“Economic and Political systems are ultimately based on a moral foundation.” Stephen R Covey

The fourth Deadly Sin is ‘Commerce (Business) without Morality (or Ethics)’.

The common view of any corporation is that it is corrupt on the basis that it makes profit. That is lefty, socialist ideological dogma. If corporations did not make profit, they would dwindle and die away, and those who work there would have to seek survival through other means.

However, those which pay poorly, and I include those who pay on zero-hours bases with a clause that the employee cannot seek work elsewhere, do fit the immorality ‘bill’ when it comes to the way they do business. On a similar vein, those who take advantage of customers are just as morally bankrupt – and this includes any business that has such a complicated tariff system that no-one knows how it works and trusts the corporation to deal with them fairly, and to promptly address concerns when they are raised.

(Utility companies take note – a 30 minute wait listening to a ‘we value your custom but can’t be a***ed to adequately man our phones’ message suggests you are LYING.)

Some companies, successful and profitable ones strangely enough, manage to conduct business in such a fashion. They last a fair while, too, and the people that work there are almost invariably happy. (There’s always one……) But they rarely get the publicity, do they?

(I originally added political parties to that paragraph but to be frank I couldn’t, in all conscience, do so. That is because I have yet to meet a prominent politician that has impressed me with their willingness to stand up for their values at the potential expense of their position. I know in my heart that they exist, but they must be hidden because they don’t follow a party line and so don’t get the rewards of power.)

But never forget. It is individuals that set the culture. An ‘organisation’ is not corrupt unless someone with power within that organisation legitimises it. But that is not all. And you might like this next sentence a bit less.

In order for that someone in power to create a culture of immorality and corruption, quite a few other people have to either support them, or stand by doing nothing about it.

Don’t be in that list. Be of good character and stand up for what your conscience and values tell you is the right path. Even if it initially costs you there is always a happy ending when you know you have stood up for the ethical route.