Green Building Makes Eco Innovations

The field of environmentally conscious construction and building has expanded incredibly over the last few years.  With pollution becoming a major issue and the public starting to take interest in the amount of waste produced by new building sites, it’s no surprise that corporations, building contractors, and even the government would want to utilize the increased visibility to improve their images (brand or otherwise).  And of course, the ones who really win are the consumer public.  As more building projects embrace green innovations, they become more commonplace, accessible, and affordable to all.  Soon, average citizens may be able to partake of many home improvements that are new and costly now.  But each trial is another step towards keeping our planet clean for future generations.  And here are just a few ways that green construction is blazing the trail. Read more

The Onus of Order Fulfillment

There are plenty of businesses out there that are unable to manufacture and/or distribute the goods they sell.  They range from large, multinational corporations that would rather pay to have someone else do the dirty work, down to sole proprietorships run from the owner’s home office (leaving little room for a manufacturing operation).  In each case the business owner is depending upon one of the order fulfillment services to create quality goods that bear their name and deliver them on time and intact to retail stores or even private homes.  They pay for this service because they cannot (or choose not to) run this portion of the business themselves.  And in the process, they employ more people and keep adjacent businesses up and running.  Although the businesses that contract to an order fulfillment service certainly don’t own it, they do have the right to demand certain things, simply because they have no control over the process (for example, if an order is shipped late, the contracting company’s reputation suffers, but they have no real recourse).  This places a large amount of responsibility on such a service to provide the quality and expediency their clients require. Read more

The Ethics of Legal Advertising

We’ve all seen those television ads for personal injury lawyers, with fast-talking men and women claiming that they work for YOU (punctuated by a jabbing finger that, if it could, would burst forth from the monitor to firmly poke you in the chest), and slab-faced clients testifying that when they were hit by an 18-wheeler, walked under a falling girder, or slipped in a grocery store, the lawyer got them a great settlement.  Have you ever wondered why these commercials are so awful?  Can’t they hire some good actors?  The truth is that they can’t.  There are actually strict laws governing how legal professionals can advertise their services, and although they vary by state, most are in agreement that promotion must be eminently truthful.  This is why you often see the lawyers themselves and actual accident victims (rather than actors) in the ads.  Lawyers are held to high standards when it comes to advising the public of the services they offer. Read more

What’s in a Label?

Have you ever looked longingly at a Louis Vuitton purse, a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals, or an Armani suit and wondered what, exactly, made it worth so much money?  While most of us are stuck buying trickle-down fashion from department stores, there are some who enjoy the front-runner designs that cost thousands of dollars.  But is one really better than the other?  What is it about these runway items that allow their creators to ask for outrageous amounts of money (and get it)?  While the materials and labor may cost more, it’s not enough to cover the disparity in price between a dress that comes straight from a design-house in Milan and one that is made in China and sold in a discount warehouse store.  The truth is, it’s all in the label.  If enough people recognize a name and associate it with the wealthy and elite, then the brand can charge astronomical amount of money, even if there is nothing else to separate it from the pack. Read more

The “Natural” Dilemma

Just about everyone has heard of (or even embraced) the idea of organic food production, including the growth of crops and the humane treatment of animals slated for consumption.  In this system, plants are grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers while animals are given free range and raised without hormone injections or antibiotics (as well as receiving only organic feed).  In short, these products are generated “naturally”.  And when it comes to the organic label, such items are regulated by government organizations that monitor food production.  Farms that grow organic crops or raise animals for organic meats (and other animal products) and companies that claim organic products are subject to stringent policies concerning their output and environs, the percentage of organic materials, and proper labeling.  If they are found to be in compliance, they receive some type of certification so that consumers know what they’re getting is the real deal.  But there are no such legalities pertaining to “natural” products. Read more

Ethical Issues in the Trucking Industry

You might be inclined to assume that ethical issues are only discussed in boardrooms and college seminars, but ethical business practices touch every industry in every nation, and trucking is no exception to the rule.  Despite the fact that it may seem pretty simple to load up a big rig with goods, drive them across the country to their destination, and then unload and get paid before hooking up the next gig, there are a number of ethical concerns facing the shipping industry as a whole, and the over-the-road (OTR) portion in particular.  Here are just a few that are currently being examined, including some that could tank the industry if changes aren’t made. Read more

Issues with Credit Card Solicitation

A number of years ago, it was decided that tobacco companies would not be allowed to solicit minors with advertising campaigns (specifically targeting youth with cartoon characters).  In this case, authorities had to advocate for change because minors were unable to speak for themselves.  But it seems there is no one willing to stop the similar solicitation that targets college students.  Credit card companies often engage in the aggressive solicitation of college students not only because they are easy marks, but also because they often need money but lack experience (causing them to accept credit offers without asking important questions) and they need to build up credit.  Unfortunately, this means that they are easy to exploit for knowledgeable (but unethical) credit card companies. Read more

Fairness in Project and Team Management

Most of us are ill-prepared to manage anything, from our finances to our personal lives to the vegetable garden in the backyard.  And management skills, funny enough, are in some ways transferable to other areas of life.  For example, you will often find that people who manage their personal relationships well also get along with coworkers.  And those who are task-oriented around the house are better able to process workflow within an office environment.  You simply need to use the skills you already have to do well at work.  But while a lot of people succeed in getting their own stuff done, they somehow fall apart when they get the promotion and suddenly find themselves managing projects and teams of employees.  Here are just a few areas you need to watch out for if you want to be fair when it comes to helming a project and having workers under you. Read more

Corporations Find Ways to Go Green

With more people focusing on the environment and starting to notice the many ways in which large corporations (especially those involved in manufacturing) are exacerbating the problems facing the future of our planet, it’s no surprise that companies interested in preserving a positive brand image have started to clean up (and green up) their act.  There are a lot of exciting innovations for businesses to take advantage of as a way to conserve our natural resources and reduce waste and pollution.  And while just about everyone these days has at least started recycling and doing audits to check for waste (as a way to save money, if nothing else), a lot of corporations are doing more.  Here are just some of the many ways that businesses across the globe are starting to address their carbon footprint as part of their social responsibility. Read more

The Ethics of Reality TV

When addressing the issue of ethics as it relates to the phenomenon of reality TV, there are two avenues to explore: those who make it and those who watch it.  People who produce and star in reality television programs have realized that there is a lot of money to be made by exposing the human condition (in its many forms), showing the best and worst of humanity, revealing candid reactions, and basically spoon-feeding the public something they can relate to on a deeper level simply because it is “real” (even though most people realize that the scripting and editing process sets up situations that are far outside the realm of what might really happen and then portray them with bias).  Although it can’t necessarily be categorized as exploitation of the so-called stars since they sign on for it, reality TV has the ability to ruin lives, exacerbate existing problems, and generally make life miserable for those who participate in it by turning the public eye on private issues. Read more