Profit Maximization by Businesses

Every business is in existence to have profit.  If you would ask business owners why they are operating, you would most likely hear that they are doing business to earn a living and high profit.  An answer that speaks of serving the community is rarely heard. Since they all want to earn profit as much as they can, they are habitually tempted to do tons of unethical stuff.

Business Ethics, unlike Mathematics, is not exact science. Gathering and studying of facts and analysis of exacting conditions must be well thought-out to resolve an ethical problem. In the point of view of any individual, it is tough to distinguish whether a business is committing an errant act by now. It is purely because of greed that tarnished the good intentions of any organization in which we can point a finger as to the cause of turbulences in rivalries.

In the article “Name an Oxymoron: Business Ethics by Gene Gourdy”, it was mentioned that approximately 40 percent of companies they surveyed believe they have lost business because a competitor paid a bribe.  Some companies are more than willing to take down a competitor by doing a very dire act. To maximize profit, bribery is considered and done.  Moreover, many individuals have learned that to do such has become a normal strategy in the organization.

Many businesses fall for the trap.  They perform an unethical thing for they perceive the benefit it can give to the whole organization. The discussion on greed was the thing that struck me the most during our business ethics class.  As discussed thoroughly, it has had and will continue to pretence terrible effects on the different industries in business and lives of individuals who were victimized by other people’s greed as well.

If only people can stop greedy but it is in the nature of man to be such. We all want better lives so, most likely, we would do anything we could to reach the top. The question is, as pointed out by Prof. San Juan, will you be pleased when you know that you are doing harm to others? We do not fancy being a burden to the people around us. Can we still have power over greed? It is deemed hard but, of course, there is a way.

Do Ethics and Profits Go Together?

“Most organizations espouse idealistic values emphasizing respect and integrity. But all too often, managers in companies make decisions according to what most benefits them and improves their quality of life, rather than what is best for customers, employees, investors and communities.”

- Michael Maccoby

To gain profit is the main cause of any operating company.  Corporations, through the conscious efforts of their every department, make strategies to pull off greater profits.  Sometimes, creativity leads to a situation where in the company has to decide whether they have to pursue the plan even when it constitutes an unprincipled plot or not.  Many companies are continuously tempted because, after all, they wanted to lessen costs and have greater profits.

Knowing that corporations are deemed as personal entities, the people therein are obliged to make the institution appear good in the eyes of both its internal and external environment.  It does not mean that it is a must to conceal their wrongdoings so as to avoid being caught.  Nevertheless, these things should be done because it is a means for them to give back to the community that first accepted them. In reality, sadly, many corporations do not deem this necessary. 

The psychopathic symptoms that were discussed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders like deceitfulness, lying for personal profit, etc. are really widespread.  I, myself, am a witness of these hateful things.  I have seen lives and families completely altered because of these selfish drive in corporations.  Some corporations cheat on their taxes, sales, and worker compensation.  In the end, some high-ranking officers would have to cancel the other just to not be questioned anymore about their unscrupulous acts. What happens in the end? The righteous loses her job and tries to forget the hell she experienced in that company.

I commend the people who stand for righteousness.  It just goes to show that they fear God, they care for the people around them, and they are keen to typify true leadership.  As a leader, you have to demonstrate values such as trust, leadership, wisdom and integrity.  If you are leading a team, you must practice what you preach and motivate your subordinates to be ethical.  And if you truly love your job and your organization, you know for a fact that you best represent the corporation and one of the many ways to give back is to be ethical about your decisions.

Ethics should be sought out as valuable as any MBA and any other talents in the world.  Given that many companies are not behaving well, a righteous man should not go with the gush of their deeds.  Although unethical deeds are prevailing among companies, a company that truly cares should stand up for righteousness.  Like an individual, companies who opt to embrace honesty will be blessed by God.  Who would not want to be in a company that is blessed and does things right? We all wish for one. 

Look at Me

Men can wear masks to conceal who they really are.  Like a person who portrays a popular character, man has the capacity to treat the world as a big stage.  He can pretend to be someone else as long as he likes without the knowledge of the next person. Although people around him can be fooled, he cannot deceive himself.  He can be a charlatan and suggest to people proposals but not do the same thing. At the end of the day, both he and God know what the veracity inside him is.

            One saying goes like this, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” We can also say that our action is the translation of what we truly feel inside.  An individual is familiar with his own deeds and thinking.  Even if he tries to hide his true being, it just comes out in a very unexpected manner.  It is safe to say that a person’s character is then distinguished when no one is looking at him.  The things that he commits secretly is what defines him.  Whether good or awful and even without anyone noticing, what a person carries out naturally constitutes his true self. 

            Many deem that an alteration of one’s self is somewhat unfeasible especially when you have had such attitude or way of life since then.  Truthful to say, our conscience has an impeccable role in forming our character.  If we listen to that still and small voice within us that tells us pertinent things given the different stressful seasons in our lives, we can win the battle between just acting as a righteous person and being someone who is innately righteous.  To give a concrete example, if you truly follow Jesus Christ, God’s endowment, the Holy Spirit who is our conscience, will guide you in your daily life.  If we trust our own will, we immensely find it hard to do good works. But because of grace and the Holy Spirit who works as our guide and conscience, we can overcome the thought and do things that we initially deemed we could never do.

            Who would not want his character to be one that is filled by conscience?  Is it not glorious on our end to have good works exemplified, at the same time, be true to ourselves?  It then has become a challenge posed to each of us to leave hypocrisy and practice what we preach.  After all, who covets to live a life that is full of lies and foolish? The ideal answer is “no one.” In reality, it is sad to say that many people fall short.  Some people do what is unethical just to have gains.

            It is amusing to think that we give it our best just to pose as someone who, in the first place, is not us.  We hide in sheepskins even though we are considered as wolves.  Are we pursuing to be like one until we die? We have one life to live, are we not supposed to make it count?  This is a challenge and I hope that we will not take it lightly. God rewards those that are righteous in His sight, not the self-righteous.

Our Awful Mess

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24, NIV

In reality, we clutter. Do you believe that we are faultless? No, for nobody is perfect. Although we persistently discover truths from what had happened to us in the past, we still are attracted to the act as if sin is embedded on us. Even though we strive to modify our actions, we fail. At the end of our own strength, we become frustrated, tired, and unresponsive to what life has in store for us.

The one mentioned above is the manifestation of the devil’s tainting of our goodness. We often ask why we, humans, still sin when it could have been prevented. Philosophers uttered several theories that could explain a person’s attitude, way of life and thinking. Many who were deemed to be logical had opposed the suppositions of others. Religions were attacked and false beliefs were tried to be altered. Moreover, arguments and sound discussions had taken place and it seemed endless to some. But after all of these, the truth prevailed.How was it judged? Which is valid?

In the attempt to distinguish the superiority and veracity of one belief to the other, a watchful exploration must be conducted. In line with this, I included a summary of each notion in this post. The first view, Personalism, tries to explain to us how unique an individual is and proves to us that each person has free will and value. Subjectivity is the staple of this view. This means that the experience of a person shapes him/her personhood. While the other, Relativism, tells us that all points of view are equally valid, and all truth is relative to the individual.

Relativism approves that no system of truth is superior to another one, and that there is no objective standard of truth. It would, basically, deny that there is a God of absolute truth. The goal of relativism is to avoid the idea that there is actually right and wrong. The effect of this is that people will continue to sin against a Holy God without them knowing that they are really sinning. All of these being said, in relativism, we are tolerating what is evil. A dose of Personalism or human encounter or experience with the truthfulness of God will change our lives significantly.

To be righteous, not declared by self, we have to experience the grace of God. The Scripture clearly tells us that all men have fallen short of the glory of God. By admitting that we are a sinner followed by the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are saved and can see God face to face when we finally perish. In the aftermath, you will notice that there is no more condemnation and you are sinning less. The Holy Spirit is our conscience. By His work, we will never be the same again and we can say no to sin.

The Sims Comes to Life

I've been an aficionado of The Sims ever since Will Wright launched the game in the souk. I can put in the picture the stories of Goths and Bella’s whereabouts, the Pleasant family, the Landgraab, etc. I know how the game works, the expansion packs, the cheats, and all the related stuff. Evidently, through Sims, I release my obsession for architecture and interior-design.

To make the daily living of my sims impressive, I cheated the game using the “rosebud” or “motherlode” code. Doing so raised my purchasing power to buy back the downloaded pieces of furniture from the internet. To get the beautiful and exceptional items, a simmer needs an account in PayPal or, for direct purchases, credit card. If you don't go to the download sites that I just mentioned above then you really don't have a clue of how favored you are when that plastic money is on-hand.

Prodigious items equal real money. Free items mostly have flaws. They crash your game, or sometimes they don't fit. You have to wallow in your success if you got an item that works! To be honest, downloading a nice simpack won't be like a piece of cake.. Accept it without reserve. There is a demand; these makers come profitable because we pay. Like it or not, we are expected to purchase for a fee.

Sims comes to life. A month or so, my family and I will be moving into a new home. My mom and I are doing most of the planning. In reality, it's never easy. At first, I thought you just have to bring-in furnitures and you're done. But it is truly stressful! Think about getting the contractors and workers, choosing which furnitures match and what doesn't, the expenses (I am dead serious about this!), unending errands, application for telephone, cable, etc.

There are tons of things to do! It's not like the Sims where you just create and play. Considering the "now", we are faced with the real the-pre-moving-to-a-new-house thing. It's easier if only I can use "rosebud" or "motherlode". Obviously, it's impossible. Ideally, we have to work hard to earn money! And budgeting is necessary to keep things up. But I am really thankful. Despite these fun challenges, I am thankful because God blessed our family with a new home. I can see His promises being fulfilled. When He makes a promise, He will make it come to life for He is constant. Truly, God will unfold a new life chapter in 2011!