Honesty is Ethical Business: HEB's Moral Approach to Profiting

Is it truly up to the producer of products like cars, toys, and ice cream to inform the consumer of any defects or hazardous materials that might be found in his or her product(s)? Why should a company inform the buyers of its product of the potential dangers involved in what reaches lots and store shelves? With the case like San Antonio, Texas supermarket chain H-E-B, the answers to these questions remain clear: honesty pays. The ice cream maker halted the sale of it’s Pecan Turtle ice cream fearing that the frozen treat contained slivers of wood. Now, does a bureaucrat need to step in to determine whether a product should be pulled from shelves? Or do responsible businessmen and women hold the distinction of being self-regulators? The proper action of letting the world know of the alleged unfortunate contents of the ice cream ought to be commended. H-E-B thought that it would be in their own self-interest to clue in the buying citizens just what type of danger their product posed. Also, dozens of other corporations over the years have found fault with a given product and pulled it to prevent any legal implications which may result. If companies chose to go on with their business as if nothing happened, wittingly forgoing all cautions to sell to people, they might be ensnared in lawsuits.

It doesn’t take government officials to spot possible problems with a product. It is the bottom line which ought to spur makers to ensure that their creations meet or exceed the standards of good business, not “the public good.” Greedy, selfish individuals who wish to turn a profit ought to find developing and making beautiful, cool, and tasty products to be a rewarding experience. These men and women don’t institute recalls to satisfy the consumer, even. The safety and well-being of citizens who wish to purchase their products are important but the actual ethics of recalls lie in the fact a company is recognizing the facts of reality. They do it because it is the moral, rational thing to do. So why, in financial and medical markets, where the products may be more nuanced and intangible than say a carton of ice cream, do busybody bureaucrats feel the need to stand over the shoulders of chief executive officers (CEO) and bankers, physicians, and other professionals? In essence, every firm, practice, or corporation ought to perform a single task: make money. But what that entails is the production of wonderful, functional creations and services.

Most politicians represent the statist thugs who wish not to protect consumers from force, fraud, or peril, but to be the miserable party who possess not an ounce of talent or wit that is required to run some of the world’s best and brightest companies. Whether it’s a Cadillac or a cap gun, the essence is that it each stand as products of the human mind. Each of them took imagination, focus, and ingenuity in constructing them. Dedicated engineers and scientists devise new ways of crafting vehicles, treats, and other products that the consumer may not even realize what he or she wants or needs.

For H-E-B, the decision to withdraw voluntarily the Pecan Turtle cold delight shows a competent company which seeks to continue to rake in considerable profits. Their selfish desire to reap returns ought to be highlighted as chief examples of morality. But just imagine what it would be like if they had refused to inform their potential customers of the possibility of chomping down on a piece of lumber just as they were enjoying their creamy confection. Suppose that people got splintered during the process of eating the ice cream. The response would be that another “rapacious,” negligent corporation is out to damage or destroy the health of its customers. And consider that for any other company. The notion that businessmen and women would benefit from the sickness, discomfort or death of its patrons is ludicrous and bizarre. In order to be in business, the quality of the product of service ought to be exemplary. For all the flack from the left and right across the political spectrum that businesses receive, it is refreshing to remember that with a company in it to provide top-notch items and actions that citizens remain willing to purchase and experience and make some coin in the process still exists. The name H-E-B may have stood for Howard Edward Butt and now stands for Here Everything’s Better, but the grocery chain might also represent the fact that Honesty is Ethical Business. Just let a bureaucrat try to steal a name that elicits that kind of joy.