Doing the Right Thing When Nobody is Looking

Doing the Right Thing
When No One is Looking

2/28/2012 Destinations Showcase ~ Wash DC 1

“Doing the right thing when
no one is looking”

Decency
Integrity
Honor
Belief
Moral Code

Ethics
That branch of philosophy dealing with

• Values relating to human conduct
• Rightness and wrongness of certain
actions
• Goodness and badness of the motives
and ends of such actions.

Ethical Codes
. . . just in case . . .

• To assist in making decisions
determining the difference between
'right' and 'wrong„

• To apply this understanding to decisions

Morals vs. Ethics

Morals
Define personal character

Things you learned at home about
right and wrong ~ good and bad


Morals vs. Ethics
Ethics
Stress a social system in which those
morals are applied

• Company Ethics
• Family Ethics
• Professional Ethics
• Social Ethics

Conflict Between Morals and
Ethics
• Legal Ethics • Abortion

• Medical Ethics • Euthanasia
• Stem Cell Research

• Workplace Ethics • Conflicts of interest

• Social Ethics • Boomers vs “Y”

Employee Code of Conduct

Effectiveness Dependent On

• Management Support
• Sanctions
• Rewards


Conflict of Interest

Using professional position for personal
gain

Conflict of interest in the Federal
government is a violation of criminal
statute


How to Avoid Conflicts of
Interest

Recusal or disqualification

Remain impartial in performance of
official duties

Obtain waiver by authorized official
when conflict of interest is not
substantial

Vendor/Supplier Relationships

Based on good relationships and previous
business, a venue or supplier recognizes
the value of your business

Don‟t abuse or jeopardize this
relationship!

Current Economic Situation

• Planners trying to “get a lot for a little”

• Suppliers offer incentives

• Where is the line and who‟s drawing it?


Let‟s Examine Some
Scenarios

What would you do if
no one was looking?

Scenario 1
Based on a good working relationship
with a local hotel

You ask your sales person for the
hotel to donate a ham and potato
salad for your office Christmas
party


Scenario 1
Planner – Is this taking advantage of
a professional relationship?
? Conflict of Interest?

Supplier – Have you ever been in a
situation like this? How would you
handle this request?

Scenario 2
Planner
• Negotiating with 3 venues for a training
conference

• Venues 1 and 2 are comparable in rates,
amenities, and other areas important to
the organization and conference

• Venue 3 does not have the dates
available

Scenario 2
Venue #1
• Low season for venue
• Bidding on lucrative piece of business
• Represents repeat business with client
• Understands they are seriously
competing with two other venues
• Offers planner a persuasive incentive
• A personal weekend at a nearby boutique
hotel

Scenario 2

If Planner Selects Venue # 1

Who will know?

No one is looking. . . .

Scenario 3

Based on business relationships with a
local hotel chain, you ask your hotel
contact to secure a comp hotel room for
you in another city . . .

The hotel salesperson suspects this is a
personal trip and not a site visit


Scenario 3
Planner
Does this present a conflict of
interest?

Supplier
How do you handle this request?


Scenario 4
One of your vendors sells
T-shirts. You have purchased these
shirts and other clothing items for
official purposes.

Is it appropriate to ask this vendor for
personalized t-shirts at no charge for
your son‟s baseball team?


Scenario 4

• Is this a conflict of interest?

• How can this be handled
appropriately?

How Clean Are Your SOX?
Sarbanes Oxley Bill ~ 2002

• Enacted after failure of Enron and
Worldcom
• To protect employees and public from
effects of fraudulent accounting
principles
• To eliminate Auditor Conflicts of
Interest
2/28/2012
• Auditor = Consultant = Conflict of Interest
Destinations Showcase ~ Wash DC 23

Effect of SOX Act on Hotel
Negotiations

• Meeting Room Rental

• Food and Beverage

• Other contract line items


Washington Post Test
Are your event
and your
professional
behavior up the
scrutiny of the
media? Do you
want your event
and actions
publicized on the
front page of a
major newspaper?
25
2/28/2012 Destinations Showcase ~ Wash DC

Perceptions

• Perceptions are reality

• If you are perceived as guilty . . .

• . . . You will be condemned as guilty


Muffingate
• How did this happen?

• How could this have been avoided?

• What is the outcome for the hospitality
industry?

More Regulations?

Wandering Off the Beaten
Path
• Hotel Rewards

• FAM Trips

• Gifts

• Other Incentives

Scenario 5

As a planner you are familiar with and
comply with your company‟s Ethics Policies
and Code of Contact

Your supervisor asks you to “negotiate”
inappropriate upgrades, hotel awards,
motivational trips, etc. for her/him


???
What are you going to do?

Whom do you consult?

Are you jeopardizing your job?

Is this a conflict of interest?


Scenario 6
A supplier asks the planner . . .

“It would be great if I could get the
papers approved and signed before the
end of the month . . . If you can make
that happen, I‟ll make sure you
personally receive 50,000 hotel points.”


Who Benefits?
• Are you going to give your organization
the 50,000 planner points?

• Will the supplier personally benefit if
you sign the papers by a certain date?

• Are there other things to consider?

Scenario 7

Planner to Supplier . . .

“Do you think if I select the Griswold
Hotel to host this event, I could have
that Weekend at Bernie‟s that you
mentioned earlier? I‟m about to make a
decision between your beautiful hotel and
The Giddyup Get-Away.

What‟s Wrong with This
Scenario?

• Giving proprietary information
• Revealing competition
• Asking for compensation
• Making a decision that‟s good for the
planner instead of good for the
organization


Getting Back on Track
• Be familiar with your organization‟s
ethics policy and code of conduct
• Disclose offers of gifts and incentives
• Don‟t be afraid to decline an offer of
gifts or trips
• Educate your suppliers to avoid
embarrassing situations
• Keep business/business

Recap
• It is a conflict of interest to use your
professional job for personal gain

• Do not put yourself or your vendors in
this situation

• Do not risk your job or reputation or
the reputation of your company

Recap
• Always negotiate fairly with the best
interest of the company and meeting in
mind

• Always make selections based on the best
value for the company/meeting NOT
„what‟s in this for me?‟

• Be the planner that suppliers welcome back
to their properties


MPI Principles of Professionalism

• Maintain Professional Integrity

• Utilize Professional Business Practices

• Respect Diversity


Conclusion
No one is looking . . .

No one will ever know . . .

Just this one time . . .

Respect yourself and appropriate
behavior will follow.

Do the Right Thing


Doing the Right Thing When Nobody is Looking

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