EXERCISE: A Potential Topic...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 20:52:00 -0400

One of the news channels had survey results on recently.  Roughly, they indicated that 83% of the American public believe that corruption is rampant among CEOs.  However, 48% believe that upper management in most corporations is honest and ethical.  And rounding out the picture, 87% believe that upper management in their corporation is honest and ethical.

You see the oddness?  CEOs are widely known to be corrupt.  However, most honchos are honest and ethical.  And as for my company, well, of course we don't participate in that kind of shenanigans.

(Just like 80% of us are above average, right?)

The commentator could not resist noting that there appears to be some cognitive dissonance here (I wonder if he really knows what that term means?)

In any case, it appears that a relatively simple story of today might revolve around a working slob (oops, this is going to be our hero -- make that a fine upstanding professional?) who comes to find out that the boss (or the Top Brass?) aren't quite as honest as he thought they were.

Or, of course, you could break the pattern, and find out that they really are honest and ethical, despite the pressures (izzat why they get paid the big bucks?)

Anyway, consider a tale of corporate life, and whether tis nobler to make a buck or to keep one's ethics!

and don't forget to write.