My Personal Business Philosophy

At best, business is tricky. From my business philosophy class and my own

experiences in business, I know that to be a part of the business world is to be in a
constant flux of decision. There are businesses which make their revenue by destroying
pristine lands. There are other businesses that make profit from the exploitation of
others. Whether exploiting or plundering, business is just that, business. I believe,
however, that one can work in the business world and still have a positive and ethical
belief and act accordingly.
Milton Friedman, the Scrooge-like writer, believes that business should never
donate to social causes and if they do they're simply being less than genuine. He believes
that business should keep nothing but the bottom line in sight at all times and never give
a penny to anyone but the company. That way of thinking is not always the way of
business today I'm happy to say. There are things like sustainability reporting and being
"green" that keep businesses thinking about more than profits today; their revenues may
just hedge on whether or not they are a green enough as a company.
I would never choose to work for a company that opted to gain profit by
destroying land or a primitive group of inhabitants. There would never be a gray line
when life or living things are at risk; there is no way for me to fit in. Decisions today
should always have the vision of the future and what remains after business, in sight. If
to make revenue creates wasteland then what is the point? Here today and gone
tomorrow, in very many ways.

In class, we watched a video about greed and how such

greed may actually be "drive and ambition" in disguise. While that may be so, greed is

part of business today yet going beyond greed and sliding into the nefarious is where the
issues begin. One can have drive and even have a degree of greed, but how one satisfies
both of those needs is what makes this world a better place or a slum of decline. If we
become so desensitized to pulling the rug out from others to make a buck that we can't
see the overall effect, then things are going too far. I have witnessed greed in a company
I worked for, to the extent that sales people were cheated on their commissions, and I was
asked to back up the company behavior. I did not and I left the company and was
unemployed for a time before I found other employment. I have never regretted that
decision. In some small way, perhaps my decision to leave made their decisions to cheat
a little more crucial.
Rockefeller had an interesting view of business and our discussions in class were
about the ideas he had to keep business and labor in a constant hand shake. One of his
beliefs stands out to me; he thought one should always "do unto others as you would that
they should do unto you". This could not be more sound advice. If this premise is
followed in business as in life, there is very little way to stray from the good path. When
I write the "good path" I am not being a Pollyanna, but trying to show that if all dealings
are truly honest then there is little room for error or trouble. Either the business decision
is a yes or no; there is not room for "what ifs" or "if you will", there is only room for the
truth.
One of the most important roles in business is the leader in a company
organization or corporation. If the leader has a good business philosophy then the
company will follow. In fact, I go so far as to say that if a company has good business

ethics then so does management and vise versa. The company follows the example of the
leaders. As we learned in class, leaders create followers; if the leaders take a crooked
path then most times the followers will do the same. If the example of Bernard Madoff is
taken and used, he set the tone of deceit and scandal while his employees, some being his
own children, followed suit. With such a creative business mind as his, I wonder what
his finance company could have achieved if he had had genuine ideas that were legal to
generate the wealth for investors. What is it about getting money that makes some
business people do anything to get more of it? Perhaps to some, business ventures are
like gambling. You win big and then you keep trying to win big again, and will go to any
lengths, legal or illegal, to gain the winnings. These ventures usually lead to a trip to a
cell in hand cuffs.
I think the biggest positive influence of corporations is the benefit to the planet
and the environmental they can offer. Whether those good intentions are forced by
consumers, by board members or the government itself, the ends are generally very
favorable. If a corporation has to provide sustainability records then let them do so to the
good of the planet and those living on it. While a company is pulling down a rainforest
to get to minerals that it needs, let them replant a small forest of trees in its stead. If a
company employs a group of natives to create product from thread and material at
minimal wages, perhaps they can contribute to the village in some way; creating more
jobs or giving food or clothing to those living in the village. There are many ways a
business can make a difference that will leave the destructive footprint with less of a
mark.

This class has firmed up my belief that business is a risky venture. It has the
rough edges that can leave terrible destruction, but in the same moment business is
capable of creating vast good in its wake. Xerox has amazing programs that are helping
our planet survive and stay clean. When consumers buy a new copier, the old copier is
taken back and recycled. Parts are salvaged and used again. What could be better? From
this same writing by Harvey Meyer in our class text, General Motors, Dupont and even
the Postal Service have jumped on the band wagon of looking out for the planet. The
ideas from these giant corporations are making a clean and green difference. I hope to
see this trend carry on in bigger and bigger numbers as time goes on.
Business can and should make decisions based on lessons learned from history.
There were some very hard lessons learned from those early years when merchants were
breaking free to create wealth for the sake of wealth, not just to feed mouths close by.
Business has run the gamut full circle and we are back again looking at history as we go
forward and we should be learning from those past mistakes. I will always be on the side
of the business that is aware of its environmental footprint. I will always choose to do the
best every day to stay true to every decision I make in business and if I see that those
around me don't have legal intentions, I'll always be speaking up and if not heard,
packing up.
Thats my business philosophy. It is possible to take a stand in the world in all
areas of life. Do the best you can every day to make the best of every minute and leave a
clean path behind that your children and grand children will be happy to walk down one
day.

Cite Source
ABC News (1998, February 2). 20/20. Segment Three: Greed is good [video].
Critical Thinking (2013) Second Edition: Edward G. Engh ; The Personal Relation in
History by John D. Rockefeller pg. 303 , Harvey Meyer pg 341, Milton Friedman pg
287
Geyer, J. & Hall, K. (2006). Buffet & Gates Go Back to School. A production of NET
Foundation for Television.