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How will your company answer the President’s call?
By Lauren | January 21, 2009
Yesterday, President Barack Obama broke through barriers erected over more than two centuries of racism to become the first U.S. President of African-American heritage … and then proceeded to say very little about it. President Obama certainly would have been within his rights to focus his inaugural address on this stunning achievement, and people of good will would have celebrated with him regardless of their politics. But apart from one brief reference to himself as the son of a man who, less than sixty years ago, might not have been served at a local restaurant, President Obama spend not one moment in self-congratulation.
Instead, the President called Americans from all walks of life to join him in remaking America in a new “era of responsibility.” Acknowledging the tremendous challenges his Administration will face - wars on two fronts, a crippled economy, out-of-control health costs, an education system and national infrastructure badly in need of renovation, and energy policies that “strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet” - President Obama asked the American people to return to the fundamental principles of honesty and hard work that made the United States a world leader in the first place.
Can American businesses do any less?
As the President stated, our economy was weakened in part by greed and irresponsibility. American businesses can help strengthen the economy by voluntarily shoring up their own ethical practices, and by putting long-term viability ahead of short-term profits. President Obama argues that our national prosperity cannot last if we favor only the prosperous - American companies can examine their employment practices and ensure that their employees receive equal opportunity and fair wages for honest work. And, as the Administration works to build a new “foundation for growth” in the form of roads, bridges, electric grids, digital lines, alternative energy systems and a revitalized educational system, American businesses can take this opportunity to invest appropriately in their own infrastructure, research, and employee development.
Tremendous challenges lie ahead of the Obama Administration and the American people, but with them come tremendous opportunities. Regardless of your politics, this is a great time for American companies to step up, pitch in, and enjoy the resulting benefits.
Topics: Business Ethics, Social Ethics, corporate responsibility, ethics |
February 1st, 2009 at 10:37 pm
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