When you assert that businesses can't prosper in the long run by cheating their customers, you're assuming that every businessman possesses a long term perspective. That's certainly an unsupportable generalization; greed is shortsighted, and a greedy businessman who would cheat his customers for immediate profit isn't thinking in the longterm. Human nature trumps starry-eyed ideology.
Is that what you would do if you owned a business?
I have owned a business, since 1988. I've always treated my customers with the highest standards of ethical conduct--I explicitly think of it as a "fiduciary duty" appropriate to a consultant. Yet, over the years, I've had many people try to cheat me, and some have succeeded. Those who've gotten away with have been, not surprisingly, those with the most economic power. One of the most vile was a Fortune 500 Valley company, a household name in high-tech, a manager at which pointed out with smug correctness that I couldn't possibly fight their Legion of Lawyers. Might makes right too often in business in the real world. White collar crime does pay.
How much money is Enron making right now? Did a few people get rich off it? Sure. A few might even get away with it. But a well-run business with its customers treated well makes money forever.
Tom, come on, the Enron incident is only the most dramatic of a well-established pattern of unethical business behavior. It was by no means the first enterprise started with the deliberate intent to make its operators a fortune in a matter of a few years, and with the intent of walking away from it when the house of cards collapses. Can you say "Ponzi Scheme"? In recent weeks the government has announced that it will be prosecuting various Enron flunkies, but Kenneth Lay is conspicuously absent from those press releases. Guess his campaign contributions to George W. Bush have paid off, haven't they?
Crime does pay when you're a bigtime Republican campaign contributor.
--Robert
Flame » in reply to Capitalist crooks?
Capitalist crooks.
The whole thread (55 posts)
- God, I'm getting tired of this...
- Testing....
- Moi aussi
- I want some brownie points for restraint. n/t (n/t)
- Oh put it away, Tom, Nobody is impressed...
- Then don't do this
- Maybe as an exercise I should try writing like you for a week.
- P.S.
- You just keep digging yourself deeper
- Well for Goodness' Sake
- Thanks...one Bowser was enough.
- Mary Anne, your version is PRICELESS!
- For Tom: a bit about your character (probably not what you think)
- Cripes! Don't forget you're not getting paid for this! ;-) *(n/t) (n/t)
- P.S.
- Ego deflating is a risky business Tom...