The Business-Ethics Myth

“Some years ago, a senior executive at a large company objected when I asserted that corporations have an ethical, as well as a legal, obligation to keep promises and honor their contracts.

He said the decision to live up to or ignore contractual commitments is a business decision, not an ethical one. His primary responsibility, he said, was to the stockholders. He noted that most of the time it is wise to fulfill your promises because there are legal and relationship risks involved in breaking contracts, but in the end the decision to honor or renounce a business agreement should be based on a cost/benefit analysis. Ethics has nothing to do with it.

This claim that business executives are justified in treating the pursuit of self-interest as a moral imperative is disturbing and dangerous. It’s also common.

The theory that expediency, not ethics, should control decision-making in business flourishes because many people compartmentalize their lives into separate personal and business domains, choosing to believe each area is governed by different moral standards.

As a result, fundamentally good people who would never lie, cheat, or break a promise in their personal lives delude themselves into thinking they can properly do so in business.

Nonsense! There’s no such thing as “business” ethics. There is only ethics. Fundamental standards of right and wrong such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship do not become irrelevant when we enter the workplace.

And it doesn’t matter how many people think otherwise. Ethics is not a description of the way people actually behave. It’s a prescription for how we ought to behave.

In business – and, for that matter, in politics, sports, journalism, and parenting – ethical principles are not simply factors to be taken into account. They are ground rules.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding us that character counts.

As Rotarianswe have the Four-Way Test which should guide us in both the personal and business domain.

 

2009 RI Convention in Birmingham, England, 21-24 June

Be a part of history and celebrate the 100th Rotary convention, which will take place in Birmingham, the heart of England!

If you haven’t been back to Birmingham since the 1984 convention, you may not recognize this former industrial town. Now a lively canal city known for its outstanding shopping and dining, Birmingham — or Brum, as the natives call it — underwent a dramatic facelift in the 1990s. The transformation resulted in a modern, more pedestrian-friendly city that retains traces of its medieval and Industrial Age roots.

Download the convention booklet  for more reasons to come to Birmingham in 2009. This 24-page booklet also contains registration, hotel reservation, and Host Organization Committee forms.

Register early and save

Register early for the convention to take advantage of special pricing!

First deadline: 15 December
Second deadline: 31 March

Register online . It’s convenient and secure. Your confirmation materials will be e-mailed to you.

Or download the registration form .

Housing reservations

Birmingham Convention Bureau will handle all individual and group housing requests. Reservations are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mail:
Birmingham Convention Bureau
Millennium Point Level 4
Curzon Street
Birmingham
B4 7XG
England

Phone: +44 (0) 121 202 5154
Fax: +44 (0) 121 202 5123
E-mail: bcb.accommodation@marketingbirmingham.com

You will receive a hotel confirmation from the Birmingham Convention Bureau indicating the hotel name, address, room rate per night, room type requested, and dates reserved. All housing changes/inquiries must be made directly to the Birmingham Convention Bureau until 8 May 2009.

Booking for RI Convention housing begins 14 June 2008. Confirmations will be issued beginning July 2008. Please return your completed reservation form by 17:00 GMT on 8 May 2009.

Download the hotel reservation form  or reserve your hotel online .

For a block of 15 rooms or more, download the Group Housing Form .

Alternative housing
In the Birmingham area, there are several economic housing alternatives. Read more  about these options.
Note: These housing alternatives are not part of Rotary International’s official convention housing block, and they are not serviced by the RI Convention shuttle.

Convention venue

The National Exhibition Centre is Europe’s busiest venue, staging more than 180 exhibitions each year. Its 21 interconnected halls offer plenty of space for convention activities such as registration services, plenary sessions, the House of Friendship and exhibits, convention luncheons, workshops and interactive discussion groups, and the Rotaract and Youth Exchange preconvention meetings. Find more information about the NEC .

Read more about Birmingham .

Host events

Find out more about the Birmingham area and meet local Rotarians by participating in the events the Host Organization Committee has planned. Pre- and post-convention tours also are available. Purchase tickets online at www.rotaryconvention2009.com   through a secure service, or download the ticket order form  and fax or mail it to the HOC:

Fax: +44 (0) 1926 885588

Mail:
Birmingham Convention 2009 Limited
Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 6PB
United Kingdom

Questions? 
Fax:  + 44 (0) 2476 712055
Phone:  +44 (0) 1789 765411
E-mail: enquiries@rotaryconvention2009.com

Remember the 2010 HOC Committee will be providing information and taking reservations for Montreal 2010.  Your help will be appreciated.

 

North American Youth Exchange Network Conference

The 2009 Annual Conference of the North American Youth Exchange Network will be held at the Delta Centre Ville Hotel in Montréal, Quebec from February 26 through March 1, 2009.  For those interested in YouthExchange this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more and mingle with others interested in the program from all of the America’s.  A variety of registration packages are available.  For more information go to the North American Youth Exchange Network website http://www.usacanconference.org/index.htm or go to the District 7040 Events Calendar at http://www.rotary7040.com/event.php?id=187 and contact our own Fred and Ariane Carriere.

President’s Checklist

 

December - Family Month

  • Plan and conduct monthly board meeting
  • Send monthly membership and attendance and membership report to attendance@rotary7040.com
  • Consult with the secretary to update the RI membership database via the web, www.rotary.org /member access, by December 1st, so the January semiannual report (SAR) from RI will be up to date and accurate
  • Assess the progress of club projects
  • Conduct activities to demonstrate you club’s commitment to family and community.
  • Hold annual club election no later than 31 December
  • 31 December: Deadline for reporting next year’s club president and secretary to RI for the Official Directory, and to the District.  Update information on district website club profile.  Make sure contact information of club officers are correct.
  • Monitor membership development initiatives and goals.
  • Ensure that all contributions to be counted within the calendar year are received at The Rotary Foundation before December 31.
  • Promote International Convention in Birmingham, UK.

 

January - Rotary Awareness Month

  • Plan and conduct monthly board meeting
  • Send monthly membership and attendance and membership report to attendance@rotary7040.com
  • If not done in December consult with the secretary to update the RI membership database via the web, www.rotary.org /member access, by December 1st, so the January semiannual report (SAR) from RI will be up to date and accurate.  Return corrected SAR and RI Semi-Annual Dues.  A past due notice will be sent April 1 if dues not paid.
  • Assess the progress of club projects, hold club assembly to review progress and assess effectiveness of committees and objectives.
  • Conduct activities and programs to provide members with continuing education on RI and to publicize Rotary in the community.
  • If not already done report next year’s club president and secretary to RI for the Official Directory, and to the District.  Update information on district website club profile.  Make sure contact information of club officers are correct.
  • Monitor membership development initiatives and goals.
  • Plan to send representative to RI Convention.
  • Promote Ambassadorial Scholarships and Rotary World Peace Fellowships.  Check with District Chair regarding applications.
  • Check District Website for dates of PETS  http://www.rotary7040.com/event.php?id=51 and District Assembly  http://www.rotary7040.com/event.php?id=189 .

 

February - World Understanding Month

  • Plan and conduct monthly board meeting
  • Send monthly membership and attendance and membership report to attendance@rotary7040.com
  • Assess the progress of club projects, hold club assembly to review progress and assess effectiveness of committees and objectives.
  • If not already done report next year’s club president and secretary to RI for the Official Directory, and to the District.  Update information on district website club profile.  Make sure contact information of club officers are correct.
  • Monitor membership development initiatives and goals.
  • Promote attendance at RI Convention.
  • Promote Ambassadorial Scholarships and Rotary World Peace Fellowships. 
  • Remind  President-Elect of PETS  http://www.rotary7040.com/event.php?id=51 and start to promote District Assembly  http://www.rotary7040.com/event.php?id=189 .
  • 23 February (Rotary’s annuversary) is World Understanding and Peace Day. Plan to conduct activites to promote world understanding, friendship, and peace.