The American business model

I am not a businessman.  I know next to nothing about the business world.  But I know one thing.  According to the American business model, a business is considered "successful" if they make more money this quarter than they did last year, this same quarter.  PERIOD.  This is not the case in all other cultures.  If you don't believe me, do the research

Well over a decade ago, upon discovering this piece of "business knowledge," I immediately wondered, "how much is too much," and "how far will this go?"  

Well... It appears as though that for some companies, there is absolutely no limit.  In fact, some corporations appear to be demonstrating that the desire for profit greatly outweighs the desire to "do good."  When I say, "do good," I mean many different things.  Doing good can be something like NOT selling out to the big corporations, because you know they would eliminate your current employees.  

On a grander scale, there are huge corporations in the food industry who have made decisions that, according to some, are the equivalent to "genetic roulette."  I'm referring to GMO foods.  Genetically Modified Organisms, again, according to some, can cause serious health issues.  Probably the most likely being food allergies.  It's no great secret that there has been a drastic increase in food allergies in the recent past.  Does anyone in their 40s remember a classmate with a "deadly peanut allergy?"  

Research is starting to indicate that the body doesn't recognize GMO foods as food.  Because it is comprised of a different DNA strand than "normal food," the body, instead, rejects it.  In many cases, it responds to these foods as allergens.  Many say that this is part of the reason why there are so many more food allergies today.  

My wife, several years ago already, once did a research report for a college class involving Wal-Mart and Toro.  The short version is that Wal-Mart informed Toro that "we will sell your snowblowers at THIS price."  Toro's response was that this selling price was lower than their production costs and, as a result, this "American Made company" was forced to have the "Wal-Mart version" of their products manufactured overseas.  

So, if you are a business owner, will you have the business ethics (I believe that is a college class ALL business majors are required to take) to do what's best for the greater good of humanity?  Of your employees' families?  Or, will it come down to the one thing that seems to drive most corporations...

GREED