I was reading an advertisement for a car a few years ago and it was described as being in excellent condition with one owner, how mileage and a price that I couldn't believe. I thought it would be a perfect car for my daughter so we ran over to the car dealer to take a look. When we got there, there was a hoard of salespeople coming to assist us. We asked for the car listed in the paper, and they informed us it already sold - but pointed us to a similar make and model at the same price - what a piece of junk it was and needless to say we ran from that car lot and sales people.

This is an unethical business practice known as bait and switch. It basically means that something is advertised at a very appealing price. A buyer gets "sucked" in (that's called the bait) on what the advertisement said. When you get there, the advertised items has been sold, but they just happen to have a similar (that's called the switch) product that you would fall in love with in it's place. The switch is usually of a lesser quality than what was advertised.

It's not an ethical business practice. So, what is "ethical" for a business or organization? Conscience is the basis of ethics. Conscience is our "inner voice" of guidance. Both "conscience" and" ethics" are abstract concepts and difficult to define. Both are also human traits and require cognitive activity in the brain. Therefore, for a business to be ethical, the individual human leaders,as well as those under them, must have a well-developed conscience. They are the business, you are the business. Any ethical business starts with a leader with conscience, standards and values and is carried down to the employees.

Think of a retailer or restaurant that has two sets of books, you see it sometimes when a register rings "no sale". This person is bending the rules and this unethical practice recently brought two major companies down: Enron and WorldCom. The leaders of each company were tried in court and sentenced to time in prison. Their problems began with the accounting firm that managed their books. The unethical practices found a way right up to the top - and those individuals paid the price.

Conscience is the mechanism that helps an individual to distinguish right from wrong and judgment from responsibility. The individuality a weak conscience may lean toward weak ethics also. Technology Alignment wants to make certain that we all follow a code of ethics at the highest standards. This code serves as our guide for dealing with business and consumers. It's a protective shield for all of our customers. In order to maintain customer goodwill it is important to maintain an impeccable reputation combined with the ability to remain above reproach.

We have become a global company, mainly resulting from the needs of the business and consumer communities. Conscience must prevail as the interaction of the individuals representing Technology Alignment. This is a tall order and the successful individuals will be the ones who are accommodating and ethical in all aspects of business dealings.

Yes, ethics and business must be packaged together for the good of the community - and the world. As we gain new understanding and appreciation of the members of our global community, businesses will be able to make many more ethical decisions which will be for the benefit of all people.

Together at Technology Alignment, we need to show our good community standing and practice the best in ethical behavior!