Motivated By Money
Today, people and business are motivated by money.
Also, we're entrenched in selfishness, which means we think only of ourselves with no regard for others. Selfishness leads to immoral behaviour such as theft, fraud, corruption etc., which ultimately harms people and the environment.
These two elements, being motivated by money and being entrenched in selfishness, leads to the toxic behaviour you see in some people and in some businesses today.
Toxic Business Practices
CEOs and managers are motivated to make profit because it affects their compensation and the share price of their companies. As such, corporate strategies are focused on increasing prices and decreasing costs.
Companies do everything they can to increase profits, leading to unfair practices, immoral behaviour, corporate theft and crime. Here are some examples of what some companies do to make more money:
- Goods and services are overpriced because they move through a supply chain in order to reach the end customer. Each step along the supply chain seeks to maximize profits and as a result, the end price to consumers is unfairly high. (If companies seek to benefit others, goods and services will be priced just above cost because companies won't be motivated to maximize profits.)
- Some companies use activation fees, cancellation fees and other hidden fees and charges. (If companies seek to benefit others, fees based on exploiting others will disappear.)
- Some companies expect customers to give a 30 days notice to cancel a service, even if the customer won't be there to use the service. (If companies seek to benefit others, practices that exploit others will disappear.)
- Some companies make it difficult to terminate services, so charges keep appearing on credit card statements. (If companies seek to benefit others, practices that take advantage of others will disappear.)
- Some companies engage in usury, unfairly high interest rates. (If companies seek to benefit others, harmful practices will disappear.)
- Some companies use unfair contracts, locking suppliers and customers into unfair business arrangements. (If companies seek to benefit others, all trade will be fair.)
- Some companies use complicated contractual language that only lawyers can understand. How are you supposed to know what you're signing if you can't understand the language? (If companies seek to benefit others, contracts will be clear, simple, easy to understand and fair.)
- Some companies impose unfair penalties for breach of contract, even if the reasons for ending the contract were unforeseen, unavoidable and couldn't be prevented. (If companies seek to benefit others, business practices will be based on compassion and understanding.)
- Some companies use fine print, which nobody reads, to explains terms and conditions. (If companies seek to benefit others, underhanded practices will disappear.)
- Some companies set unfair quotas for their employees, expecting their employees to maximize profits and/or decrease costs, even if it means harming people in the process. (If companies seek to benefit others, their practices will be considerate of their suppliers, employees, customers, the environment and society as a whole.)
- Some companies pay their suppliers late because instead of paying suppliers, the money sits in the company's bank accruing interest. (If companies seek to benefit others, all payments will be made fairly and in a timely manner.)
- Some companies compromise on safety standards, potentially harming suppliers, employees, customers and the environment. (If companies seek to benefit others, all standards will be based on safety and quality.)
- Some companies intentionally create products that break, so customers have to replace them often. Others create services that require repeat visits, expecting the customer to pay each time. (If companies seek to benefit others, products will be built to last and services will provide permanent solutions.)
- Some companies engage in manipulative and fraudulent marketing practices. (If companies seek to benefit others, fraud and manipulation will disappear.)
- Some companies even perform a cost-benefit analysis and calculate the cost of human life. They calculate how much they'd pay if somebody was harmed or killed versus how much they'd profit. If there's a profit to be made, they proceed, even if they know some people will be injured or killed. (If companies seek to benefit others, this type of criminal behaviour will disappear.)
- etc.
- Some companies put pressure on their suppliers to decrease costs, potentially compromising the quality of goods and services. (If companies seek to benefit others, relationships with suppliers will be fair and equitable.)
- Some companies decrease the cost of their own labour by seeking cheap labour elsewhere (resulting in local job-loss), by decreasing staff (resulting in lay-offs and reduced hiring practices), by decreasing benefits to staff, by expecting staff to work longer hours and over-time (potentially resulting in over-worked and over-tired employees who are prone to accidents and mistakes) etc. (If companies seek to benefit others, relationships with employees will be harmonious.)
- Some companies seek to decrease the cost of their own materials, potentially compromising safety and quality. (If companies seek to benefit others, they will ensure their products and services are safe and of the highest quality.)
- etc.
Companies, motivated by money, engage in harmful, destructive and immoral behaviour and everyone (suppliers, employees, customers, the environment and all of society) suffers as a result.
Companies need to seek to benefit others instead of themselves and change their ways in order to have a positive impact on their suppliers, employees, customers, the environment and all of society as a whole.
Corporate Theft and Criminal Behaviour Has To End
Some companies have gotten really good at justifying their theft and other criminal behaviour:
- Some companies incorporate theft and other criminal behaviour into their policies, then defend their policies as if it's the law. I may have a policy to take $5 out of Trent's pocket every Tuesday at 5pm, but that doesn't make it right. Just because a company incorporates theft and criminal behaviour into their policy, doesn't make it right.
- Some companies notify you in advance of their theft and other criminal behaviour. They put it right in front of you: in the fine print, in an email notice, in a bill, a contract etc. They justify their behaviour by explaining that you were notified in advance, that you were given the information and that it's your fault for not reading it. I may give Trent a note telling him that I'll take $5 out of his pocket every Tuesday at 5pm, but just because I've informed him in advance, doesn't make it right. Just because a company notifies you in advance that they're going to steal from you, doesn't make it right.
- Some companies justify their theft and other criminal behaviour by explaining that they're trying to run a company. This is a poor excuse. You can run a company without stealing from and harming your suppliers, employees, customers and the environment.
- Some companies defend their theft and other criminal behaviour by explaining that it's an industry standard and that other companies are doing the same. Another poor excuse. Theft is theft, and criminal behaviour is criminal behaviour, even if everyone's engaging in it.
- etc.
An Unfair Advantage
It takes a certain kind of personality, a person with specific traits, to succeed in an environment that's motivated by money. The person has to be aggressive, competitive, driven, shrewd, intelligent, resilient, talented etc.
People who have those traits have an unfair advantage because they have exactly what it takes to succeed. People who don't have those traits are penalized unfairly - some never achieve any success so they live in abject poverty, an undignified standard of living.
Imagine if we set a different standard, that in order to succeed, you'd have to be able to dunk a basketball. People who are tall, athletic and competitive would have an unfair advantage because they'd have the traits to succeed. It doesn't matter how much I practice or train, I'd never be as good as them.
In this way, our current society rewards people who have the traits to succeed in an environment that is motivated by money. Not everyone has those traits, only a few people do.
As a result, you see a huge discrepancies in society between the rich and the poor, between the people who have the traits to succeed and the people who don't.
This inequality is very unfair because the people who have the traits to succeed have an unfair advantage over others.
A New Motivator - Benefiting Society
We need a new motivator: how much we benefit society, how much we contribute to the well-being of society. This motivator will be inclusive (benefiting everyone) instead of exclusive (benefiting a few).
If we change our ways from selfishness to concern for others, and we seek to benefit others instead of ourselves, we'll be motivated to benefit society and our reward structure will also change.
Society will reward people who benefit others by giving them praise and genuine appreciation. Those who do the most for society will be rewarded the most.
Instead of being motivate by money, we'll be motivated by how much we benefit society. Instead of being rewarded by money, we'll be rewarded by genuine praise and appreciation from society.
Instead of being motivate by money, we'll be motivated by how much we benefit society. Instead of being rewarded by money, we'll be rewarded by genuine praise and appreciation from society.
People who are aggressive, competitive, driven, shrewd, intelligent, talented etc., will remain that way, except they'll use their personal traits to benefit others instead of themselves.
In this way, they'll live up to their true personal potential - they'll have a positive impact on people and a greater impact on the world. As a result, society will reward them respectively.
If we seek to benefit others instead of ourselves, and if we become genuinely concerned for the well-being of society, business practices will also change.
All unnecessary and redundant goods and services that now exist solely to make money, will disappear.
Society will focus only on those goods and services that meet the basic necessities for life - food, water, housing, clothing, education and health care.
Goods and services will become affordable, priced just above cost because companies will no longer seek to maximize profits.
Companies will develop harmonious relationships with suppliers, employees, customers and the environment.
Summary
We need to change our ways from selfishness to mutual responsibility. We need to seek to benefit others instead of ourselves and become genuinely concerned for the well-being of others.
We need to stop being motivated and rewarded by money and start being motivated and reward by how much we benefit society.
In this way we'll develop harmonious relationships with one another and with nature.
Copyright © 2013, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
