Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with business and ethics

Creative Innovative Socially-Good Companies

divabat — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:46:03 -0800

Which companies and organisations are big on innovation, creativity, doing good, and support flexible work styles and ethics? I'm jobhunting at the moment and I've found that the company culture and industries they work in are just as important - if not more so - than the specific job role. I'd be happy to work in any role in those sort of companies (so long as I have enough skills); however, I'm finding it hard to find job searches that let you define the industry/style of the hiring company.

I'm after companies and organisations that put value on creativity, innovation, doing social good, flexibility, ideas, and ethical practice (they don't have to be super-strong in all those aspects, one or two main ones would do). At the moment I'm not worried about location - I may have to move internationally anyway, and travel is a huge bonus.

I have skills in arts and events management, cross-cultural communication & integration, general administration, strategy & policy, dealing with young people, research, idea generation, performance and presentation, writing & editorial, and working with the web - but I'm willing to learn new skills or work in something basic and entry-level if it's with the right company.

Some ideas of companies that look interesting:

Google (I'd LOVE to work for them but they seem to only be hiring tech engineers - and I know naught about software engineering)
BrainStore
WhatIf Innovation
GOOD Magazine
Up with People (I've volunteered with them and they have one of the best office cultures I've ever seen)
United Nations (though I've heard that they can be frustratingly bureaucratic)

Which other companies/organisations can I add to the list? How do I find more companies/organisations that fit my needs?

Is it really illegal for a company to act ethically?

divabat — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:20:30 -0800

"[Companies] have a legal responsibility to make their shareholders lots of money, which means they *MUST* rip you off for as much as they can get away with." Really? I've heard that sentiment many times (the above is a direct quotation) and it doesn't make sense to me. According to Carrotmob, "It's illegal for a corporation to behave in a socially responsible way -- unless that socially responsible behavior happens to be identical to the behavior that maximizes profit."

Proponents of the above argue that if a company shows "record profits", that's a sign that they've been ripping off customers. According to them, companies only think about their shareholders and the Board, and therefore must make as much money as possible regardless of ethics.

Is this true? Is it really illegal for companies to act ethically unless it makes money?

To me, it seems that if the above sentiments were true, social enterprises would not be able to exist. Also, it would make Corporate Social Responsibility illegal.

When shares are bought in a company, they are traded away very quickly, and aren't share prices usually determined in large part by the public perception of the company? Surely shareholders and Boards would notice if the customers are being ripped off or if the companies are acting unethically, and respond negatively to unethical corporate behaviour?

It seems to me that these notions come from the idea that "for-profit" = "evil bad conglomerate", but I can't seem to find any actual legal or economic basis for saying that companies must be unethical to profit.

Is there actually any basis to those points? Is it really illegal for a company to act ethically?

Recommend me a good book on business corruption?

jacobean — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:27:00 -0800

I am looking for a business book that reflects the way business is really done. I am looking for general business books that reflects the way business is really done. I am tired of reading books that talk about "happy-clappy" concepts that most of the time don't happen in real business life. I am looking for a business book(s) or even business novels that shows the harsh reality of the business world. I am tired of reading general business books that have a warm fuzzy glow about them. I do not want to read another business book that contains mini-case studies of how Apple is innovative or how Ben and Jerrys's is ethical. Likewise, books that claim the customer is king and books that talk warmly of how great client-vendor relationships can be. Basically, I want a book that dishes the dirt on the business world and tells is as it is.

The chasm between the way business actions are described in business textbooks of my college days and the the real-world seems to be huge. I need some books to bridge that chasm.

Should I pass my personal info on to selected clients of the company I'm leaving?

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:07:16 -0800

Business ethics filter: Should I pass my personal contact info on to selected clients of the company I'm leaving? I'll shortly be leaving (on good terms) a position with Acme Technical Consulting. While I've been here, I've talked to hundreds of clients, but I've specifically worked closely with about a dozen companies and individuals, to the point where we're all on a comfortably friendly first-name basis - we understand each other and they like my work. I'm moving to a position in different tech sector for a while, but there's an excellent chance that I'll be back to this one in the next few years, so I'd like to maintain these relationships if at all possible with an eye to networking or possible employment down the road.

What I'd like to do is, send these folks a personal email to say, "Hello, I'm leaving Acme but it's been great working with you," and pass along my personal contact info. I'm concerned that it might be inappropriate for me to contact these folks outside of my "official" role here, though... one could argue that their contact information is intellectual property belonging to my current employer and to take them for personal use would be wrong. I also have worst-case-scenario visions of one or another of them contacting Acme to complain about this perceived breach of decorum, and Acme giving future employers horrible references, and ultimately being chased through the streets of my hometown by hordes of angry technical consultants waving torches and pitchforks.

Am I just being overly paranoid here? What are the rules as to when it is or is not appropriate to contact people on your own behalf when you've met and worked with them on behalf of a company? Any guidance or personal experiences here are appreciated. Thanks!

wedding ring removed for sales pitch

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 21:03:42 -0800

Is it ethical for a women who is in sales to remove her wedding ring so that prospective clients will be more interested in hearing her pitch? I've heard that some women will remove their rings when being interviewed so that the new boss won't discriminate against them. I know that some men will and I guess some women will remove their rings while traveling to say perhaps" extend the possibility of fun". I also know that some single women will wear rings on their wedding finger when the travel to ward off the men who are looking to " extend their fun" But this business sales tactic of "acting single" has recently come to light and I'm just not sure how I feel about it. your thoughts would be appreciated.

What is required for "ethics consulting"?

ontic — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 12:49:05 -0800

I hear that sometimes businesses and other institutions hire "ethics consultants". Does anyone know anything about getting into ethics consulting or the actual day-to-day activities in ethics consulting? If not, has anyone seen an ethics consultant in action at a company? I'm a philosopher/ethicist who teaches courses and does research on issues in theortetical and applied (practical ethics). I'm not planning on quitting my day job as an academic (I like it way too much) but my school allows me to spend a certain percentage of my time consulting.

My experience learning about and teaching business ethics makes me comfortable enough with business, business plans, business practices, and "talking business" that I wouldn't be the typical idealistic academic flailing in the real world. But even given all this, I'm not sure what ethics consulting requires to get started and what most companies would want from such a consultant. Is not having a background in law a major liability, for instance? Do businesses ever want anything more than typical CYA-type policy suggestions?

PG Alternatives for R-rated Business Ethics movies

ontic — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:45:11 -0800

I have several films assigned for a Business Ethics class that I teach including Thank You for Smoking, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, and Wall Street. They make for good discussion and a change of pace from lots of tough reading. This semester for the first time I have a student who does not watch rated-R movies. I want to accomodate the student. So I'm looking for movies with themes equivalent or similar to these three movies that are rated below R, and preferably PG or G. Any ideas?

Attempt to control artist through LLC???

msshe — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:35:03 -0800

can someone form an LLC specifically and solely based on another individual's work/product -- without telling/consulting them? A *LOT*-- Of course, I know that I would need to sign something to be legally bound to an agreement, but I'm completely perplexed (and angry) and trying to figure out why this happend:

I am an artist, (paintings), only recently doing my first shows/sales. Lot of committment and significant financial support from my non-romantic partner/housemate/best friend who offered me this ipportunity to develop my work with his financial support. Statements of paying him back entailed "I don't expect or require anything, but if you become a huge success, it would be nice to know you could pay back something. I wouldn't turn it down." This statement did not change until recently---when I made my first
sale. (cah-ching!).

I had formed a business identity for myself, with cards, print materials, logo, typeface, and I was in the process of building my website under my trade name which I expected to use to encompass all my current and future actions as an artist.

I then went out of town for the holidays (2000 miles out) and was gone for several weeks. During that time I got an email from my friend saying that he had formed an LLC under my artist name/identity (using it for the name of the LLC) and did this primarily becuase he realized that he could get a tax advantage if he formed a company quickly, and he also decided that making himself sole owner of my trade name would entice me to
work on an agreement with the company in which he would also own everything else I've created and will create in the future (all rights, everything) because I suddenly "owed" him a specific amount of money for his contributuions to me and my art, which is the same amount of money he submitted for expense deductions for his LLC. These included the $500 for the accountant to set up the company, my christmas present, food purchases he told me to make, items for his home that I did the physical picking out and bringing back to the house, insulation in the room I use as a studio... cash he gave me when he was gone for a week with the car and groceries were needed. Airfare that he loaned and was repaid, etc. I am expected to repay him for all these things--wasn't even in the state when he purchased a $400 tool!

Needless to say, I refused to agree to have my name taken without my consent or knowledge, and registered as a legal LLC basically making it impossible to protect it myself (I didn't think it was necessary since i had just started out.

He is attempting to coerce me into entering into an agreement whereby my art is owned by this company, and to which all profit go. THe company will still pay for art supplies, and if and when my debt is "paid off", I might be "cautiously" considered for a share in the company. Unfortunately, as described, if I continue to owe and incur debt for the expenses of the company, that will never happen.

I don't understand how this could in any way be legitimate, and I am not doing anything with this person and I have insisted that he release my name so I can register it myself as planned. He refuses, stating that he did this for my benefit and thinks it would be a waste to use another name for his company.

If, on the slim chance, I were to enter into an agreement (that I knew about and was consulted in), I would expect to represent myself as (my business name) and form the agreement with (other name LLC), retaining my IP and moral rights to what I create, regardless of how profit shares and such are divided.

Yes, I can just drop this and use some other name. Unfortunately I made a huge mistake and found a name that is personally meaningful and can't be altered and not lose that significance. I fully expected to protect it, and it is valuable only to me. My friend said if I refuse to consider working with him, he will just dissolve the company and let the name become available to "the next person who wants it" rather than change the LLC and at least give me warning so I can register it safely.

My friend seems to think that I am going to make some money with my paintings, and with my tiny, new start, it looks positive but that guarantees nothing. I am dedicated and I think I will only get better. This whole fiasco may have cost me my first solo show and reception in NY state, and that was a big deal. I am stuck for the moment and somewhat at the mercy of my friend, because we had been operating on a financial agreement that he just stopped when I balked at my name, and for the short term, I am stuck without repleneshing paint and its just a mess all around.

I am shocked that he formed this LLC, seizing my name and expecting to structure this entity based entirely on me and what I do--without saying a word to me (and expediting the process so it would be done before I returned to the studio/house--which he is also charging me for). He is bullying me into signing onto this company (with no rights or profit shares) with my name as leverage (which will not work, and I've made that clear), I think he may be afraid of what to do with this defunct company and having to justify those expenses.

I would really like some constructive advice--I'm ashamed and frustrated, so constructive criticism is welcome to, but I've already done the beating myself up part.

Sorry for the length. I would love some insight from any of you. There has never been any indication that this person was anything but trustworthy and decent. I don't understand. Are there legal implications I'm not getting? What could they possibly be? I don't have anything except my artwork. Only half of which is fine enough to sell.

Snitch advice?

dozo — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:03:45 -0800

I know of a local business that is operating illegally in my town, and has screwed over 3 friends of mine in the last 6-8 months on taxes, pay, and wages. I would like to know the most effective way of reporting them to authorities. (long explanation) A small-medium sized business is operating without city or county licenses, all employees are paid cash under the table, they don't even pay minimum wage, and a friend of mine (she's not the brightest apple in the drawer) had taxes withheld for ~8 months by this company; when she tried to file, she found that they had not sent a single dime, nor had she been reported at all as an employee. I don't think a single employee out of 20 or so is on the books. When the minimum wage went up, the owners refused to pay any more and the people there are still making between 5-6 dollars an hour. Another friend that worked for them for 4 years gave her two week notice and has yet to see 3 weeks pay from them after a month and a half since she quit.

The owners of the business are scumbags...they make a few hundred thousand a year from this company (by my conservative estimates) and are constantly driving around in new expensive cars, building new barns for their new horses, trips, etc. while hiring crack heads, prostitutes and anyone else willing to work for less than minimum wage. They happened into the business by inheritance and are driving the once great business into the ground, but it's not going to come fast enough. I can see them squeezing another decade out of this deal.

My friends were hired when the previous (now deceased) owner (who built this business from the ground up on her own) was still in charge. They watched helplessly as the new owners turned this respectable business into a hell hole. Their office hasn't been maintained in years. Part of the roof is still caving in from hurricanes a few years ago, the bathroom is so disgusting my friends wouldn't even use it, and they were finding crack pipes and used condoms lying around the office, in filing cabinets, etc, which were reported to the owners but nothing was done.

I could go on, but there is not enough room =D

I have decided I will be the one to do "the dirty work". There are so many people pissed at this company that there's no way that anyone specific could be blamed or suspected by them. My friends are all at other places now, thank god, and they don't feel that they can do much seeing as how there is no record of them working at the place. I don't know specifics about paperwork, like the status of their employment before the ownership change and what the new owners did to that status, but no one feels as though they can do anything. My good friends are out hundreds of dollars due to their bosses shenanigans, and it just irritates me that these people will be fleecing people for years to come if they aren't stopped or shown that that kind of business practice is unacceptable.

I am asking, not if I should do this, because I am, but who I should get in touch with to make it happen as efficiently as possible. As soon as anyone in authority does some poking about, it will be obvious that they are crooked... I have done some research and they haven't even done the most basic requirements to cover their asses. Absolutely nothing to stand up to the lightest scrutiny. Just looking for their city and county licenses shows nothing (and that's around $100 dollars a year). I am actually astonished that they have been able to continue for so long as is.

If I write a book about what I do for a living, will I get in any trouble?

pman78 — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 20:31:49 -0800

I'm thinking of writing a business book. My dilemma is that the topic would be about what I do in my current day job. Let's say (for instance) I 'train' people in something very specialized for a living. I'm very good at it and I think people would be interested in my experiences to help them 'train' better themselves. Nothing proprietary would be revealed; mostly just process, lessons and 'tips to be successful'. I could use a psuedenoum as the author name if need be. My issue is around ethics and legalities. Am I in any muddy/gray areas here and if so am I likely to get nailed?

How do I deal with the guy who wants a kickback?

freq — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:15:53 -0800

I have a potential customer that has made it clear that he wants a kickback. How should i deal with this situation? This request didn't come to me directly, but through a sales representative that i am working with on what could potentially be a very big project.

I am not even considering giving this guy a kickback, because I believe it would not only be unethical, but could lead to bigger problems down the road if I establish a long term business relationship with this company.

How would ask-mefi diffuse the situation and still get the business? Right now my plan is to play dumb on the surface when the client drops those "take care of me" hints, with the subtext being that I know what he's asking, and I won't be going there, but is there a better way to handle it?