Working Wounded Blog: Unpatriotic Companies

Sept. 13, 2006 — -- With the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Monday, I started thinking about patriotism. In my lifetime, I can't remember another time where I felt that more people shared a common purpose than in the days just after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Now, five years later, I can't help but compare how that patriotism, or lack thereof, has played out in the business world.

Despite all the awful consequences of that day, the aftermath of Sept. 11 produced a sense of togetherness that the country hadn't experienced in decades. Of course, my heart goes out to the people who lost a loved one or who were injured in the attacks. I'm not saying that the loss of life and injuries were worth the increased sense of community -- I'm just observing the very, very small silver lining that went along with those dark days.

As I was reflecting on the fifth anniversary and patriotism, as a business writer, I started to think about the role played by corporations and, for that matter, the role that entire industries play in the community. Should corporations and industries subscribe to the famous quote, "What's good for General Motors is good for the country." Or do they have a responsibility to the people and country that make their success possible?

This raised a hornet's nest of issues. But instead of trying to delve into the complexity of what is patriotic at work, why not just grab the low-hanging fruit that was right in front of my face? Difficult as it may be to identify outstanding, or even appropriate behavior, it is easy to spot the black hats. Welcome to my first edition of the "Upside Down Flag Awards."

I'm going to talk about companies and industries that, in my opinion, are the most unpatriotic, irresponsible and generally embarrassing. This list is intensely personal. But even if you don't agree with what I write, I hope it serves as a catalyst to get you thinking about the role corporations and industries could play in the community.

Should corporations do everything in the name of shareholders, or do they have more stakeholders to consider -- like their employees, customers and community? Should corporations always maximize profits, or are there times when a bigger picture needs to be considered? Ideally, there should probably be a balance of both. That's why it's frustrating to see so many companies today that apparently give no thought their community contribution.

Without further delay, let's get to the awards.

The third runner-up for the Upside Down Flag Award: Wal-Mart

There are a number of industries that don't hire as many employees as the behemoth from Arkansas. I hope you are saving a lot of money by shopping at Wal-Mart because all of us are paying for the health care and food stamps of many of their employees.

The second runner-up: Pharmaceutical companies

Recently I picked up a prescription at the pharmacy. I was girding for a $300 charge. Imagine my surprise when the cost for one bottle of pills was $976. I went online and got the same exact prescription from a Canadian pharmacy for $300. I'm starting to wonder if medicine is too darn important to leave in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry.

The first runner-up -- prepared to take over in the unlikely event that the winning industry suddenly starts acting responsibly: The automobile industry

From ripping up the streetcars in Los Angeles to destroying the electric car, the auto industry has a long track record of being on the side of promoting its own interests, even at the expense of lives, clean air, etc. This is a tough one for me, because I grew up the son of an auto dealer, but irresponsibility is irresponsibility.

Now, could we hear a drum roll for the most unpatriotic industry in the United States today?

And the "winner" is… Who else but the oil industry?

Sure it's getting huge profits. And huge tax breaks. So what are oil companies doing with their windfall? They're paying executives huge salaries and wielding great profits for stockholders. Unfortunately, what they don't seem to be doing with all this cash is maintaining their pipelines, investing in more refining capacity or doing anything to reduce greenhouse gases. A windfall is a terrible thing to waste, and for that reason, the oil industry is the first winner of the Upside Down Flag Award.

Quote of the Week

"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work." -- Peter Drucker

Book Excerpt of the Week

"Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik (Random House, 2001):

"Hostage taking of this kind has become more or less routine here, kidnapping the boss being to the French economic crisis what firing the employees is to the American one. Over the past few years, a number of French bosses, including some at Moet et Chandon, have been held hostage. There's actually a nice word for telling the patron to go to his room and stay there. He is merely being "sequestered," which, as euphemisms go, seems a fair trade for the Anglo-Saxon downsizing."

Blog Ballot Results

Here are the results from a recent Working Wounded Blog/ABCNEWS.com online ballot:

How would you describe firing people by e-mail?

   It is wrong, 92.8 percent

   It is the way of the future, 7.2 percent

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, an internationally syndicated columnist, popular speaker, and a recent addition to the community of bloggers. He welcomes your comments at bob@workingwounded.com.

This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.