Corporate conscience

Students should trust ethos in job hunt

From the Daily

I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve those aspects of any organization for which I work." This statement is the pledge of the Graduate Pledge Alliance, an organization that has, since 1996, been encouraging college graduates to look beyond prestigious positions and high salaries to find careers within companies that will respect their ideals. A graduating senior takes the pledge as a lifetime reminder that life has more to offer than power and prestige. Linking this pledge with the memorable experience of finding one's first "real" job after graduation is a way of ensuring that one's values will follow him throughout his professional life. Not only does the pledge signing show a concern, but also,the honest signer will always remember his or her revolt against greed and apathy at a time when traditionally, students look at little more than position, location, and salary.

The lures that corporations offer can be tempting and the members of a graduating class often fail to give their potential employers a thorough background check. Due to a recent shortage of funding for environmental awareness groups and the lack of popular media coverage on corporate ethical problems, students often have no way of knowing about the ignoble actions of corporations. A recruiter will only tell prospective employees about what is honorable and prestigious about the organization he represents and all that advertising does is product promotion. A graduate should always research a company before accepting a position; this means more than looking at the corporate Web Site. A simple Internet search using a few search engines reveals enough published information that one can know all recent significant actions that one's potential employer has taken. The GPA's pledge encourages students to undertake this much research - if not more - and act upon one's findings. If the organization does nothing to benefit society as a whole, has a wide gap between executive and worker salaries, or has a history of civil suits, then the signers should neglect the company. They should also look at affirmative action stances, domestic partner benefit offerings and sweatshop labor practices.

Simple neglect for a company is an effective form of resistance against even the most powerful corporate empires. Such resistance is necessary to encourage civic virtue in this profit-oriented society. Should graduating classes from the country's most prestigious universities deny unethical corporations access to a large number of America's brightest, the targets will invariably suffer.

There, however, are many other means for changing corporate standards that students who are not near graduating and those already in the work force can employ. One only needs to spread information and inform people of the consequences of the facts. There are many organizations on campus that do just that.

The mission is simple: Inform potential employees that a company acts unethically. The power against these corporations also lies in those who would consume their goods and services. The strength of society is great, and the collective will of the populace can force companies to clean up their acts.