Instead of humility that the “you are not that good” remark is trying to admonish, an effective business leader needs to embrace the moral principle of pride: the policy of doing one’s best.
Jaana Woiceshyn
Why Are the Intellectuals’ Views on Self-Interest Wrong?
Ironically, it is not altruism but the morality of self-interest that makes genuine benevolence and kindness possible.
Acting on Principle Pays
An MBA student of mine who had just read my book commented: “Those principles you write about make a lot of sense, but at the same time, business is ruthless, and most people do not follow such moral principles. How can you act on principle when others don’t?” My...
A shareholder-employee conflict?
Marx was wrong: shareholders will benefit, not from the exploitation of workers but from their motivated, productive, fairly-compensated contribution to wealth creation. It is not a win-lose but a win-win; the alleged conflict between shareholders and workers is a myth.
No Impact Man
University of Calgary, my employer, recently announced that this year it will require all newly-admitted students to read “No Impact Man,” the New York-based author Colin Beavan’s account of living for a year in Manhattan in an effort to strive for “zero environmental...
The Value of Free-Market Competition
It is wrong of governments to interfere with markets, whether through protectionism or other regulations restricting our freedom to trade and compete.
Tragedy in Bangladesh: Do Capitalism and Egoism Cause Buildings to Collapse and Crush Workers?
Almost 400 garment workers were crushed to death when shoddily built factory building collapsed in Bangladesh last month. Tragedies like this lead to a lot of finger-pointing in the media, as well as proposals for their prevention in the future. Unfortunately, much of...
Trading is the Secret To Getting Ahead
The best way for human beings to survive and flourish is not to be givers or takers but traders.
Apple Computer Should Not Have To Pay Taxes
Apple, the most highly valued technology company and the creator of wonderful products that millions enjoy and use to enhance their productivity, has been accused of not paying enough taxes at a congressional hearing where CEO Tim Cook was grilled yesterday. (See the...
Is Outsourcing a Moral Practice?
RBC and any other company should be free to outsource as much as they want—because it is moral.
Corporate Welfare is Immoral
In its recently released budget the Canadian (Conservative!) government announced $6.4 billion of new corporate welfare spending. The aerospace sector will receive $1.2 billion of it over the next five years, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario...
Is Egoism Obvious?
My book, How to Be Profitable and Moral: A Rational Egoist Approach to Business, has been translated into Finnish and was recently published in Finland. At the book launch in Helsinki, an appreciative reader (of the English-language original) and a business owner...
Selling Horse Meat as Beef: Buyer Beware, Too?
In my last article I wrote about stores selling products past their best before date—such as the expired canned lobster pate, which raised demands for legislation against selling expired food products in Canada. I argued that such legislation would be a violation of...
Review of Free Market Revolution
How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government by Yaron Brook and Don Watkins
Consumer Protection: Regulation vs. Reputation
A Canadian woman recently bought a can of lobster pate at a Wal-Mart store. The pate was about a year and half past its best before date, and the woman claimed that she felt ill about four hours after consuming some of the pate. In this era of the nanny state, the...
Thank The 1%
Instead of taxing the 1% more, we should thank them.
Eating Quinoa: Capitalist Exploitation?
The newly rediscovered, nutritious “miracle grain” quinoa, eaten increasingly by health-conscious consumers in the developed countries, is making the rich richer and the poor poorer. At least if we are to believe the recent article in The Guardian newspaper of the...
It’s Good—But Hard—to Be Selfish
Most people think that it is unethical to be selfish. They have been taught that we should always put others’ interests ahead of our own and that pursuing self-interest is immoral. That is why they also think that business—which by definition pursues self-interest:...
Income Inequality is Moral
I was listening to the radio on the weekend and heard a leading Canadian socialist, Stephen Lewis, lament about the big income gap between the rich and the poor as one of the worst ills in society today. Reflecting on that and on the exodus of millionaires from France...
Giving is Not a Duty
At this time of the year, many of us are giving presents out of benevolence, goodwill, appreciation, and love—I hope. Gifts are a means of showing that we value their recipients in some way, whether friends, loved ones, causes, or charities. Giving gifts out of duty...
Free Market Should Win Over Government Control
After months of deliberation, the Canadian government has finally approved the $15 billion takeover of the Canadian-based oil and gas producer Nexen Inc. by CNOOC, one of the state-owned oil companies of China. While I applaud the government for the approval, it...
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