Month: October 2012

Eli Broad wrote the book The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons in Unconventional Thinking. Eli is a “serial entrepreneur” who doesn’t toot his own horn and writes modestly about himself trying to teach others in his book instead of making it dedicated to his superiority. Broad has developed two Fortune 500 businesses all while living as an only child, struggling with dyslexia. It seems that if there’s anybody who should give themselves more credit, it’s Eli Broad. Not only is he successful in entrepreneurship, he is also an advocate of philanthropy. As a billionaire, Broad is investing in the arts, to “bring beauty, inspiration, and the shock of the new to as many people as possible.”

I think Eli Broad is an inspiration. This is the first I’ve heard of him but he seems to be a man that can do it all. He has a wife, two growing sons, two multibillion companies (third coming), and a philanthropic side. A lesson he lays out in his book is to be able to get 8 hours of sleep all while working 24/7. He’s different in that he strives to teach others the way to his success, and doable ways to approach it. He’s concise in his teachings which is how readers can really grasp his lessons. I think this is a man that I would like to read more into, and borrow his book from the library. His values seem to reach out to kids and adults of all ages, striving to be organized, efficient and successful.

Photo via: Economic Times

I’ve recently read Sean Smith’s blog post about the feminine struggle of carrying two jobs. In his post, he touches on how women are unable to climb the business ladder because of their capability to mother a child. There’s plenty of controversy that dates back  about the sexism between women and men. A typical fight and women claim to be able to do what a man can do. As a woman, I believe this is true. I don’t agree that men have a larger brain capacity than we do, or that they’re ultimately stronger than us either. I also can’t agree that it’s ethical for businesses to not hire a pregnant woman, or women in general because of their probability of becoming pregnant. They speak as though a child is a disability and it causes a woman to be incapable of doing their job properly. That’s morally wrong. There are many instances that men take a leave of absence to take care of their child too, not just the mother. A child requires the love of both parents. So who are these CEO’s to say that women can’t do their job as well as them? Women can actually do this, and more. This very reason is why a company should hire women, because of their “superwoman ability” to balance such high positions, and their children at home. Having a kid should not discredit a woman, in fact this is something which sets them apart from men. Women can do it all.

Photo via: Tres Ashley

I stumbled upon Robert De Luca’s blog about Business Ethics in Samsung factories, an article that is reminiscent of the Nike sweatshop article I read. Both well-known companies have been caught by the law because they’ve provided unethical labour conditions in third world countries.

Since their labels are iconic in present day society, I wonder how these companies could taint their own image in performing such unethical actions, but stand to do so and not lose any customers. I’ve realized that although Nike had a huge scandal against them, their brand is still one seen wherever I look. Kids still don them on their feet and celebrities continue to endorse the company in selling unethically made products. Reading Rob’s Samsung article, I realize the same epidemic is happening again. Samsung has shown to be unprofessional and cruel to their staff and workers, yet the new Galaxy SIII is the biggest rave.

People don’t care. As blunt as that may seem, it’s true. There will always be a group of activists that raise protests but the majority of consumers don’t care. We continue to purchase their products regardless of how they’ve been made. We don’t see the face of the poor South Korean child who slaved away just to make the phone we’re using. This is the route of how business ethics have gone awry.

In class, David Silver had come and spoke to us about how teachers are failing to teach ethics in business. I don’t believe this is true. You can give someone the tools but it all depends on how they use them. I think we’re born with these morals, or they’ve been taught to us when we were younger.  But we’ve reached the epitome of our already human characteristic of being greedy. Our ethics have been skewed and we continue to support the behaviour of these companies, treating kids like they’re doing them a favour by giving them two dollars a day in a factory with toxic fumes. We’re as bad as Samsung is. I believe that this is where business ethics go wrong, because this is a lesson that you can’t possibly learn in class.

Photo via: University of Michigan Closes Ethics Center, Claims Ethics in Public Life Achieved