{"id":21089,"date":"2024-01-29T11:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/?p=21089"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:00:39","slug":"the-charm-of-ethics-from-fashion-to-real-change-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2024\/01\/29\/the-charm-of-ethics-from-fashion-to-real-change-factor\/","title":{"rendered":"The charm of ethics: from fashion to real change factor"},"content":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Alice Alessandri\u00a0<\/span><\/a>and\u00a0Alberto Aleo<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

For some time now, advertisements<\/b>, company mission statements<\/b>, <\/b>and marketing <\/b>and communication <\/b>strategies in general are going through a process of \u201cwhitewashing<\/b>\u201d <\/b>and are focusing on spreading an \u201cethical<\/b>\u201d message. Examples from companies such as Heineken, Adidas<\/i>, and Momondo<\/i><\/a> show that ethics and morals have now become a \u201cfashion\u201d<\/i> because these qualities help them gain visibility. Is this good news? For a few \u201cfundamentalists<\/i>\u201d, it isn\u2019t. Both purists who take values very seriously and feel this trend is trivializing and corrupting ethical principles<\/b>, and greedy profit lovers, who conversely feel that all of this is a \u201c<\/b>distraction<\/i>\u201d from the<\/b> true objectives of business<\/b>, have expressed their discontent. Therefore, here is our opinion on the increasingly common trend of adding the word \u201cethical\u201d <\/i>to business<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfounded concerns<\/span><\/h2>\n

First of all, we want to reassure the extremists: ethics <\/b>and profit <\/b>are not conflicting objectives!<\/span> Promoting the former does not mean sacrificing the latter and vice versa.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thinking of business as a zero-sum game is a prejudice belonging to those who don\u2019t really understand the workings and purposes of markets.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\"libro<\/span><\/p>\n

Research such as the ones carried out by Prof. Raj Sisodia<\/a> prove that nowadays companies get the best results <\/b>when adopting business models based on ethical principles<\/b>. In other words, their sole concern isn\u2019t profit, but instead they try to create value for all stakeholders<\/b>: customers, employees, suppliers. Need a few examples? <\/i>Whole Foods, New Balance, UPS, and Distillerie Branca. We\u2019ve said it before: economics is a social science, and its objective is to generate wealth on all levels<\/span>. It is only by pursuing \u201ceconomic\u201d objectives in their entirety <\/b>that an organisation can achieve full returns, including in terms of profit.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no such thing as bad publicity<\/span><\/h2>\n

If discussing ethics isn\u2019t detrimental to profit, but instead helps generate it, would widespread implementation of ethical business models <\/b>make virtuous companies become indistinguishable from ones who are just jumping on the bandwagon? It certainly is a risk, but as Nicol\u00f2 Branca<\/a> confirms \u201cit\u2019s better to be ethical to follow a trend than to not be ethical at all\u201d<\/i>. Once the sense of novelty wears off, consumers will develop the ability to really understand who is ethical<\/b>, and even the companies that have adopted this \u201cstyle<\/i>\u201d to embellish their offer, sooner or later will be challenged to show their real nature<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We at Passodue can proudly state that we were among the first in Italy to raise awareness on these topics<\/span>, and for a long time we\u2019ve almost been the only ones to offer ethical sales courses (moreover, these days, the second edition of our book \u201cSales Ethics<\/a>\u201d<\/b> was published, with new case studies and techniques). Now, many of our colleagues and competitors have started offering similar services, and we are happy about it because this interest will broaden the market, allowing clients to access more information, which in turn allows them to recognise real training offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

From storytelling to storymaking<\/span><\/h2>\n

So, how can we recognise businesses that are really ethical?<\/span> The word ethics<\/i> comes from the Greek word ethos<\/i> that means \u201cbehaviour\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ethics deals with actions, not intentions<\/strong>, and you can\u2019t be ethical in theory!<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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To evaluate how ethical a company is, you need to observe their behaviour<\/b>, not their commercials<\/b>. The most significant behaviours are those that act \u201cat the base\u201d of the value chain, i.e., at the human scale<\/b><\/span>. In other words, the way people are treated, regardless of them being employees<\/b>, customers<\/b>, or suppliers<\/b>. Has your company built a hospital in Mozambique but pays invoices late? You\u2019re not ethical! Do you say you want to take care of your customers but pester them with telemarketing on a Sunday morning? We\u2019re sorry to say that you\u2019re also part of a category that is telling an inconsistent story<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many companies are very good at making use of what we nowadays call \u201cstorytelling\u201d<\/i>, by whitewashing their marketing and communication strategies and stuffing them with emotion, but they later forget that people would also like to experience that same amazing story and that a simple out of place detail can \u201cunmask\u201d their inconsistencies. More than beautiful stories, we need to constantly work on behaving well <\/b>with others, which is why we should be talking about \u201cstorymaking<\/i>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"etica<\/span><\/p>\n

Some advice on consistency<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here is some practical advice to improve your business <\/b><\/span>and to ensure that what you do is really ethical, regardless of official statements of intent.<\/span><\/p>\n