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Business ethics and social responsibility
are topics of central importance in the work of the
American National Business Hall of Fame. In addition
to preserving the stories of our laureates, we have
periodically conducted survey research to ascertain
the general level of ethical beliefs in American business.
The most recent of those studies was completed in
2004 under the direction of Dr. Paul Thisthlethwaite,
a professor of marketing at Western Illinois University.
There
exist numerous additional sources on this topic. http://businessethics.resourceaid.com
One academic treatment that deserves special
mention is William C. Fredericks. Values, Nature
and Culture in The American Corporation. Oxford
University Press, 1995. Professor Fredericks identifies
values that humans bring to work and which determine
the ethical climate within the corporation. The perspective
which he provides explains why the founders of the
American National Business Hall of Fame believed that
preserving the stories of the leaders of the past
should be part of the knowledge base of the business
leaders of the future.
For a far simpler view of how our laureates thought
about business ethics, view the hall of fame slide
show on business ethics. You will find it on this
web site.
Hall of fame laureates with stories that have a
special ethical twist include
The Herbert Taylor story has an interesting “rest
of the story” component. Taylor was an active
member of Rotary International and served as its president.
Rotary adopted Taylor’s “Four-Way Test”
, thereby making the test an ethical guideline known
by the more than a million Rotarians around the globe.
Rotary, it turns out, has a complete ethics and social
responsibility culture that mirrors the beliefs and
practices of hall of fame laureates at their best. The
Rotary culture contains the following elements (All
elements have been trademarked by Rotary International).
- A broad vision of how to live one’s
business life. This is captured
by Rotary’s primary motto of “Service
Above Self” and by the second part of
the “Object of Rotary” which calls
for, “ High ethical standards in business
and professions; the recognition of the worthiness
of all useful occupations; and the dignifying
of each Rotarian’s occupation as an
opportunity to serve society.”
- A penetrating “reason why”
one should follow that broad vision. This
is captured by Rotary’s secondary motto
of “They Profit Most Who Serve The Best”.
Hall of fame laureates knew that this viewpoint
has double meaning. On the one hand it means
that one’s true reward in life comes
from being of service to others. On the other
hand, it means that the most successful bottom
lines will accrue to the firms that give the
best service.
- A practical guide to practicing the vision
day in and day out. This is captured by the
Rotary “ 4-Way Test of the things we
think, say or do”. The test advises
one to ask four questions before acting or
speaking. The questions are: “(1) Is
it the TRUTH? (2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
(3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
(4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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Some laureates were Rotarians at one point in their
lives. Others were never members. Yet the elements
of Rotary culture described above come very close
to describing the business cultures created by most
hall of fame laureates. |
