The Friday Program:
Nine Reasons to Be Ethical in Business
 Doug Cameron introduced Al Erisman, who has a long CV, including being Executive Director of the Institute for Business Technology and Ethics, which publishes a superb magazine called “Ethix,” affiliations with the Center for Business Integrity at Seattle Pacific University, and many years as the Director of Research and Development at the Boeing Company, a position he is now retired from.
Al looks at business ethics from two perspectives. First, it is a belief system that avoids trouble by doing what is legal and appropriate. Second, it creates a great business environment for employees and customers. In other words, is it right? Is it appropriate? Is it desirable? Most assuredly, business ethics is not doing just what you need to do to get by.
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 Friday Potpourri
President Steve Lingenbrink called the meeting to order. Jim Everist greeted guests and visiting Rotarians, and Mitch Freedman handled the invocation and the pledge on a beautiful sunny Friday morning.
Don Deasy reminded members that the club has committed to the notion of “Every Rotarian Every Year.” The Rotary year ends in June and everyone is strongly urged to make a commitment to the Rotary Foundation by the end of the Rotary year.
Jim Zidar, President-Elect, reported on the District Conference at Whistler. By all accounts the weather was exceptional there as well and, as in years past, the BBRC won a Presidential Citation Award. Also, on Sunday morning at the District Conference, Governor-Elect Mike Montgomery announced that Steve Lingenbrink will be the Assistant District Governor next year. Way to go, Steve!
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Fundraisers
 Phil Salvatori presented an update on “the new face of fundraising.” The BBRC car raffle is a thing of the past. Fundraising this year will focus on a golf outing on Monday, July 17, at the Coyote Course at Willows Run, with a 1:00 p.m. tee time. Dick Brown is in charge of this event.
 There will also be a Walkathon on Saturday, September 9. Details are forthcoming. Jenny Andrews is in charge of this event.
There will be a lifestyle dinner/auction at a time and date to be announced. “Lifestyle” means timeshare, vacation homes, dinners, boating events and such things. More information will be available on this in the future.
For their exceptional efforts in developing the golf outing and the walkathon, Dick Brown and Jenny Andrews were selected as Rotarians of the Month.
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2006 Issaquah Middle School Spring Forum
Jenny Andrews would like to find volunteers willing to work two-hour shifts during school hours from May 22 to June 9 for the Issaquah Middle School Spring Forum. This is an opportunity for eighth graders at the school to present a portfolio of their middle school accomplishments to a two-person community panel. With over 300 volunteer slots to fill, Jenny is quite interested in finding Rotarians who would be willing to serve this valuable community effort. Please contact Jenny to help out.
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Past Presidents' Dinner
Norm Johnson
 The annual get together of past BBRC Presidents was held on Friday, April 28th, at the Overlake Country Club. This annual dinner for past Presidents and their guests has evolved over the years into a self-funded social evening that is long on fellowship and stories of past years that may or may not bear resemblance to actual occurrences.
Don Deasy was hard pressed to remember anything about his year with the gavel, but his wife Jane volunteered that she received a plaque that year for “Outstanding Forbearance” for serving as Don’s wife. She continues in that role to this day. Dick Brown recalled the program where the club first gave a standing ovation to Drew Barrymore, and Chuck Barnes recalled that the first “To Tell the Truth” was introduced during his year.
A very special and serendipitous guest was Norris Beven, who just happen to pass by the room and was spotted by Don Chandler. Norris was the original sponsor of the club in 1985, when the BBRC got started. He shared a few memories and gave a short pitch for Probus, a Rotary affiliated club for seniors that meets once a month to provide fellowship and very interesting programs.
Attending (in order of year served): Dick & Donna Clark, Jim & Katie Owens, Don & Jane Deasy, Don & Kirsten Chandler, Dick & Judy Brown, Howard & Judy Johnson, Jeff & Judy Cashman, Chuck & Judy Barnes (Are all these guys married to the same woman?) Cary & Jan Kopczynski, Kim & Jean Shrader, Norm & Carolyn Johnson.
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The Friday Program:
Nine Reasons to Be Ethical in Business
 Doug Cameron introduced Al Erisman, who has a long CV, including being Executive Director of the Institute for Business Technology and Ethics, which publishes a superb magazine called “Ethix,” affiliations with the Center for Business Integrity at Seattle Pacific University, and many years as the Director of Research and Development at the Boeing Company, a position he is now retired from.
Al looks at business ethics from two perspectives. First, it is a belief system that avoids trouble by doing what is legal and appropriate. Second, it creates a great business environment for employees and customers. In other words, is it right? Is it appropriate? Is it desirable? Most assuredly, business ethics is not doing just what you need to do to get by.
One observer of the Enron affair pointed out that the laws Enron broke were not nearly as significant as the laws that Enron complied with, and it still ended up in all the trouble that it did.
 Al took a David Letterman approach to business ethics and presented nine reasons to be ethical in business. The first eight have aspects of enlightened self-interest in them. Starting from the end, the reasons are as follows:
9. Litigation/Indictment Avoidance. This one is fairly obvious, but is only the beginning of business ethics, not the end.
8. Regulatory Freedom. By this, Al means that the closer one is to the line and the more public scrutiny and criticism follows, the more likely it is that someone will try to regulate the behavior, and usually regulation carries a hefty price tag in unintended consequences or additional expenses and money.
7. Public Acceptance. The public has a long memory for good or for bad. Al pointed out that Nike faced substantial public criticism over ten years ago for having some of its goods manufactured in foreign sweatshops. It still has not lived down that negative criticism. On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson, when faced with a Tylenol problem several years ago, immediately pulled all of the product off the shelves. Ultimately, it was determined that the problem was not its fault but was due to product tampering, but Johnson & Johnson gleaned substantial positive publicity because of its immediate and decisive action, and is still viewed as a case study in how to deal with potential product problems.
6. Investor Approval. Investors need to have confidence in the companies they invest in. More and more, ethical behavior becomes a significant factor when investment decisions are being made.
5. Supplier/Partner Trust. Most companies rely on partners or suppliers to bring their products and services to market. A trusting relationship is much easier and costs less than a confrontational or adversarial relationship.
 4. Customer Loyalty. There is a growing level of interest in companies that are seen as socially responsible. Companies that treat their customers well, but treat them well because it is the right thing to do and not as part of a calculated business strategy, invariably gain great rewards in customer loyalty.
3. Employee Performance. Companies desiring to attract the best and the brightest have a reputation for ethical behavior that makes people want to work there. This becomes much more important in the technological age.
2. Personal Pride. The ability for owners and employees to be able to look themselves in the mirror and like what they see, or be involved in business activities that they would be proud to tell their mothers or their children about, lead to a better business environment and a better company. Lies are much harder to keep track of than the truth.
1. It Is The Right Thing To Do. This, above all, is the greatest part of business ethics. It is important that it not be a means to an end — that is a calculated strategy designed to achieve public approval or some other means — but is a decision made independent of the outcome. It may require great courage to make these decisions.
 Al recounted an experience he had last year when he was invited to lecture on business ethics at the International Islamist University in Kuala Lumpur. After his presentation, which was well received, his host asked him to tell the West that women were respected in Islamic society and that stereotypes of Islamists were not accurate. Al replied that he would do that on the condition that his host tell his colleagues that the West was not the West of Hollywood movies and other stereotypes.
Al’s point is that business ethics is not something unique to Christianity, to Western civilization, or to any other geographic or political divisions; rather, it is a universal aspiration and people of the world, when it comes to business ethics, have more in common than not.
Al’s Conclusions:
1. Make time to consider the issues thoughtfully.
2. More regulations are usually not the best answer.
3. There is often a financial payoff for doing the right thing, but the reason for doing the right thing has to be simply that it is the right thing to do, irrespective of the outcome.
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WEBFUN
Why Do We Have Moms?
Answers given by elementary school children to the following questions:
Why do we have moms?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. Clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string I think.
Why do you have your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. The doctor knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.
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