We need strong business ethics, to operate business honestly and give fair value to consumers. I am speaking on this topic at a dinner of the alumni of an American university.
Here are some points contained in my speech:
In Ancient China, the “four categories of the people” was a hierarchic social class structure developed by scholars as far back as the late Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE). In descending order, these were the shi (gentry scholars), the nong (peasant farmers), the gong (artisans and craftsmen), and the shang (merchants and traders).
Why are the merchants and traders treated at the lowest rank?
The merchants, traders, and peddlers of goods were viewed by the scholarly elite as essential members of society, but were placed on the lowest of the four grades in the social hierarchy. The scholars in their writings denounced the merchant class as greedy and lacking moral character. Merchants were seen as somewhat parasitic to the needs of all other groups in society, since they used the goods that others produced and made their own profits from them. In essence, they were seen as business savvy, but not morally cultivated enough to be venerated representatives of Chinese culture.
I wonder if our business community of today fall into the same description of "greedy and lacking moral character?"
In today's corporate world, there may be some "Shangs" are from "Shi" origin...a potent combination...more greed or more integrity???
ReplyDeleteKin Lian,
ReplyDeleteWho is ethical and have strong business moral? The holy priest cheated, the famous monk is charged for cheating, CBT, forging and so on and so on. Who can we trust nowadays? Businessmen, political leaders,holy cows....
I don't even trust my own self!
This is the modern world we live in till doomsday. Nothing can really be done.
Yes, most of them. As long they lack conscience, anything goes. Ethics is thrown into the Singapore river.
ReplyDeleteBusiness is about selling. Selling is unethical, highly manipulated and open to all sort of immoral practices . Selling is about how convincing is your lies.
At the bottom of it is MONEY. Indeed money is the cause of all illegal , unethical , immoral and ruthless practices. People will do anything for money. Selling is evil without conscience to check.
As you can see insurance salesmen and women especially those who achieved awards like mdrt, cot ,and tot, an insider told me they are the dirtiest of salespeople but the company just closed 2 eyes. Without being 'dirty' they cannot achieve these awards, some agents admitted.
But who cares, if they don't do others will do to these consumers, that is their logics. They are the super Dupers of the insurance vocations, the top 5% dupers.
Once nice men and women but on entering the insurance industry they learned the skill of cheating and lying, all because of money because they heard that 'easy money' they can make in life insurance sales and NOT becuase they wanted to help people.
It went wrong from the start and they learned all the evil skills of 'skinning their victims'. Victims are usually poor people and the man in the street.They make up the majority. This makes them more despicable.
Insurance salesmen and women are the most despicable people in US. This vocation is at the bottom, trampled and shunned by decent people.
So what is ethics. Where is the conscience?