Business ethics (by Valerie Rozova)

We all know that if you want to understand someone, who he is, what are his principles, you should put him into trouble. When we are in trouble our instincts and natural mechanisms overlap and dominate our rational thinking. So let’s have a look into real recently appeared business ethics. As a business owner I always promote the idea of choosing customers. It’s totally clear that you create business partially because you need an opportunity to choose for whom you create products. You choose based on money, intellectual abilities, anything that would somehow characterise a person. If I tell you about any business that choose customers based on how they look like, what do they wear, what colour of skin they have, what god they trust in, I’m pretty sure you won’t like that. That is exactly what’s happening to Russian consumers nowadays. People are judged based on their nationality, nothing else matters. It’s publicly communicated as a ‘ban on Russia’, but I believe business owners are not donkeys and they clearly understand that it is a ban on the Russian consumer first of all. There are some valid reasons to stop business in Russia, that I can explain to myself: for instance, it’s difficult to manage logistics. Obviously due to closed airspace, it can be true and fairly relevant. Or, somehow you stop investing into innovations, because economic situation is so unstable that investments become risky. Maybe you have troubles with finance due to all these regulations. However this problem doesn’t seem to be rocket-science to solve. Finally, you cut out some product features to a particular group of people who impose risk on the business or people. The rest is just unethical sabotage. And the problem is not about rich Russians not buying new Balenciaga collection, but the fact that many of my friends designers, developers, business owners have to lose tools and money right now. What is the message of these businesses? Let me guess it:

1. Adobe “want to work — immigrate”, or for Nintendo “wanna play — immigrate”. Or maybe “go fight your government”. We’ll, it’s my free choice and I shouldn’t be pushed.
2. Maybe it’s the message to all other consumers in different countries “if your government is doing things wrong, we’ll cut you out”. Can these businesses really be trusted by consumers?
3. Or “we are against violence”. So in return we’ll violate Russian citizens. No physical power, but we will push hard on their mental health and their access to work tools, so they will suffer too.

Inconsistent communication and behavior is all we see now form the huge brands that told us so many incredible stories about their values, missions and principles. We can’t trust these businesses no more. And by no means these firms can call themselves “international businesses”; American, Swedish, Spanish yes, but never internationals, they are not for everyone. If you are on the international mission, you have responsibilities you need to take. And finally what’s their goal? Is it a peaceful mission anyhow? I don’t see it. They limit talented people of Russia — and these people will be in the government one day, I swear. Do you want them to be limited? These companies create tension, hate and pressure. They foster more hate and this by no means will lead to peace.

https://www.facebook.com/valerie.rozov/posts/10159611984762226