The Bottom Line On Integrity - Softcover

McKay, Quinn G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1586853805 ISBN 13: 9781586853808

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 2004

Synopsis

A successful corporate consultant and motivational speaker outlines twelve ethical principles that will ultimately help the bottom line, while discussing the conflicts that often arise between personal and business ethics.

About this title

About the Author

Quinn McKay is a former professor at Brigham Young University and is a frequent motivational speaker. He lives in Utah with his family.

From the Back Cover

What should my business do when being loyal and being honest are at odds?
Is lying sometimes the right thing to do?
How should my company resolve conflicts of principles?
What are the essential skills for personal integrity?
Is it possible to live by two ethical standards?
Is it really possible to live the golden rule in a competitive world?
The Bottom Line on Integrity offers 12 keys to help you recognize situations where you must protect your company's integrity, and helps solve the dilemma many of us encounter when our personal and business ethics conflict.

From the Inside Flap

$18.95Integrity is the new old-fashioned buzzword; everyone knows their business has it and the competition doesn't. But what really makes the difference between your caliber of excellence and theirs? The Bottom Line on Integrity gives you 12 keys to show you the difference.Serious businesspeople know that in the competitive world, its not only profitability that takes creativity and focus; serious businesspeople always have their eye on their company's reputation, too.Through numerous case studies, current examples, and probing questions that examine common business practices, the author empowers you to provide strategies and solutions for generating discussion and defining the standard of integrity in your company, and start applying them today. McKay's real-life stories throughout the book, earned through years of experience working with some of the world's largest corporations, illustrate some of the dilemmas-and solutions-companies of excellence and integrity have encountered. The conversational style of The Bottom Line on Integrity makes this thorough, thought-provoking book an on-target read for both the manager and MBA student. Quinn McKay has a Masters and Doctorate of Business Administration from Harvard University. He has consulted and conducted leadership coaching with such companies as AT&T, KPMG International, General Electric, General Motors, Boeing, Campbell's Soup, Safeway Stores, U.S. Steel, State Farm Insurance, and several federal government agencies. He has also taught classes, chaired departments, or been dean at Texas Christian University; University of Utah; University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria; Brigham Young University, Utah; University of Rangoon, Burma; and Weber State College, Utah. He currently teaches business at the University of Utah.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Key #13: Acknowledge Conflict of the Golden Rule in a Competitive World.

"Just live the Golden Rule" is a declaration so frequently spoken by managers and others as the simple solution to any ethical problem, that it is worthy of closer scrutiny as a useful guide in our search for integrity. For many, the Golden Rule has stood for mellenia as the ultimate indicator of appropriate behavior when interacting with other people. The question is "How useful is the Golden Rule as a governor of behavior in the competitive world of business?"

Ted Rockwell, an acquaintance of mine, was still just in his fifties when he retired from his very successful career in real estate develop in a major west coast metropolitan area. During his career he took an active part as a leader in community and religious organizations. In fact, shortly after his early retirement he enrolled for a year of study at the Harvard Divinity School to pursue his interest in religion and moral philosophy.

When he talked with me he seemed pleased with how moral he had been in conducting his business in a world where behavior has sometimes been questioned. To enlighten me on how he worked in the business world, he shared the following example.

Said Mr. Rockwell, "I find out about a piece of land a farmer wants to sell in a developing area. After I do my home work I calculate I could pay the farmer $30,000 an acre and still make a profit. Instead of offering him that amount I approach him with, "How much do you figure you need for that land?"

"The farmer hesitatingly replies, "Well I figure I need at least $20,000 per acre! Now I am aware he is not as well acquainted with real estate values as I am. Never-the-less I agree to $20,000 and we make a deal. He is happy and I am very pleased. It is the way business works." Does my friend live the Golden Rule? Is he being fair to the farmer? Is he an honest man? Is Ted a man of integrity?

Edition details

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1586853805
• ISBN 13: 9781586853808
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 173