056 “The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.”
058 “What is the final objective of business? It is to make the obtaining of a living—the obtaining of food, clothing, shelter, and a minimum of luxuries—so mechanical and so little time-consuming that people shall have time for other things.” — A business leader, circa 1930
071 “Commercialism has become too widespread. It has even crept into schools and places of worship. Every nation should place limits on what kinds of products, if any, can be sold at certain events or places.”
100 “In order to force companies to improve policies and practices considered unethical or harmful, society should rely primarily on consumer action—such as refusal to buy product—rather than legislative action.”
003 “Corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise. A ‘flat’ organizational structure is more likely to encourage collegiality and cooperation among employees.”
005 “All groups and organizations should function as teams in which everyone makes decisions and shares responsibilities and duties. Giving one person central authority and responsibility for a project or task is not an effective way to get work done.”
014 “Organizations should be structured in a clear hierarchy in which the people at each level, from top to bottom, are held accountable for completing a particular component of the work. Any other organizational structure goes against human nature and will ultimately prove fruitless.”
018 “If the primary duty and concern of a corporation is to make money, then conflict is inevitable when the corporation must also acknowledge a duty to serve society.”
019 “Some employers who recruit recent college graduates for entry-level jobs evaluate applicants only on their performance in business courses such as accounting, marketing, and economics. However, other employers also expect applicants to have a broad background in such courses as history, literature, and philosophy.”
021 “Job security and salary should be based on employee performance, not on years of service. Rewarding employees primarily for years of service discourages people from maintaining consistently high levels of productivity.”
024 “A powerful business leader has far more opportunity to influence the course of a community or a nation than does any government official.”
025 “The best strategy for managing a business, or any enterprise, is to find the most capable people and give them as much authority as possible.”
026 “Location has traditionally been one of the most important determinants of a business’s success. The importance of location is not likely to change, no matter how advanced the development of computer communications and others kinds of technology becomes.”
027 “A company’s long-term success is primarily dependent on the job satisfaction and the job security felt by the company’s employees.”
033 “People are likely to accept as a leader only someone who has demonstrated an ability to perform the same tasks that he or she expects others to perform.”
035 “Business relations are infected through and through with the disease of short-sighted motives. We are so concerned with immediate results and short-term goals that we fail to look beyond them.”
Assuming that the term “business relations” can refer to the decisions and actions of any organization—for instance, a small family business, a community association, or a large international corporation—explain the extent to which you think that this criticism is valid. In your discussion of the issue, use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, your observation of others, or your reading.
036 “Businesses and other organizations have overemphasized the importance of working as a team. Clearly, in any human group, it is the strong individual, the person with the most commitment and energy, who gets things done.”
045 “The most effective way for a business person to maximize profits over a long period of time is to follow the highest standards of ethics.”
048 “In matching job candidates with job openings, managers must consider not only such variables as previous work experience and educational background but also personality traits and work habits, which are more difficult to judge.”
What do you consider essential in an employee or colleague? Explain, using reasons and/or examples from your work or work-like experiences, or from your observations of others.
050 “How far should a supervisor go in criticizing the performance of a subordinate? Some highly successful managers have been known to rely on verbal abuse and intimidation. Do you think that this is an effective means of communicating expectations? If not, what alternative should a manager use in dealing with someone whose work is less than satisfactory?”
051 “The presence of a competitor is always beneficial to a company. Competition forces a company to change itself in ways that improve its practices.”
060 “Employers should have no right to obtain information about their employees’ health or other aspects of their personal lives without the employees’ permission.”
064 “The goal of business should not be to make as big a profit as possible. Instead, business should also concern itself with the well-being of the public.”
068 “Since the physical work environment affects employee productivity and morale, the employees themselves should have the right to decide how their workplace is designed.”
069 “The most important quality in an employee is not specific knowledge or technical competence. Instead, it is the ability to work well with other employees.”
072 “Companies should not try to improve employees’ performance by giving incentives—for example, awards or gifts. These incentives encourage negative kinds of behavior instead of encouraging a genuine interest in doing the work well.”
076 “For a leader there is nothing more difficult, and therefore more important, than to be able to make decisions.“
092 “Employees should show loyalty to their company by fully supporting the company’s managers and policies, even when the employees believe that the managers and policies are misguided.”
093 “To be successful, companies should trust their workers and give them as much freedom as possible. Any company that tries to control employees’ behavior through a strict system of rewards and punishments will soon find that such controls have a negative effect on employee morale and, consequently, on the company’s success.”
095 “Companies are never justified in employing young children, even if the child’s family would benefit from the income.”
106 “The most effective way for managers to assign work is to divide complex tasks into their simpler component parts. This way, each worker completes a small portion of the task but contributes to the whole.”
108 “Employees should not have full access to their own personnel files. If, for example, employees were allowed to see certain confidential materials, the people supplying that information would not be likely to express their opinions candidly.”
109 “All personnel evaluations at a company should be multidirectional—that is, people at every level of the organization should review not only those working ‘under’ them but also those working ‘over’ them.”
110 “The most effective business leaders are those who maintain the highest ethical standards.”
115 “All employees should help decide how the profits of their company or business should be used.”
117 “The well-being of a society depends more on the success of small businesses than on the success of a few large, high-profile corporations.”
119 “It makes no sense for people with strong technological skills to go to college if they know that they can earn a good salary without a college degree.”
120 “Companies should not allow the trend toward informality in dress and conduct at the workplace to continue; formality in dress and behavior helps create a more disciplined and productive work environment.”
123 “The current trend of moving frequently from company to company has negative consequences: it causes instability in the workplace and, as a result, instability in society. Therefore, companies should require employees to make a long-term commitment to the organization.”
124 “The most effective leaders are those who can solve complex problems by finding simple, immediate solutions.”
127 “In general, a company’s most valuable employees are those who are concerned more with efficiency than with quality.”
128 “Instead of relying on the advice of outside experts, organizations should place greater value on the advice that can come only from their own highly experienced employees.”
129 “When judging the qualifications of potential employees, business employers should rely solely on objective information, such as a candidate’s résumé and education. Personal interviews are much too subjective and are therefore not a valid basis on which to judge a person’s qualifications for a job.”
132 “In any business or other organization, it is better to have managers with strong leadership skills than managers with expertise and work experience in a particular field.”
133 “Employees should not be asked to provide formal evaluations of their supervisor because they have little basis for judging or even understanding their supervisor’s performance.”
136 “In some companies, employees are allowed to express their feelings and opinions about the company by sending electronic messages to everyone in the company. In other companies, this type of communication is strictly prohibited.”
What restrictions, if any, do you think companies should place on employees’ electronic communications? Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.