May 15th: Pass on Gas

[GasSavers_Ryland]

Here's an idea, pick a country at random and figure out how much gas is there and next time you buy gas put the amount you save by living here in your bank account...
every time the price of gas goes up, it makes me smile, they are doing what a buissness is ment to do, making money, oil compenys are not running a charity, they didn't go in to the industry out of the kindness of their hearts, if they don't do everything they can to make a profit then they are violating the first law of buissness, "make as much money as possible for your share holders" if you don't do that as a buissness you have failed.

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by Ryland

they are doing what a buissness is ment to do, making money, oil compenys are not running a charity, they didn't go in to the industry out of the kindness of their hearts, if they don't do everything they can to make a profit then they are violating the first law of buissness, "make as much money as possible for your share holders" if you don't do that as a buissness you have failed.

That's one theory about how business should work. But it's a theory that has some real problems for ethics, society, and even for the long term health of the company itself.

I agree that businesses aren't in it for charity (unless the business is a charity or a not-for-profit), but neither do they need to try to make the biggest profit at any costs. Just look at the history of Enron (even the technically legal stunts they did), to see where "profits at any cost" lead.

Business is (or at least should be) always a balancing act between making profits and keeping your ethics. And good ethics (not to mention avoiding "ticking off your customers") can also be good for the long term health of the company (just look at how well Google is doing, in part due to the fact that they apparently do draw a line as to how far they will go). But it's not just about "profits at any cost". Profits yes (and there is nothing wrong with a business making profits). But profits at any cost, no.