Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Business ethics

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Business ethics

If you know that the cost of your product is $100, and you decide to add a reasonable margin to cover your expense and profit, you will sell it for $150. This is the ethical way to do business.

If you mislead your customer about the true value of your product, you may be able to sell your product for $500. This is taking advantage of your customer and is unethical.

It is quite sad that the business world now finds it acceptable to take advantage of the customer and sell a product at an exorbitant price to make a big profit margin.

8 comments:

zhummmeng said...: Ethics died long time ago.
Insurance agents try to resurrect it every January only to bury it again with more nails hammered in.; July 16, 2008 9:12 PM
Vincent said...: Apple's products? Oops.. :); July 16, 2008 11:37 PM
Crafty Craken said...: What do you mean "the business world now finds it acceptable"? Hasn't it always been the case?; July 17, 2008 8:55 AM
JH said...: I've been wondering what is the true value of HDBs? have they been overpriced?; July 17, 2008 9:36 AM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Hi Jill

I believe that the ethics of business long ago have been better than in recent years.

In the past, the Government does play a stronger role in ensuring ethical behavior. This appears to have chenged in recent years as the current thinking is to leave it to the market.; July 17, 2008 12:44 PM
zhummmeng said...: You are right, Mr. Tan. The regulators prefer oversight than direct regulation. Once you leave the regulation to market players ethics will be thrown to the wind. Take for example the insurance companies, they are doing whatever they like. They are 'self regulating" and you believe that? Nobody will shoot their own foot.
Look at the shameless, conscienceless behaviour of insurance salesmen and women; look at the products , they all have one thing in mind, to swindle and fleece the unwary consumers. The agents are incentivized with huge commission, if not they won't move.
They sell and push products without considering the needs of the consumers. They suffocate the consumers with expensive whole life and endowment products which give little benefits to consumers but hefty commission to the greedy and unethical agents.
It is a wonder Singaporeans are adequately insured and prepared for retirement. Only agents can retire.; July 17, 2008 1:07 PM
Everlearning said...: From the recent reports one cannot but noticed that our Government-owned corporations acquired and restructed repackaged and then sold to the highest bid buyer. I suppose this is the norm of business practice from top level to the bottom. Our country is strived towards that mark of wealthy nation and ethical is already thrown out of the window.; July 17, 2008 6:36 PM
zhummmeng said...: This is a good story for insurance agents.
(I kapor from theonlinecitizen by a writer called TURKEY)

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

‘I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree’ sighed the turkey, ‘but I haven’t got the energy.’

‘Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?’ replied the bull. They’re packed with nutrients.’

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

If insurance agents continue to bullshit their way , the day of reckoning is near and whatever bullshitting sales skill you have may not hold you there and some may even go behind the iron grills.; July 17, 2008 7:30 PM