just happen to have a different charging system to other banks, and on the whole, they will not concede a charge without a reason. Not knowing your rights is never a reason that is recognised within the law, and quite right too. If this were the case, then ignorance would run rife, but I digress, and maybe a topic for another thread, if you can get technology into the title.

On to the Organic food. Organic food if as it says is organic, is worth it's price, unfortunately, you have to weigh up the organic label V's is it good for you. Now this is the crux of the matter, as it is well publicised that organic food is good for you and tastes great. Well I debate that, food that is locally produced from someone you know, which is fair in most rural comunities is the best food you can buy from an energetic point of view, it is full of life force, and will be ethical by it's deffinition, but I would argue that organic bananas from abroad will be no different from the ones you buy in the supermarket as they will have had to be preserved with something to stop them spoiling on their journey.

Now this is where fashion enters into ethics arguement, because if you are paying over the odds food for an average product surely this is just preying on the emotions of health concious people everywhere. Just because it is stamped Organic, is by no means a basis for assuming it is good for you. Having said that people like the Soil Association do have a good code of practice, though I do not know their stance on the actual lifeforce content of the food (chi - for want of not sounding like a dippy Hippy, I'm not, I am a taoist)

For nutrition, I would highly recomend people to look into the chinese philosophy of food and it's related subjects to get a feel for what it is you are buying, or just to be able to ask a few questions as to the foods history. Don't be ripped off by your emotions and your ethical sense of well being.

I buy fair trade if I can't get locally produced organic, because there at least you know the farmer has a better deal out of it.