Author Claims the Ethical Path Leads to Higher Profits

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Can a company to be both ethical and profitable? Shel Horowitz, award-winning author of Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, says it's not only possible--it's actually easier. "Ethics, integrity, and quality are far more important than quick profits," Horowitz says, "And unscrupulous behavior today almost always means fewer opportunities down the road.

Although this might sound counter-intuitive, Horowitz' book outlines exactly how ethics ultimately creates larger profits, and how competitors can actually become allies. "For most businesses, scrabbling for market share is not only irrelevant, but harmful," he explains. When a company achieves a sustainable customer base, there's no need to grapple with competitors for an additional percentage--especially when greater market share for someone else can mean a larger overall market.

"When competitors become allies, they become resources, too," Horowitz continues. "Co-operative, ethical business practices are less costly and more profitable than cutthroat isolationist tactics." And, he argues, ethical corporate behavior cerates new opportunities.

Horowitz cites concrete examples. "The real world is full of large, well-known organizations that thrive by doing the right thing," Horowitz observes, pointing at Johnson & Johnson. When seven people died after consuming poisoned extra-strength Tylenol in 1982, J&J recalled all Tylenol products. While the cost was enormous, the respect and confidence the company gained was incalculable, and the rebound was remarkably speedy.

Horowitz has taken his belief in ethics to a new level--starting an international Business Ethics Pledge campaign to make future Enron scandals impossible. Within six months, he already had signers around the world.

To participate in the Pledge, learn more about Horowitz's Apex Award-winning book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, or subscribe to his free on-line newsletter Positive Power of Principled Profit, please visit .

Jeff Wiles is a creative writing major at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.