A634.6.3.RB_DiazBrian

Benjamin Franklin tried to live his life by 13 virtues.  I took an online test to determine how my own virtues match up with Franklin’s.  I will be reflect on the following virtues: temperance, resolution, and tranquility.  These are the areas the quiz suggested I focus on improving.  http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/exp_virtue_results.html?a=144143344424

The first virtue is temperance or self-restraint.  The scenario was based on the over indulgence of alcohol.  These days I seldomly drink but when I do, I have been known to have a good time.  I can go out and have one or two beers and be responsible.  For me this is not a choice rather a responsibility I own as a parent and a husband.  I will admit, in my younger days I was pretty wild.  I lived the bachelor lifestyle to the fullest.  I lived in downtown Orlando and I could be found in a local club, bar, or pub at least 4-5 nights a week.  Why?  Did I mention I was single at the time?  I was having the time of my life surrounded by friends and strangers.  I would not change that time in my life for anything.  I was living life to the fullest.  I was living my life.  The person I was ten years ago is not the same person I am today.  Today’s Brian is concerned with saving for his son’s college tuition, paying his mortgage, and planning for retirement.  Now I think about the future but not just mine.  I have a family now that depends on me for support.  Not just financial but emotional as well.  I still have the same values and beliefs today that I had a decade ago however I am more in tune with them now than at any other time in my life.  A study was conducted to determine if self-disciplined people were happier.  Szalavitz (2013) wrote “Through a series of tests — including one that assessed 414 middle-aged participants on self-control and asked them about their life satisfaction both currently and in the past — and another that randomly queried volunteers on their smartphones about their mood and any desires they might be experiencing, the researchers found a strong connection between higher levels of self-control and life satisfaction” (para. 3).  

The second virtue I “scored” low on is resolution.  I really had no best way to answer this question which I’m sure is why it came up as a virtue to improve.  The reason is because I do not make resolutions.  In the past I did but then I became that person that made resolutions and never followed through with them.  What I do now is constantly set goals for myself.  I do this all through the year.  So instead of focusing on just one thing which I may or may not dedicate myself to at one time of the year, I set many goals and spread them out in order to achieve them.  For me personally, I have found this to be a more successful method.  For example.  We just purchased our first home.  To do this I had to accomplish many different goals and it took five years to accomplish them all!  First I took a look at my financial situation and came up with a plan for debt reduction (my wife and I that is).  We took every single credit card and one by one systematically paid them off.  We also established a saving plan to have money for a down payment.  On the weekends I would drive to different neighborhoods to look at houses and talk with home owners about the neighborhoods.  I would ask about their experience with the builder, how they liked their homes, and if they had a good experience through the building process.  I never told my wife but for inspiration when I went on my bike rides I would go to neighborhoods that were well out of our price range and look at all of these beautiful homes and dream about the day I could move my family into one (not as fancy as the ones I would ride by).  Goodman (2014) wrote “When we set goals, it’s easy to fixate on that magical ending when we’ve reached the goal and everything is better. But we can’t control outcomes, and we certainly can’t will them into existence (though this writer has tried, many times). We have to inch toward them, one choice at a time” (para. 5).  Goal setting has become an integral part of my success and is a practice I am glad to have begun.  It has helped me accomplish many things.

The final virtue is one I struggle with.  Tranquility.  I am the complete opposite of my wife in this aspect.  I can be considered a little OCD.  If a dish is left in the sink it drives me crazy.  My closet is always immaculate and I am take great pride in the things I own.  I am beginning to learn that it is okay if dishes are left in the sink.  It is okay for my son not to pick up every single one of his toys to put away.  And when he strips down to his undies (he is 3 of course) to run around the house, I don’t have to chase him down to pick up his clothes behind him.  It’s okay.  For me this has been a real struggle because of how my mind is wired.  Why wait to do something tomorrow that can be done today?  I am having to retrain my thought process and tell myself that I really should not let these small things worry me.  I should be focusing my energy on other things.  Sasson (n.d.) wrote “True inner peace is independent of external conditions and circumstances. It confers tranquility, inner harmony and balance, and the ability to remain calm, undisturbed, and in control of yourself, even in difficult and unpleasant situations. It is important not only while things move smoothly, but especially, in times of trouble, difficulties or danger. Then it counts most” (para. 3).  While it has been a struggle for me to find inner peace with certain things, I am finally in a place where I can be honest with myself and say “Why are you letting that bother you?”  I have the ability to change and become more at peace with the things I cannot control.  In retrospect this issue for me is more about control and the things I can and can’t command.  I must be more willing to accept that I can’t have everything my way and it is unrealistic for others to think the same way as I do.  By doing this, finding that inner peace, I think I can become more successful not just in my work but overall in my life.  

Goodman, N. (2014). The science of setting goals. Retrieved from http://ideas.ted.com/the-science-of-setting-goals/

Sasson, R. (n.d.). 20 Reasons Why You Need Inner Peace and Tranquility. Retrieved from http://www.successconsciousness.com/inner_peace.htm

Szalavitz, M. (2013). Self-Disciplined People Are Happier (and Not as Deprived as You Think) | TIME.com. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/24/self-disciplined-people-are-happier-and-not-as-deprived-as-you-think/

A634.5.4.RB_DiazBrian

Most organizations are in the business of making money.  One of the most important contributing factors to the success of an organization is how well they market their goods and services to their customers.  Customers have to believe that these good and services are a necessity which they must have.  Marketers are tasked with being in position to persuade potential customers (or clients) to buy said goods and services.  Do marketers have our best interests in mind?  Are they ethical in their approach to obtaining new customers?  El Sayed and El Ghazaly (n.d.) wrote “Some argue that promotional advertising, which is a main player in the marketing function, tends to manipulate consumers all the time” (para. 5).

My personal belief is that money is the driving force and life’s blood for most companies.  For example, in my organization there is currently a hiring freeze.  The reason for the hiring freeze is because enrollments are down campus wide for the academic year.  Enrollments have impacted the amount of revenue that was projected.  The deficit has made it necessary for leadership to scale back expenditures.  This means our yearly retreat will more than likely be cancelled, raises will be less than hoped for, and any special projects that were in the works may need to be shelved.  These factors can potentially influence how marketers attempt to connect with future students.  “Ethical problems in marketing stem from conflicts and disagreements. Each party in a marketing transaction brings a set of expectations regarding how the business relationship will exist and how transactions should be conducted. Each facet of marketing has ethical danger points” (“Issues in Marketing,” 2014).

Companies should not ignore their core values and beliefs if they wish to achieve balance in ethics.  They should have a sense of commitment to their community, employees, corporate culture, and most importantly, their customers.  “Ethical balance is the implementation of ethical standards through solid moral values without being consumed by those standards. Ethical balance creates a compromise between company interest and customer interest” (“Achieving Ethical,” n.d.).  I think sometimes companies lose focus of the consumer because they are so fixated on profits.  It is great to have financial goals but it is unrealistic to believe that every product, service, or goods is going to be a financial success.  If organizations can focus on their customers, to truly make their experience with the organization one that is memorable, more than likely they will create a customer for life.

Technology has made tracking of our spending, search engine browsing history, and even our physical location available to third parties.  Namely marketers.  Take your smart phone for instance.  I own an iPhone.  I try to be aware as much as possible of all of the capabilities of my phone.  All of my apps have a location services capability.  I have to manually deny access to my location for these apps.  That I was aware of.  What I was not aware of was that my phone tracks my location as well.  There is a frequent locations functionality in the location services of my phone which tracks where I go.  And I thought “big brother” was the only one watching.  If anyone wanted to know where I have been on a regular basis they would have easy access to that information if they got a hold of my phone.  For example, a parent could easily know whether or not their child was actually in school on a certain day if they wanted to.  All they would need to do would be to look at their child’s phone.  A spouse who suspects their partner of questionable activity could also easily access their location information.  Is it any more ethical for someone you know to learn about the different aspects of your habits than for marketers to have this information?  I for one do not have an issue with marketers tracking me.  I benefit by receiving notifications when there are sales, discounts, or specials for products I might use.  There are several ways to privately browse the internet http://www.cnet.com/how-to/five-smart-ways-to-keep-your-browsing-private/  I see it as a choice that can be made.  While I am certain 100% of information cannot be kept completely confidential, there are ways to minimize your exposure to unwanted marketing.

El Sayed and El Ghazaly (n.d.) wrote “The definition of marketing according to the Wikipedia website states that; ‘Marketing is a societal process which discerns consumers' wants, focusing on a product or service to fulfill those wants, and attempting to move the consumers toward the products or services offered’" (para. 1).  As a leader I will use organizational culture to guide marketing.  By aligning company values and beliefs and translating those to my employees, I can inspire them to be honest, empathetic, and caring of our customers.  Regardless of the product or service.  My goal will be to value the customer and to always remember how important they are to our success.  By espousing these beliefs I can make my organization successful and our customers happy.

Achieving Ethical Balance in Business Practice. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/six-sigma-training-certification-information/achieving-ethical-balance-in-business-practice.html

El Sayed, H., & El Ghazaly, I. (n.d.). Ethics-Based Marketing: Ethical Articles. Retrieved from http://www.ethicsbasedmarketing.net/2.html

Issues in Marketing - Boundless Open Textbook. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/social-responsibility-and-ethics-in-marketing-16/ethics-in-marketing-102/issues-in-marketing-502-10770/

A634.4.4.RB_DiazBrian

Discrimination can be defined as the “treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit” (Discrimination, 2015).  If we look at the definition of affirmative action we will find it is defined as “the encouragement of increased representation of women and minority-group members, especially in employment” (Affirmative Action, 2015).

Based on these definitions, wouldn’t affirmative action be considered as a type of discrimination?  Those who object to affirmative action make the following arguments: (1) affirmative action is reverse discrimination.  Affirmative action (2) hurts white applicants, who (3) are often more qualified.  It additionally can be argued that affirmative action stigmatizes blacks.  Some argue that (5) the practice of affirmative action deprives employers their right to hire whoever they want (LaFollette, 2007).

Recently major corporations such as Google and Facebook came under scrutiny for failing to incorporate diversity in their workforce.  At Google it was found that “Just 1% of its tech staff are black. Two percent are Hispanic. The one well-represented minority group is Asians, who make up 34% of the company's tech workers. Eighty-three percent of Google's tech workers internationally are male.  For non-tech jobs, the number is 52%” (“Tech: Where the,” 2014).  What can we derive from these statistics?  Are blacks and Hispanics not pursuing tech jobs?  How is it possible that only 13% of Googles workforce is represented by women?  This disparity has seemed to be a wakeup call for organizations as they begin to be put under the microscope.  Facebook has not fared any better to represent minorities and women.  Guynn (2014) wrote “The lopsided numbers are just the latest from a major Silicon Valley company to paint a stark picture of an industry sector dominated by white men and are sure to escalate an already heated debate over the lack of diversity in the tech industry” (para. 2).  With all of the recent attention on these two companies, it will be interesting to see what stance they take on affirmative action.  Obviously with the amount of scrutiny both organizations are under I imagine that they are beginning to feel pressure from outside of their organizations to be more equally represented.  What moral implications do Google and Facebook face if they continue on with their current hiring trends?  Is it ethical for others to pressure these companies to hire more minorities and women simply because they are not represented?  It can be argued that maybe these classes are not as qualified to work in these positions.

In my opinion there should not be affirmative action.  If you are underqualified and undereducated then you should not be given something simply because of the color of your skin or your gender.  For example is it stereotypical to say that Asians are more inclined to be efficient in technological jobs or does the data support that more Asian pursue these fields?  I do not hear an outcry from NHL fans for more black players to play.  Is it because the NHL is against minorities or is it because not enough African Americans play hockey?  If you look at the active starting NBA rosters how many white player do you find?  Not many.  It is not because there are not enough good white players, it just so happens that the majority of really talented basketball players happen to be black.  Is there an outcry or call for support for more white players to play in the NBA?  Not the last time I checked.  I think that organizations would be immoral to exclude certain groups of races or gender.  However if they are simply hiring the most talented individuals then I cannot fault them for that.

Affirmative action. (2015). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/affirmative action?s=t

  

Discrimination. (2015). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discrimination

Guynn, J. (2014). Status update: Facebook not so diverse. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/25/facebook-diversity/11369019/

LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Weise, E. (2014). Tech: Where the women and minorities aren't. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/05/29/silicon-valley-tech-diversity-hiring-women-minorities/9735713/