OF ETHICS...

And suddenly in a span of two days, the sound of ethicism seems to be reverberating loud. It started with Tiger woods, then Rocket singh and then Satyam (Its been a year since the Scandal today). Each of these entities has a different story to tell but all boil down to the fact that if you do wrong, you shall not be spared.


It can be pretty confusing at times. To be ethical and be right always can be nightmare in today's world. Its like, walking not only on a tight rope but also walking on it hundred feet above ground level.The question:Should there be a choice at all between being ethical and not?

Just take the case of Tiger Woods. One of the best in his field. To be honest, his face looks like the epitome of innocence and somewhere he does seem to be a good guy. Accenture banked on his personality and have come up with some real good advertising and promotional strategies. Then disaster strikes.It turns out that Tiger isnt really that innocent and Accenture not really that sparing. The question:Is it easy to say that "with great power comes great reponsibility" when you really dont know what it takes to be a celebrity and handle it? There is no doubt that what Tiger did was wrong because mind you, kids in America take up golf soon and they looked upto him and so does the rest of the world. But what about media? Is there respect for a Human's privacy? God save the media and their heartless souls.

I saw Rocket Singh day before. The emphasis ws on doing business with ethics. It was about values and thinking from the heart. It was about thinking first for the people and then about making money. The movie showed in the end that righteousness prevails over everything else like all movies do. Yet, the question remains about sustenance of the value system. The movie ended with a positive beginning for the Rocket Corporation. But the real test is to continue in the right way. The question is :What happens when money and fame start pouring in? Will a company or an individual be able to handle the pressures of governance? Will a company or an individual be able to handle greed or will they succumb to the normal ways of life?

Satyam was a great company to work. I have worked there and I owe a lot to the company. Unlike many IT companies, it managed to show me a very positive side of IT. The result is that today I know that I want to stick to this industry. It showed me a direction. Yet, today it has failed because someone somewhere believed that money was way more important than doing the right thing.

In the end it is a choice and the choice is a tough one. It pays to be right but you pay the price for being wrong. No man's a saint and mistakes are made but at that one instant when you have to make a tough choice and you sense hesitation within you, say NO. It shall pay in the long run.