Business Ethics

POSTED BY: burtwalker

Synapse Apps PocketSLP Brand

Some would say that “Business Ethics” is an oxymoron.  I couldn’t disagree more.  This is a myth perpetuated only by people who have never run a business.

I’ll never understand why some businesses believe that crossing the line with ethical standards is a good practice.  Yes, in the short term, it may yield some additional sales, but eventually, it will almost always to come back to haunt you.  One of the companies we have mentored, Synapse Apps, the developer of the PocketSLP brand of speech therapy products, has had to deal with a notable competitor that simply cannot resist the urge to behave unethically.  The story is fascinating and the saga continues to this day.

Here’s what they’ve done so far:

• Challenged the copyright licenses of the images used in the Synapse Apps products and claimed their product was the only one with licensed imagery.  This caused Apple to shut down the product on it’s first day of availability.  Upon review, Apple found the claims to be unsubstantiated and reinstated the app the next day.
• Seeded the newsletter email list (opt-in subscribers only) with a plant, then turned the company in to a national spam database as a spammer.  How does an opt-in subscriber claim an email newsletter is spam?
• Created a new iTunes account and purchased a new app offered by Synapse Apps, then submitted a scathing review (one star “Don’t Waste Your Money”).  Then they solicited “friends” to mark the review as helpful, resulting in the review taking top ranking on iTunes.  All other reviews have been 5 stars.

Here are a few ways to describe this “competitive” behavior:

• Childish
• Unethical
• Naive
• Unprofessional
• Unworthy

There’s a big difference between competing and cheating.  Some might claim that cheating is fair game in this dog-eat-dog world of business.  I submit that it is not.  Those that do so, remind me of school yard bullies. At least we can take solace in knowing bullies always get their due.  Synapse Apps has many competitors now, but only one continues to behave unethically.  What does this say about the proprietors of this business?

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