Customer Reviews

A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success -- and a Very Large Rabbit

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Sometimes we forget that in order to succeed we need to pay attention to little things such as ethics. This book really is an eye opener... I agree, it should be mandatory for every student in America.

I would recommend this book for everyone--from teenagers to adults. It teaches us right from wrong, and the consequences we face if we make the wrong decisions. It teaches us that it really does "pay off" in the end if you DO make the right decisions.
I encourage anyone who is in business for themselves, or working for Fortune 500 companies to read this book. There are many great lessons to be learned!

The basic tenet of this book is that the author believes businesses can't truly build shareholder value without instutionalizing sound ethical practices. The author illustrates her position by creating four fictional characters who must all face various ethical and moral challenges throughout their lives as well as face the consequences of the choices they've made.

One character in particular; Edgar, has a competitive advantage over the others in the form of a very tall, and very pushy, invisible rabbit that fulfills the role of moral and ethical conscience for our hero throughout his life. I found the approach creative and entertaining.

Marianne Jennings punctuates her fictionalized lessons in ethics with many real-world examples from recent and distant history that perfectly capture the widespread pain and suffering that almost always result from unethical behavior. Companies such as WorldCom, FINOVA, Beechnut, General Motors, and John-Manville have paid millions of dollars in fines, and some of their top executives have served prison terms because of their inability to "do the right thing." In addition to the damage done to the economic base of the enterprise, there is the further toll taken on the employees, shareholders, and pubic at large.

The cornerstones of the book rest on the following ten "pointers for playing by the rules":

1) Honesty is a tough thing.
2) Playing by the rules means living with an occasional setback.
3) Doing the right thing often means more work.
4) Being ethical sometimes means running behind in the race.
5) Expect a little mockery for playing ethically.
6) Being ethical means you have to speak up.
7) Sometimes the ethical route is opportunity knocking.
8) The ethical finish first eventually, and with peace of mind.
9) Ethical indiscretions haunt the sprinters.
10) Success comes from doing what's honest and right.

The silver lining in the ethical behavior debate is that in the long run, companies who routinely engage in sound ethical practices usually win. No better example of a highly successful business executive that is renowned for his personal ethics can be made more forcefully than by the authors repeated references to none other than Warren Buffett.

At the corporate level, the highly ethical and brilliant handling of the potentially devastating public relations disaster faced by the makers of Tylenol pain products is a textbook example of how sound ethical behavior by a business can turn a losing situation into a major win.

But before the reader is ever treated to this delightful story with its carefully interwoven life lessons, Dr. Laura Schlessinger kicks off the book with an insightful and thought provoking Forward in a style that is uniquely hers to deliver a major coupe de tat for Ms. Jennings.

I have to agree with another reviewer that if you own a company, you should buy a copy of the book for every employee. Your future success may depend on the lessons it contains.

I absolutely love the new book on ethics by Marianne M. Jennings. She uses a parody to follow four students through their life from high school to middle age. One student, Edgar, has a big rabbit as his conscience. The rabbit appears whenever Edgar faces an ethical dilemma. Edgar repeatedly struggles through life as he sees his three friends achieve major financial gains by being unethical. Ms. Jennings does a wonderful job of illustrating the long-term benefits of running one's personal and business decisions through an ethical filter prior to action. This book should be mandatory reading for all college students.

This is the story of ethics, choices, and business presented the tale of one Edgar Benchley, a nerd who studies well and enters the world of business, where his questionable dealings keep resulting in his being fired. Ethics are brought to real life in this fable, which uses the story format to impart basics of ethics in the business world.

I have a unique relationship with the author. While I was an MBA student at Arizona State, she was my teacher. Now, I'm her literary agent. Not only is Jennings the nation's leading authority on ethics, but she's an incredible writer who will make you think and make you laugh. The book is a fable--in the spirit of WHO MOVED MY CHEESE and THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER--that you'll be able to read in one sitting, yet the lessons will last for a lifetime. If you own a company, this is a book you should buy for all your employees.