I was reading an advertisement for a car a few years ago and it was described as being in excellent condition with one owner, how mileage and a price that I couldn't believe. I thought it would be a perfect car for my daughter so we ran over to the car dealer to take a look. When we got there, there was a hoard of salespeople coming to assist us. We asked for the car listed in the paper, and they informed us it already sold - but pointed us to a similar make and model at the same price - what a piece of junk it was and needless to say we ran from that car lot and sales people.

This is an unethical business practice known as bait and switch. It basically means that something is advertised at a very appealing price. A buyer gets "sucked" in (that's called the bait) on what the advertisement said. When you get there, the advertised items has been sold, but they just happen to have a similar (that's called the switch) product that you would fall in love with in it's place. The switch is usually of a lesser quality than what was advertised.

It's not an ethical business practice. So, what is "ethical" for a business or organization? Conscience is the basis of ethics. Conscience is our "inner voice" of guidance. Both "conscience" and" ethics" are abstract concepts and difficult to define. Both are also human traits and require cognitive activity in the brain. Therefore, for a business to be ethical, the individual human leaders,as well as those under them, must have a well-developed conscience. They are the business, you are the business. Any ethical business starts with a leader with conscience, standards and values and is carried down to the employees.Summary

Obey the law

This may sound obvious, but the scandals in American business over the past few years have proven that maybe it isn't so obvious after all. So let's make it simple: no Technology Alignment employee should ever break the law or cut corners on labor, environmental or securities regulations.

The exceptions? None

Keep faith with our customers, shareholders and employees

These relationships are the heart of Technology Alignment, the core of what it means to be Technology Alignment. They are based on trust, honesty and excellent performance, and those values must drive every decision you make and every action you take. The greatest danger to those relationships is a breach of trust. Think of it this way: we should all commit ourselves to earning the trust of our customers, our shareholders and our teammates every day. We should never settle for second-best when it comes to our relationships with customers, shareholders or each other.

Never betray Technology Alignment's faith in you by acting against the best interests of the company

Technology Alignment hired you because it trusted you. But loyalty is a two-way street. So, when you work for Technology Alignment, work for Technology Alignment. Beware of conflicts of interest, and never do anything that would aid our competitors, hurt the company, or give the appearance of acting for personal gain. In fact, the best approach is to steer clear not just of conflicts of interest but of any situation that even looks like a conflict of interest.

Communicate honestly

Tell the truth. To everybody. In selling, in advertising, in reporting on your work, in offering new ideas, in raising tough issues. We don't mislead customers about price or features or availability. We disclose fully to shareholders and don't capitalize on "insider" information. And a big part of telling the truth is knowing what the truth is, which means keeping full and accurate records so we are never in doubt.

Respect rights to privacy

Technology Alignment, as part of doing business, collects a lot of information on customers and employees. Safeguarding that information is a critical responsibility. Access to customer or employee records is limited strictly to those with a business need to know.

Select suppliers based on merit, and merit alone

We understand that business relationships can become personal relationships. But understand this, too: personal feelings must never interfere with business decisions. Suppliers are selected and kept on board for one reason only, their value to Technology Alignment as a business. Your first loyalty must be to Technology Alignment and its shareholders, not to a favored vendor or supplier. In fact, there should be no such thing as a "favored" vendor or supplier, just the ones that will do the most for Technology Alignment and it's customers.

Protect Technology Alignment's assets

"Assets" means everything from money, equipment and information to our reputation. If we waste budget, "borrow" supplies, divulge confidential information to outsiders or simply do something that darkens our reputation, we are stealing from our shareholders and, ultimately, from each other. So, it's not only wrong, it's dumb.

Keep our workplace one that we can be proud of

This is a responsibility that covers a lot of ground, more than you might have thought of, and it's a responsibility borne by all of us. First, it means making sure that our workplace is free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, violence, drugs and weapons and reporting it when you see it. There is no place for any of them at Technology Alignment. But pride in our workplace also means assuring that our buildings, equipment, work conditions and work practices are safe and meet every federal, state and local standard. A positive work environmen, free of both psychological and physical threats, is the core of the Technology Alignment culture. We won't tolerate anything less.

Finally, our workplace isn't just the buildings we occupy; it's the world we live in. And it's our responsibility to protect that world with environmentally sound practices that make good business sense.

Don't just read the Code, live it.

If you see or hear about unethical conduct on the job or somebody doing something dishonest, destructive or illegal, contact your manager, Human Resources, or human resources anonymously if you wish. When it comes to enforcing our code of ethics, you can go right to Dianne Ursini, our CEO. If you have a question about what constitutes a breach of ethics, the Hotline can help there, too. If a teammate needs guidance, lend a hand. We're in this together.

Yes, ethics and business must be packaged together for the good of the community - and the world. As we gain new understanding and appreciation of the members of our global community, businesses will be able to make many more ethical decisions which will be for the benefit of all people.

Together at Technology Alignment, we need to show our good community standing and practice the best in ethical behavior!