Corporation processes and training.

[janneppi]

I spent three hours today doing web based training and tests on subjects like ethics, , cartel issues etc. Now I can/have to put up the certificates of those trainings to my cubicle wall. :D

I know they have to be done because that way the company can limit any damage towards itself, since I now know I'm doing something against their corporative guidelines(if and when I bribe some Syrian chemical warfare salesman to hike up the price some biological agents).

But do they really expect people to remember all those rules and regulations?

Rant over. :)

[ioan]

As you say they cover their behinds, so it's in your interest to remember that stuff from now, unless you want to be the loser in any situation.

Anyway, I would be more concerned about the part with having a cubicle.

[BDunnell]

I spent three hours today doing web based training and tests on subjects like ethics, , cartel issues etc. Now I can/have to put up the certificates of those trainings to my cubicle wall. :D

I know they have to be done because that way the company can limit any damage towards itself, since I now know I'm doing something against their corporative guidelines(if and when I bribe some Syrian chemical warfare salesman to hike up the price some biological agents).

But do they really expect people to remember all those rules and regulations?

Sadly, the assumption is that everyone nowadays is a potentially litigious moron. This is a sad fact of modern life.

[BDunnell]

As you say they cover their behinds, so it's in your interest to remember that stuff from now, unless you want to be the loser in any situation.

What I find most offensive is when the organisation enforcing such nonsense says they are doing so 'for your own safety'. This is a lie. They are doing it to protect no-one but themselves. I generally believe I know how to go about protecting myself.

[anthonyvop]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.


It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.

[Eki]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.


It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.
At least we agree on the bolded parts.

[BDunnell]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.


It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.

No. What you mean is that people holding your existing opinion will be happy to have in some way won the argument.

Your comments actually have much truth in them, though I would prefer that the end result is people recognising that the unpleasant, cold, hard-nosed aspects of business are not to be blindly respected, and that therefore they replace any such respect they may have with deep cynicism.

[ioan]

What I find most offensive is when the organisation enforcing such nonsense says they are doing so 'for your own safety'. This is a lie. They are doing it to protect no-one but themselves. I generally believe I know how to go about protecting myself.

Yep, the funny part is that usually you can't do any training before doing the safety training.
The worse part is that there is nothing you can do unless you decide to resign and search for another job, where the story will repeat itself, until one lands a job in the administration or starts his/her own business.

[ioan]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.


It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.

Agree with all but the last line.

The world would be better the day when small business will dominate, but how can one achieve this without a huge change that many do not want?

[BDunnell]

Yep, the funny part is that usually you can't do any training before doing the safety training.
The worse part is that there is nothing you can do unless you decide to resign and search for another job, where the story will repeat itself, until one lands a job in the administration or starts his/her own business.

And it's all happening in spite of the fact that such things are rarely stipulated in law.

[Eki]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.


It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.
Can you explain us why money exists and why it's important to make it?

Is it to pollute the planet, worsen the economy and reduce jobs?

[BDunnell]

I like the fact that anthonyvop, presumably as a result of a typo, has stated that businesses exist in part 'for Social Causes'. As he has said this, it must be gospel. No going back on it now, Tony!

[anthonyvop]

No. What you mean is that people holding your existing opinion will be happy to have in some way won the argument.


They have won the argument. You just won't accept it.

[anthonyvop]

Agree with all but the last line.

The world would be better the day when small business will dominate, but how can one achieve this without a huge change that many do not want?

How would the world be a better place without the major breakthroughs in Medicine, Drugs, Food & Livestock production, Telecommunications, Computers, Information dispersal....etc?

[Rollo]

I have said it before and I will say it again for those of you who just don't get it..

Businesses exist for one thing and one thing only.

It isn't to provide jobs
It isn't to improve the economy
It is for Social Causes
It isn't to clean up the planet.
It is TO MAKE MONEY!!!

Exactly.


Once you accept it the world will be a much better, safer, healthier and happier place.

Bhopal, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Seveso, Deepwater Horizon, and the Exxon Valdeez all prove your point too.

[BDunnell]

They have won the argument. You just won't accept it.

Re-read my post. Then answer all the other questions posed to you in an adult manner (though another amusing, contradictory typo would be welcome).

[BDunnell]

Bhopal, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Seveso, Deepwater Horizon, and the Exxon Valdeez all prove your point too.

Indeed. I suspect this point will either be ignored by our resident DEFENDER OF FREEDOM, or answered in such a way as suggests that these were all perfectly acceptable in the name of PROFITS and PROGRESS.

[ioan]

How would the world be a better place without the major breakthroughs in Medicine, Drugs, Food & Livestock production, Telecommunications, Computers, Information dispersal....etc?

Who said that all that should not exist?
I only say that corporations have to disappear.

[BDunnell]

Who said that all that should not exist?
I only say that corporations have to disappear.

I wouldn't even go that far. I believe they should change their ways in certain respects, but not disappear.

[ioan]

I wouldn't even go that far. I believe they should change their ways in certain respects, but not disappear.

Nah, they have to disappear. This kind of too big to fail, or to big to be regulated stuff is bad for everyone but those at the top of the pyramid. Countries are directed by corporations and their financial strategies and interests. This is very bad.

[BDunnell]

Nah, they have to disappear. This kind of too big to fail, or to big to be regulated stuff is bad for everyone but those at the top of the pyramid. Countries are directed by corporations and their financial strategies and interests. This is very bad.

I agree it is bad, but I feel expectations of how to change things need to be kept realistic.

Anyway, I can't help the discussion here is drifting towards the subject matter of another existing thread.

[anthonyvop]

Exactly.



Bhopal, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Seveso, Deepwater Horizon, and the Exxon Valdeez all prove your point too.

I can go on and on about how the Owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were exonerated of all blame or that the Exxon Valdez was the fault of a single drunk sailor. The fact the Union Carbide execs escaped serious punishment because of a Corrupt Indian Judicial/Government system. And the Seveso incident has not shown to have caused any rise in cancers...............
I can also point out as Corporations are run by people and some people do bad things there will always be some corporations that will do some bad things. Advanced countries have a judiciary that fairly tries those that are guilty and punishes them as their society sees fit.

But that is besides the point

For every one of those tragedies that you list there are hundreds of MILLIONS of people who live longer, happier and healthier lives because of big corporations.

Monsanto, Dow and Pfizer have saved more people and extended more lives in one month than the UN, The United Way, Feed the Children, Bob Geldoff and all religions combined throughout history.

[Dave B]

I wouldn't even go that far. I believe they should change their ways in certain respects, but not disappear.

I agree. There's nothing wrong per se with large corporations provided that they recognise their obligation to behave in a responsible manner. When they use their size to flout laws, destroy competition, evade tax, or to buy political influence they lose* any respect.

A small business which delivers good service and behaves ethically has every right to strive to become a large corporation, generating wealth and tax revenue in the process. To stifle the free market would be a massive backwards step.

(*or "loose", as the majority of the internet seems to spell it these days :s )

[janneppi]

Sadly, the assumption is that everyone nowadays is a potentially litigious moron. This is a sad fact of modern life.
A fine example of this the company I did some work for, it belongs to a large US based group and I kid you not, there are instructions to how to walk on the stairs. :D The same thing is seen in most of their processes.

[donKey jote]

We not only have instructions, but "Anweisungen" :eek: :arrows: :p
:dozey:

[Gregor-y]

That reminds me I need to complete the twice yearly training exam from our 'Office of Institutional Compliance' before the end of the year.

[BDunnell]

I can also point out as Corporations are run by people and some people do bad things there will always be some corporations that will do some bad things.

The same is also true of governments and all public sector bodies.

[Alexamateo]

I ship product for a living. Trucks are tight and my regular people are booked and I cannot get a flatbed for a load I need moved.

Anyway, out of the blue a truck broker calls looking for new business, "Great I've got a load, Can you help?" He goes to work, calls me back an hour later with a flatbed who has nursery tarps, 2 hours away from my pickup, he quotes me a price I find agreeable and I say let's do it.

He sends me a customer set-up and credit app, which I send back, but explain that I cannot get the application signed until tomorrow at the earliest because my partner (the man with the money) is unavailable. It's ok though because I have complete autonomy over buying and selling and can pay for it in advance with a credit card and can even pay the credit card premium if necessary.

He can't do it because they don't have a signed credit app.

I asked him for what reason that was necessary if I was paying for it. He said he argued with his corporate office for 30 minutes and the only reason they said was that it was against policy, but no one could give him a reason or explaination for the policy. :angryfire

Well, we lost the truck. I called my customer, who is cool with it. He wanted items in by the 20th so he could include it in this month's draw, so if it's not coming he just needs it before December 20, and that won't be a problem, I'll just book one of my regular guys to haul it.

Mindless adherence to policy cost them business, and potentially a new customer. Unreal.

[donKey jote]

We had to send some urgent documents to Portugal the other day. We usually use a particular courier (one of those big three-letter international ones) for day-to-day stuff, and have forms pre-filled with our company data -customer number and the likes.
... but they wanted something like 1200€ :crazy: .

Our guy asks around and finds one of the other one big three-letter international couriers only wants 90€ !!!
... but then spends the next couple of hours trying to convince them that although he has no financial power (actually, he is an intern :p ), our company (fairly big name with ~150000 employees ww, and certainly very well known in Germany) usually pays upon receipt of goods only, and yes he really does work for who he says he does, and to send the invoice to our address (which includes the company name 3 times, even in the street name ! )...

End of story? He ends up paying cash up front to the delivery man inside our proving ground boundaries.
The big brown courier got what it wanted but lost out on the chance to replace it's competitor's pre-filled forms for the time being :dozey:

... Unless that large price difference wasn't a one off of course ;) :p

[Gregor-y]

You need to set up a corporate account with the cheap shipper as well. Or pay the intern €1200 to drive it over himself. That looks like a 1 day drive, even having to pass around Madrid.

[donKey jote]

You need to set up a corporate account with the cheap shipper as well. Or pay the intern €1200 to drive it over himself. That looks like a 1 day drive, even having to pass around Madrid.

To be honest, I guess according to our company processes the only people allowed to set up corporate accounts with ANY supplier are our Einkauf (purchasing) people anyway. Otherwise you may fall foul of the Konzernrevision Anti-corruption inquisition :p

1200€ is about what it usually costs to send a truckload of tires to somewhere in Portugal :crazy: ... pay the intern? he gets paid enough already :p

[DexDexter]

A fine example of this the company I did some work for, it belongs to a large US based group and I kid you not, there are instructions to how to walk on the stairs. :D The same thing is seen in most of their processes.

That's just an American thing. Go to a tourist attraction in New York and there are about a dozen people pointing you the right direction in every corner and that's their only job. Or if someone pronounces an English word in a way that is slightly different from the norm on TV, subtitles are put in place to make sure that everyone (even the deaf one) understands it.

[ioan]

We had to send some urgent documents to Portugal the other day. We usually use a particular courier (one of those big three-letter international ones) for day-to-day stuff, and have forms pre-filled with our company data -customer number and the likes.
... but they wanted something like 1200€ :crazy: .

Our guy asks around and finds one of the other one big three-letter international couriers only wants 90€ !!!
... but then spends the next couple of hours trying to convince them that although he has no financial power (actually, he is an intern :p ), our company (fairly big name with ~150000 employees ww, and certainly very well known in Germany) usually pays upon receipt of goods only, and yes he really does work for who he says he does, and to send the invoice to our address (which includes the company name 3 times, even in the street name ! )...

End of story? He ends up paying cash up front to the delivery man inside our proving ground boundaries.
The big brown courier got what it wanted but lost out on the chance to replace it's competitor's pre-filled forms for the time being :dozey:

... Unless that large price difference wasn't a one off of course ;) :p

Next time use email. It's free.

[donKey jote]

Most Customs offices like proper rubber stamps and original signatures on their papers ;) :p

I thought I'd heard the last of it but no:
the stoopid brown company probably ticked the wrong box declaring the "packet" as an "item" rather than "documents" so we also had to send a pro-forma invoice for the value of the contents :crazy: :dozey:

oh and it wasn't Portugal it was the Canary Islands, maybe that's why they're all so funny about everything :p