July 29, 2010
Somewhat Amusing Ethical Anecdotes
Editor’s Note: A few months back, I purchased a book of business anecdotes,1 believing it would be filled with edifying stories of relevance to the Spitzer Center’s mission. I was wrong. It was pleasant reading, but few of the entries touched upon issues like ethics, higher purpose, faith, happiness, etc. I thought it best to save the few that did for the dog days of August, and those days have arrived. This article’s modest headline was inspired by one of the anecdotes that follow. – John Keenan
The Perils of Bribery
In the nineteenth century, the bread dealers of Lyons, France, tried to raise the price of bread beyond the regulated tariff. They thought they could prevail on M. Dugas, the provost of merchants in that city, to befriend them at the expense of the public. M. Dugas told the delegation that he would examine their petition and give them an early answer. The bankers then retired, having first left on the table a fat purse of 200 louis d’or [gold coins], intended as a private inducement for the provost. In a few days, the bakers called upon the magistrate for an answer, and M. Dugas addressed them:
“I have weighed your reasons in the balance of justice, and I find them light. I do not think the people ought to suffer under a pretense of the dearness of corn, which I know to be unfounded; and as to the purse of money left with me, I am sure I have made such a generous and noble use of it, as you yourself intended: I have distributed it among the poor in our two hospitals. As you are opulent enough to make such large donations, I cannot possibly think you are incurring any losses in your business; and I shall, therefore, continue the price of bread as it was before I received your petition.”
How to Deal With Level 2 People at a Dinner Party
Society columnist Igor Cassini once asked financier and statesman Bernard Baruch (right) how he arranged the seating at his dinner tables so as not to offend any of the numerous notables. “I never bothered about that,” Baruch replied. “Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.”
Truth in Advertising
John Wanamaker, who practically invented the modern department store, was also the first to run full-page advertisements. His motto: “The customer is always right” – which is still a byword in American business as much as in the breach as in its observance – was matched by equally high standards of advertising. One of Wanamaker’s advertising men was so scrupulous that he could only write copy when he was convinced of its absolute truth. One day, the men’s clothing department wanted to advertise a sale of neckties reduced from a dollar to only 25 cents. The ad man inspected the ties personally and asked the buyer, “Are they any good?”
“No, they’re not,” came the honest reply.
The ad man scratched his head and went to work. After wrestling with his conscience, he came up with the following copy: “THEY ARE NOT AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK, BUT THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH AT 25 CENTS.” The demand was so great that Wanamaker’s had to buy several more weeks’ supply of cheap ties.
Yet Another Advantage of Seeing the Best in People
British writer Arnold Bennett often heard his publisher boast about his secretary’s remarkable efficiency. Bennett was working on a book about how people could become more productive, and, on a visit to the publisher’s office, he asked the secretary for the secret of her efficiency.
“It’s not my secret,” she replied, “it’s his. Every time I do any job, no matter how insignificant, he praises me so extravagantly that I feel that I must live up to it.”
Test
Fr. Robert Spitzer on the Priestly Vocation from John A. Keenan on Vimeo.
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1. The Book of Business Anecdotes. Copyright 1988 by Peter Hay. 1993 edition published by Wing Books, distributed by Outlet Book Company, Inc., a Random House Company.
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Last changed: May 18 2010 at 3:00 PM